Dwayne Johnson is a pretty busy man, and the current circumstances don’t seem to have slowed him down at all. Aside from prepping for roles in future projects like Black Adam, he’s also using social media to communicate with fans and open up about different aspects of his life. Well, it looks like the highly sought-after actor and producer is adding another TV project to his list, and he’s partnered with a well-known talent to make it happen.
Dwayne Johnson will executive produce a new series for HBO that centers on the world of backyard wrestling. Joining Johnson as an executive producer is writer, producer and actress Issa Rae, according to Variety. Dany Garcia, Johnson’s Seven Bucks Entertainment producing partner, will also executive produce under that banner.
The project has been tentatively titled Tre Cnt – or Tre Count – and focuses on a dock worker and struggling pro wrestler named Cassius Jones who lives in Houston’s Third Ward, also known as The Tre. With the help of his family friends and neighbors (and some inherited resources of his own) Cassius will seek to construct a hip-hop-centric backyard-wrestling empire.
Both Dwayne Johnson and Issa Rae have prior relationships with the premium cable channel. Johnson previously starred on the sports dramedy series Ballers, which wrapped up its five-season run last fall. Johnson and Garcia also served as executive producers on that show under their Seven Bucks Entertainment company. Meanwhile Rae currently stars on Insecure, another HBO dramedy, on which she serves as a writer and executive producer.
Judah Miller will executive produce and serve as showrunner, along with El Masri, who will also take on writing duties.
When it comes to wrestling, Dwayne Johnson has excellent credentials, having more than made a name for himself as The Rock during his WWE career. Since making the transition to film and TV, he’s also gravitated towards several sports-related projects. More recently, he produced and starred in the biographical sports dramedy Fighting with My Family, which centered on the life of former professional wrestler Paige. All in all, Johnson can make some key contributions to this project.
Wrestling may not be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Issa Rae, but her skills as a producer and a comedic force should help the show immensely. In addition to Insecure, she’s also served as an executive producer on HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show as well as the upcoming comedy film Lovebirds.
Backyard wrestling is a subject that hasn’t really been explored in serialized television, and this could allow Tre Cnt to break some new ground for HBO and TV as a whole. And if things work out, Dwayne Johnson and Issa Rae will each have another hit for their already impressive resumes. Be sure to check in with CinemaBlend for more news on the series as it develops.
