I’ve often said around these parts that if you’re a young movie executive looking to get that corner office and company car, find something, anything, to turn into a franchise or movie universe. These days, even the Green Giant logo has viable potential for a film. But your next best option to get an A-list star and set up a vehicle that will be a popcorn attraction to the biggest movie market in the world — China.
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That’s just what director Rawson Marshall Thurber has done, nabbing his “Central Intelligence” star Dwayne Johnson, and attaching him to an action movie pitch that’s described as “Die Hard“-in-China. As you might expect, those four words have sparked a bidding war, with Sony, Universal, and Paramount all trying to land the project with some big money offers. And that’s hardly a surprise since in a movie environment that can be wildly unpredictable these days, Dwayne Johnson is a rare sure thing at the box office.
Next on deck for The Rock is “Central Intelligence” opening in a few weeks, the second season of “Ballers” arriving this summer, and “Baywatch” and “Fast 8” opening next year. [Deadline]