If you’re a writer, director, actor, or producer in the entertainment industry and Netflix hasn’t written you a check yet, then you’re doing something wrong. The streaming giant seems to be in the “buy everything and anything” business and just can’t help itself from snatching up anything remotely interesting. And the latest person to get paid is none other than the biggest movie star in the world — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Netflix has announced a partnership with Dwayne Johnson to develop and release a new action-adventure film titled “John Henry and The Statesmen.” The film also sees the duo of Johnson and director Jake Kasdan reteam, after the billion-dollar success of last year’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.”
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The film is said to be a family film that will star Johnson as John Henry leading an ensemble cast of the most popular figures from folklore and legend from all around the world. If that doesn’t scream “massive international film,” then we don’t know what does. Writer Tom Wheeler, who is best known for his work on “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” is writing the script.
“Netflix is the perfect partner and platform for us to continue entertaining our global audience in a disruptive way. These diverse characters speak to a legacy of storytelling that is more relevant than ever and span across a worldwide audience regardless of age, gender, race or geography,” says Johnson.
Seven Bucks Productions’ Dany Garcia says, “We have been committed to an international storytelling model for more than a decade. Our partnership with Netflix is giving us an incredible opportunity to reach a broad and diverse audience in the most accessible and intimate manner. We are absolutely thrilled with the opportunity.”
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“Dwayne is a global superstar, inarguably one of the most popular actors in the world,” said Scott Stuber, head of Netflix’s film group. “He and Jake are a tremendous duo with a proven track record of entertaining audiences worldwide. We’re delighted to be able to partner with them and collaborate with Seven Bucks Productions and FPC. This is a story with universal appeal and we can’t wait to bring these characters to families around the globe.”
After reading those quotes, it’s obvious that Netflix’s reasoning for acquiring this pitch is two-fold. First, everyone wants to have films starring The Rock. And probably more importantly, “John Henry and The Statesmen” seems to be a truly global affair, with Netflix utilizing its massive audience around the world to its advantage.
There’s no release date for the film, as of yet, which makes sense because Dwayne Johnson and Jake Kasdan have a little film called “Jumanji 2” to make in the meantime.
UPDATE: Somehow, there’s actually a real teaser for this film, already…
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