Dwayne Johnson drops a tease about a mysterious new collaboration with filmmaker J.J. Abrams. After getting his start in the WWE, Johnson is now one of the most recognizable movie stars on the planet, appearing in recent movies like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), Red Notice (2021), Black Adam (2022), and various installments in the . Abrams, similarly, is a major figure in the world of entertainment, having directed two Star Wars sequels and co-created Lost.
Johnson now shares a new post on Instagram, revealing a recent dinner he had with Abrams. The actor teases that a new collaboration is on the horizon, which he says has been "years in the making." The actor doesn't reveal what the project is called or whether it's a movie, TV show, or something else entirely, but he does tease that it's "from the mind of Zak Penn," an American screenwriter. He concludes his post with a potentially ominous tagline for the project: "...tonight, it comes to life..." Check out Johnson's post and full caption below:
Years in the making - we finally broke bread, we drank, we laughed, we talked life stuff, love stuff, dude stuff and took our time chopping up our passion for movies and storytelling. Then we all raised a glass and toasted to….
yup, this one is gonna be fun.
JJ & DJ 🥃
From the mind of Zak Penn.
“…tonight, it comes to life…”
What Johnson's New Tease Means For His Upcoming Abrams Collaboration
What Will The Mystery Project Be?
Johnson's post is short on details, but the involvement of both Abrams and Penn would suggest that he's referring to a movie. Abrams has worked extensively in the sci-fi and fantasy genres, and so has Penn. The screenwriter has worked on films like The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Avengers (2012), Ready Player One (2018), and Free Guy (2021), all of which are genre films. Johnson, too, mostly only makes genre movies these days, with the biggest exception being his upcoming Mark Kerr biopic, The Smashing Machine.
What's more, the tagline could also be read as a tease for some kind of monster movie. The "it" in question could be some kind of monster or beast, or, given Abram's sci-fi sensibilities, it also could be referring to some kind of robot or artificial intelligence.
Related
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's 10 Best Movies, Ranked
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has managed to carve a very successful film career since joining Hollywood. Here are his 10 best movies, ranked.
Johnson currently has a number of projects in development, so it's not clear what the timeline will be for this new collaboration with Abrams. Johnson, for example, is currently attached to titles like the live-action Moana, a Fast X spinoff movie, Monster Jam, Jungle Cruise 2, and a Big Trouble in Little China remake, among others. If a script for the movie has been completed, the film could already be in good shape and could be fast-tracked relative to some of the other titles above.
Abrams hasn't directed a movie since Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. It was recently announced that he'll be directing a movie at Warner Bros. with Jenna Ortega and Glen Powell in talks to star.
Our Take On Johnson & Abrams' New Project
Will The Movie Be A Hit?
Johnson remains one of the busiest stars in Hollywood, regularly headlining big movies. Many of these movies, however, arguably aren't very good, or, at the very least, tend to be fairly forgettable popcorn entertainment. The Rise of Skywalker, too, is generally considered a lackluster conclusion to the Skywalker Saga. Both Johnson and Abrams, then, are in need of a comeback project.
Johnson's next release is Red One, a movie that boasts a massive reported budget of $250 million. Such a high price point sets this film's bar for success quite high, and it's certainly possible that the Christmas film will mark another disappointment for the actor. The pressure is on, then, for Johnson's collaboration with Abrams to deliver, but it's a positive sign that some key ingredients are already in place.
Source: Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson
Discover the latest news and filmography for Dwayne Johnson, known for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Fast & Furious.
- Birthdate
- 1972-05-02
- Birthplace
- Hayward, California, USA
- Height
- 6 feet 5 inches
- Notable Projects
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle , Jumanji: The Next Level , San Andreas
- Professions
- Actor , Producer , Professional Wrestler
