Dwayne Johnson Joining The Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Dwayne Johnson has yet to join the biggest franchise in film: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But according to a new rumor, that could be changing soon.
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Dwayne Johnson used to call himself “franchise Viagra,” and he’s certainly proven that true, by joining franchises like Fast & Furious, G.I. Joe, and creating his own franchises like the rebooted Jumanji series and the upcoming Jungle Cruise. But strangely, Dwayne Johnson has yet to join the biggest franchise in film: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But according to a new rumor, that could be changing soon.
We Got This Covered is reporting that Dwayne Johnson is currently in talks with Marvel Studios to join an upcoming project. While there’s no explanation as to where this rumor came from or what it’s based on, considering that Dwayne Johnson is the highest-paid actor for two years in a row and one of the most consistently successful actors in Hollywood, it would come as no surprise that Marvel would want to work with him.
Also making this rumor seem unlikely is that Dwayne Johnson is currently in pre-production on his own superhero film, but for DC. Dwayne Johnson has been trying to get Black Adam off the ground for years now, and it looks to finally be on the way. As of right now, Black Adam is scheduled to begin production in Spring 2021, and has yet to receive a new release date, after getting delayed from its initial December 2021 release.
While surely both DC and Marvel would like to get their hands on Dwayne Johnson, very few actors have worked for both companies at the same time. Actors like Ryan Reynolds, Ben Affleck, and Halle Berry have made both DC and Marvel films, but that was before the DC Extended Universe and Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Only a few have balanced both DC and Marvel in recent years. J.K. Simmons appeared as J. Jonah Jameson in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far from Home and as Commissioner Gordon in Justice League. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agjabe appeared as both Kurse in Thor: The Dark World, as well as Killer Croc in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. Speaking of Suicide Squad, James Gunn has directed both the Guardians of the Galaxy for Marvel, as well as the upcoming The Suicide Squad for DC. Technically, it can be done, but an actor playing major roles in both universes hasn’t been done as of yet.
When asked about who he thought Dwayne Johnson should play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame co-director Anthony Russo said, “The superhero that I would most like The Rock to play is The Rock. He is the best version of him.” Later on Twitter, Dwayne Johnson said, “I was born to play this role. Literally.” Dwayne Johnson making a cameo as himself probably makes more sense than him playing a major role in an upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film, although either would be a great surprise.
After watching Hobbs and Shaw, which features a cameo by Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool co-director Robert Liefeld said that the only logical explanation is to bring the Ryan Reynolds-Dwayne Johnson chemistry into the world of Deadpool. Another solid idea, especially since the bond between these two actors is growing even stronger, considering Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Gadot are currently shooting the Netflix action-comedy Red Notice.
While Dwayne Johnson is currently one of the busiest actors around, surely he would find the time to at least make a cameo in an upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe. Considering how consistently expanding that universe is, it’s only a matter of time until every actor is in the franchise anyway.
