Dwayne Johnson To Team With Robert Zemeckis & ‘Braveheart’ Writer For Hawaiian Historical Epic

Could we be looking at the first attempt from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at some Oscar bait?

As surprising as it might seem, considering his recent output of action films with no shortage of tight shirts and muscle flexing, Johnson has apparently agreed to work with legendary director Robert Zemeckis on the upcoming film “The King,” according to THR.

The report says that “The King” will tell the story of Hawaiian king Kamehameha I, who is known as the founder and first ruler of the land. He is responsible for uniting the islands and fulfilling a prophecy that surrounded his life. THR describes the film as a “sweeping historical epic,” which should automatically call to mind films in the same vein as “Braveheart.” “The King” is a passion project for Johnson, as he’s reportedly been wanting to tell the story for two decades.

And who better to write The Rock’s “Braveheart” than the person responsible for that the Mel Gibson epic, Randall Wallace. In addition to the script for “Braveheart,” Wallace has written the films “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Secretariat,” “We Were Soldiers,” and “Pearl Harbor.” So yeah, if you want Oscar-caliber historical epics, minus “Pearl Harbor,” then Wallace is your guy.

You should all know about Robert Zemeckis by now. The director is responsible for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” “Back to the Future,” “Forrest Gump,” and “Contact,” just to name a few. His most recent film “Welcome to Marwen” is getting a prime awards season release later this year.

READ MORE: After Bad Buzz, New ‘Welcome To Marwen’ Trailer Course Corrects With A Brand-New Tone Just A Month Later

This all leads us to our original thought, is Johnson positioning himself for his first serious Oscar run? Obviously, the additions of Wallace and Zemeckis would lead you to believe that. The real question is whether or not the charisma that oozes out of The Rock is enough to carry a serious epic or if he’s better suited for films that feature explosions and lots and lots of punching.

There’s no release date for “The King” as of yet, but with the frequency of Johnson’s release schedule, this could come out sooner than you might expect.