We've been hearing for a while that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been attached to a new film version of Hercules, but today we not only get official word, but we learn that the project is moving forward.
The Wrap reports that Paramount has made an agreement to co-produce Hercules with MGM and in the announcement from the studio it was revealed that Johnson will in fact play the titular role. Rumors of the actor's involvement began in February, and only a few days after that it was said that he had entered talks for the part. Brett Ratner (Tower Heist, X-Men: The Last Stand) is still attached to direct the movie, which will start production early next year.
Rather than being the story from the Greek myth, the supernatural elements will be taken out of the equation and the plot will be an adaptation of the graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars by Steve Moore and Admira Wijaya. Ryan Condal wrote the script.
Johnson has been a very busy man. He is currently filming Fast Six, in which he will be reprising his role as Luke Hobbs, but he also has other projects on the horizon, such as the third Journey To The Center of The Earth movie. If Hercules starts production early next year, that means that it will probably won't be in theaters until summer 2014 (depending on how confident the studio is about it). He will next be seen in director Ric Roman Waugh's Snitch, and then has G.I. Joe: Retaliation due out on March 29th.
