Dwayne Johnson remains one of Hollywood’s most popular blockbuster stars, and that doesn’t look to be ending anytime soon, as evidenced by him reprising Maui in the live-action remake of Moana and reprising Luke Hobbs in an upcoming Fast & Furious movie. But the man also known as The Rock is additionally stretching those more dramatic muscles soon playing UFC legend Mark Kerr with the A24 movie The Smashing Machine. If that wasn’t a big deal on its own, Johnson will also be teaming up with Leonardo DiCaprio for filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s next movie, and he went on social media to share why the story it’s telling is so personal for him.
In case you missed the news from a few weeks back, Johnson, DiCaprio and Emily Blunt will be leading Scorsese’s currently-untitled movie that was described by Deadline as following someone like Robert de Niro’s Jimmy the Gent from Goodfellas, “but as a ruthless Hawaiian crime boss, based on a real figure, who battled encroaching rivals for control of organized crime in Hawaii.” Johnson shared a screenshot of that article on Instagram and included the following caption:
Grateful for what’s been the most creatively inspiring time of my career - working closely with my friends and of course, the maestro Marty Scorsese. In the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s the mafia controlled New York, Miami, Chicago, Vegas, and a particularly strong hold on the island I was raised - Hawaii. Much more to come.
Dwayne Johnson’s Hawaiian upbringing means a lot to him, and he never shies away from opportunities to hype up the state both professionally or personally. Examples of him doing this in recent years getting secretly married to Lauren Hashian there, sharing an emotional message following the Hawaii fires and, of course, delving into said upbringing in the TV series Young Rock, which aired for three seasons on NBC and can be streamed with a Peacock subscription. Now the WWE superstar is getting to take part in a movie that’s shedding light on a not-so glamorous aspect of Hawaii’s history, but nonetheless deserves to be explored.
It’s mentioned in the Deadline article that Johnson and Emily Blunt, who previously worked together on Jungle Cruise and will be seen side by side again in The Smashing Machine, brought the idea for this movie to Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. This Scorsese flick will examine the period when an aspiring mob boss was battling with rival factions for control of the Hawaiian islands’ underworld. This man clashed with these other crime syndicates, as well as mainland corporations, in order to preserve his homeland. It’s unclear if this mob boss character will be named after his real-life inspiration or be called something different.
Nick Bilton is writing this Scorsese movie, and both men are also producing alongside Johnson, DiCaprio, Blunt, Dany Garcia, Lisa Frechette and Rick Yorn. There’s no word yet on when the project will start rolling cameras, but it’s good to hear that The Rock is so passionate about coming aboard to give Hawaii another chance to shine onscreen.
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