Dwayne Johnson has teased fans with a clip of his new movie, just hours after announcing details of the Netflix feature.
The busiest man in Hollywood has reteamed with his Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle director Jake Kasdan on adventure John Henry and The Statesmen, about African American folk hero John Henry - a project so fresh no details have yet appeared on IMDB.
Luckily Dwayne shed some light on the film via his social media accounts, including the fact he’ll be producing it under his Seven Bucks Productions banner, the company he co-founded with Dany Garcia.
“WHEN THE MAN COMES AROUND,” he began the post, alongside the 24-second clip, set to Johnny Cash’s The Man Comes Around. “Inspired to bring to life one of my childhood heroes, John Henry, in JOHN HENRY & THE STATESMEN.
“In this movie, I’ll lead an ensemble of the most popular folklore figures and legends from different cultures around the world. @NETFLIX is the perfect partner & platform to bring these global folklore icons to life. The NETFLIX brand speaks directly to our @sevenbucksprod ethos of being bold, ambitious and game changing - and most importantly, always thinking 'Audience first' in homes all around the world.”
Variety reports Netflix landed the rights after a heated bidding war that attracted many of the major studios. John Henry & The Statesmen marks the former wrestler’s first feature at Netflix.
The Lego Ninjago Movie writer Tom Wheeler is in charge of the script, and he’ll executive produce alongside Dwayne’s former colleagues; Jumanji’s Melvin Mar and San Andreas, Rampage and Skyscraper producer Wendy Jacobson.
“The legend of JOHN HENRY’S strength, endurance, dignity and cultural pride was instilled in my DNA at a very young age. My dad would sing 'Big John' to me every time he would put me to bed. At bedtime most children get loving nursery rhyme songs - I got this,” Dwayne continued.
“Gonna be a lot of fun bringing these legends to life. My childhood hero.”
