Dwayne Johnson Has A New Video Game Movie In The Works
Is another video game movie a good idea?
This article is more than 2 years old
Dwayne Johnson is back in the video game movie making business. The Rock has had mixed results with helping bring games to the big screen. His turn as Davis Okoye in 2018’s Rampage brought home close to $430 million, while the 2005 adaptation of the first person shooter Doom didn’t even make back its budget. But now Johnson is boarding a project to adapt a different kind of game. The Red Notice star is bringing a film based on the cooperative action-adventure game It Takes Two to Amazon Prime Video.
The news comes from Variety, who reported earlier today that Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions will be helping bring the film to Amazon, along with dj2 Entertainment, who are becoming more and more known for developing video game properties. From Seven Bucks; Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia will all act as producers on It Takes Two. Variety says Johnson “could” star in the film, but his on-screen involvement isn’t official.
Released last March by EA, It Takes Two takes the backbone of its narrative and brings it to life in the gameplay in a unique way. The young Rose is upset that her parents — Cody and May — are planning on getting a divorce. She makes dolls of her parents, and those dolls magically come to life with the essences of Cody and May trapped within them. Now, as dolls, the two heroes have to survive in a magical, hidden world, doing things like getting involved in a full-blown military conflict between squirrels and hornets. You can watch a gameplay trailer of It Takes Two below.
Part of the genius of the game Dwayne Johnson and co. mean to adapt is that you absolutely can’t play it alone. No, it’s not an MMORPG — you must play it with another player either online or through split-screen cooperative play. There is no single player option on for It Takes Two.
There was a time when Dwayne Johnson, Amazon, and others would’ve been more than a little hesitant to adapt a video game to the big screen. Johnson’s Doom, 1993’s Super Mario Bros., and 2016’s Assassin’s Creed have all served as cautionary tales for studios and filmmakers alike. But the world is quickly growing much friendlier to such projects. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Uncharted both proved to be hits this year, and Paramount+ is getting plenty of viewers with its new Halo series. There are likewise film or TV projects in various stages of development for Fallout, Mass Effect, Metal Gear Solid, Streets of Rage, Twisted Metal, and more.
While his appearance in the film may not yet be official, if the past is any indicator, then there’s a good chance Dwayne Johnson will star in It Takes Two. Sure, he’s got a pretty packed schedule. And there isn’t any law that says he has to physically appear in ever Seven Bucks movie. However, since 2017’s Baywatch, The Rock has brought his “cookin'” to almost every single film Seven Bucks has been attached to. The only exceptions have been 2018’s Stuntman and 2019’s Shazam! — Stuntman was a documentary and, considering his next big role — his connections to Shazam! are pretty obvious.
