Nowadays, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is known in Hollywood for things like the Fast & Furious franchise, the Jumanji movies and his upcoming gig as Black Adam in the DC Extended Universe. However, Johnson made his first big splash in the cinematic realm when he appeared as Mathayus, a.k.a. the Scorpion King, in 2001’s The Mummy Returns, with that character going on to lead his own film series. Now word’s come in that Johnson is working on a Scorpion King reboot.
Dwayne Johnson is teaming with Universal Pictures to produce a new Scorpion King movie through his and Dany Garcia’s production company, Seven Bucks Productions. Johnson and Garcia will produce alongside Hiram Garcia, and Straight Outta Compton’s Jonathan Herman has been tapped to write the script. The search for a director is underway.
Now for those of you who were hoping this Scorpion King reboot might directly tie into the original Dwayne Johnson-led movie that came out in 2002, pump your brakes. Because Johnson’s schedule is so packed, a new actor will be hired to play the lead role. However, there’s still a possibility could have some sort of role in the movie, although that hasn’t been ironed out yet. No specific plot details have been revealed, but reportedly the reboot could distinguish itself from the original Scorpion King by being set in the present day.
Here’s what Dwayne Johnson said in a statement to Deadline about his return to the Scorpion King property:
The Scorpion King was my very first role ever on the silver screen and I’m honored and excited to reimagine and deliver this cool mythology to a whole new generation. I wouldn’t have had the career I’m lucky enough to have had it not been for The Scorpion King and I’m thrilled that we at Seven Bucks Productions can help create those same opportunities for other hardworking actors today. I believe Jonathan Herman will put in the hard work to deliver a fantastic script for our global audience.
The Mummy Returns saw Dwayne Johnson’s Mathayus being summoned by Arnold Vosloo’s Imhotep in 1933, only to be killed shortly thereafter by Brendan Fraser’s Rick O’Connell, who was wielding the Spear of Osiris. As such, The Scorpion King wound the clock back approximately 5,000 years to chronicle Mathayus leading a rebellion against an evil army intent on destroying his homeland, and, as expected, ultimately obtaining the Scorpion King mantle.
While Dwayne Johnson only played the Scorpion King twice, the spinoff film series would live on in the direct-to-video market, with actors like Michael Copon, Victor Webster and Zach McGowan taking over the role. The last movie in that original series, The Scorpion King: Book of Souls, came out just two years ago, but evidently Universal felt like it was the right time to polish the property and bring it back to the big screen.
Because the term “reboot” has various different meanings these days when it comes to film and TV projects, it’s unclear if this new Scorpion King movie will have any direct ties to its predecessor or be something totally separate. If Dwayne Johnson ends up appearing on camera, maybe there’s a way for his original Scorpion King to be resurrected, though then you run the risk of him overshadowing the new Scorpion King. Or if this is a straightforward, wipe-the-slate-clean kind of reboot, maybe Johnson would simply play a brand-new character, with his presence being a wink to fans of the original movie.
Once more concrete details about the Scorpion King reboot come in, we here at CinemaBlend will let you know. For now, browse through our 2021 release schedule to learn what movies are headed to the big screen next year.
