Dwayne Johnson May Have Just Confirmed That He Is Shane Black's 'Doc Savage'

There are few combinations of talent as tantalizing as Shane Black and Dwayne Johnson, but the director of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and Iron Man 3 made it clear that everyone's favorite movie star would only be able to star in a big screen adaptation of the pulp adventure series Doc Savage if his increasingly busy schedule allowed him some space. But maybe it's okay to keep your hopes up, because The Rock has casually hinted that he's definitely involved in Doc Savage and plans to start shooting it in 2017.

Like so much Dwayne Johnson news, this tidbit arrived over at his Instagram account, which the perfect source for motivational speeches, pictures of bulging muscles, notes on his jam-packed schedule, silly jokes, and occasionally movie news. In this case, it's a combination of a few of his favorite tropes. The embedded image below showcases Johnson's workaholic nature, a few dumb gags, and a picture of an tablet upon which he's reading "an outline for a cool movie [he'll] make in 2017 (with director Shane Black)."

Finding our anchor. When I'm shooting on location I always need a space where I can work and keep building the enterprise. Here in Georgia this has been my space for months now. Keepin' it country. Every film, TV show, partnership and project we develop gets handled from here. When I feel good about it, it goes in the pile to the left that clearly reflects my OCD. When I'm still making adjustments, it stays on the pile on the right. All contracts that need signing remain in the middle. On the iPad I'm reading an outline for a cool movie I'll make in 2017 (with director Shane Black) and when I get tired and need a lil' pick me up, the shaker cup holds a special shot of energy – Elk piss. The more complicated our lives get, the more we need simple spaces like this to anchor us. In simplistic terms, find your work space and anchor to help you keep your shit together. #AndDontTryDrinkingElkPiss #IWasKidding #ItsLionBlood ??????

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on May 15, 2016 at 6:46pm PDT

Since Shane Black's Predator sequel begins filming this year, this outline is most likely Doc Savage, especially since Black has stated that Johnson is his personal choice for the explorer/scientist/hero-of-all-trades. Black has been trying to get this movie made for a long time (Chris Hemsworth was attached to star, once upon a time), but it feels like the project was simply waiting for Dwayne Johnson to intersect with it. It's hard to imagine any other living actor capable of playing a brawny hero with a superhero physique who also happens to be the smartest guy on earth. Plus, Johnson is a perfect fit for Black's acidic sense of humor.

In the meantime, Johnson can be seen this year in the action comedy Central Intelligence and heard in Disney's Moana. Black's next film, the well-received The Nice Guys, opens this Friday.