Of all the video games that are being turned into movies, perhaps the most bizarre choice on this list is Rampage. But while the game's premise might seem weak, the cast of the film just got a whole lot stronger. It's being reported that Negan himself, The Walking Dead's Jeffrey Dean Morgan has been cast in a major role in the film that will see three giant monsters destroying major American cities.
Along with Jeffrey Dean Morgan's casting, we also have some actual detail about the role he will be playing. According to Deadline, Morgan's character is named Agent Russell and he works for a covert government agency called the OGA, though what OGA stands for is not explained (Office of Giant-Monster Annihilation?). Russell is described as having swagger and attitude, which seems fitting for the man who has recently become a pop culture icon through his role as the ruthless Negan on The Walking Dead. Since our understanding is that the film's primary (human) villain will come from a tech firm responsible for creating the monsters, it would appear that Morgan's character will be one of the good guys supporting The Rock as the film's main hero.
The news also means that a pair of former Watchmen cast members will be coming together again. Jeffrey Dean Morgan played The Comedian in the Zack Snyder adaptation, while Malin Akerman, who played the second Silk Spectre, is on board to play the head of the aforementioned tech firm. Morgan also joins Naomie Harris who play the film's female lead and Joe Manganiello who will play the leader of a private military group.
There's little that we know about what Rampage will really be about, beyond the basic premise set out in the game. Three giant monsters, an ape, wolfman, and Godzilla-like lizard will wreck major cities while the military attempts to take them down. While the game saw players control the monsters, the movie will focus on the people trying to stop them. The only detail that has been released is that the monsters will be mutated animals, as opposed to mutated people, as they were in the original game.
Because Rampage was an arcade game it was designed much more to eat your quarters and much less to tell you a cohesive story. This gives Dwayne Johnson and his team, including his San Andreas director Brad Peyton and co-writer Carlton Cuse, a lot of freedom to craft a story where one didn't exist before.
As crazy as a Rampage movie sounds, The Rock has been one of the more reliable actors of recent years, which is remarkable considering just how many movies the man makes. We're looking forward to getting our first look at Rampage. The film is currently set for an April 2018 release.
