The summer movie season is in full swing, with one of the more anticipated blockbusters, “Baywatch,” dropping it’s newest trailer today with some R-rated flavor. The Seth Gordon-directed comedy stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron as competing lifeguards on the Los Angeles beaches. Here’s the official synopsis:
“Baywatch’ follows devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchannon (Johnson) as he butts heads with a brash new recruit (Efron). Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.”
While there is not a lot in the description, fellow co-star Priyanka Chopra spoke to EW about her villainous role in the film. She plays Victoria Leeds, a wealthy entrepreneur who also is a drug smuggler. As EW reports, the role was originally written for a male actor but Gordon changed the character’s gender after speaking with Chopra.
“As soon as I spoke to her, I knew she could do it … I really loved the idea of Dwayne going up against a female antagonist,” he said. “Her approach is purely psychological. It’s about outsmarting, it’s about out-winning, it’s about taking advantage of the male ego, all that stuff … She really was just a much more interesting person for him to go up against, because it wasn’t going to be just brawn or grit.”
Chopra added, “She’s not just a random woman with money, she’s self made. This is not just drugs and money for her, it’s power. That’s the cause.”
In addition to Johnson, Efron, and Chopra, the film co-stars Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, John Bass, and Hannibal Buress. The film is written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, whose previous credits oddly include “Freddy vs. Jason” and the 2009 “Friday the 13th” remake. “Baywatch” opens on May 24th.