'The Scorpion King' Is Being Resurrected By Dwayne Johnson, Will Be Set In Modern Day
The Scorpion King will rise again, though not with Dwayne Johnson sporting the leather armor. Instead, Johnson is working his magic behind the camera, producing a new Scorpion King reboot for Universal, with Straight Outta Compton scribe Jonathan Herman set to pen the script. Universal is currently on the hunt for a new lead star and a director.
Deadline reports that Johnson and Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions are resurrecting The Scorpion King, developing a reboot that will be penned by Jonathan Herman, who was nominated for an Oscar for his work on Straight Outta Compton. Johnson and Garcia will produce with Seven Bucks' Hiram Garcia, but with Johnson being the most booked star in Hollywood — with roles in franchises like Fast and Furious, Black Adam, Jumanji, and plenty of other big action movies — he will not be reprising his role as the Scorpion King (though there's a chance he could make a cameo). Instead, Universal will look for a new actor to play the part that launched Johnson's movie career.
Plot details are scarce for the Scorpion King reboot, but Deadline reports that this new film will be a "contemporary take set in modern times." Does this mean the first film will be canon and the new one will follow a descendant of the original character? We'd put money on it.
The original Scorpion King hit theaters in 2002 and followed an ancient desert warrior who goes up against an evil army destroying his homeland. The film was a spin-off from The Mummy Returns, which featured Johnson's silver screen debut as the resurrected Egyptian warrior, and marked the start of the WWE's fighter's career as a full-fledged movie star. It was followed by a series of direct-to-video sequels not featuring Johnson and the less said about them, the better.
"The Scorpion King was my very first role ever on the silver screen and I'm honored and excited to reimagine and deliver this cool mythology to a whole new generation," said Johnson. "I wouldn't have had the career I'm lucky enough to have had it not been for The Scorpion King and I'm thrilled that we at Seven Bucks Productions can help create those same opportunities for other hardworking actors today. I believe Jonathan Herman will put in the hard work to deliver a fantastic script for our global audience."
"The original Scorpion King was a crucial catalyst helping to catapult us into the world of film," added Garcia. "To be able to now produce the next iteration as part of our Seven Bucks Productions slate is a special, full-circle moment, a testament to what we have been fortunate enough to build for our audience and ultimately a humble reminder of the timeless value of authentic storytelling."