Dwayne Johnson will tap into his career experience to develop a wrestling comedy television project for Fox.
Dwayne Johnson has so many lucrative irons in the proverbial industry fire, it’s almost easy to forget that he arrived on the showbiz scene back in 2001 in The Mummy Returns as a crossover attraction from the world of professional wrestling. Consequently, the man who still occasionally goes under the nom de guerre “The Rock” will soon draw upon his years in the squared circle to develop a television project.
It has been announced that Dwayne Johnson will team up with former WWE head writer Brian Gerwitz and comedy star Will Ferrell (in the capacity of a producer,) to work on a television comedy project showcasing the behind-the-scenes world of the wrestling industry for Fox Television. The project will focus on an awkward friendship between a charismatic young wrestler and a fish-out-of-water former sitcom writer, working for a fictional wrestling organization. The backstage craziness of the industry with eccentric personalities will be showcased, tapping on Johnson’s well of knowledge. As Johnson states of the project:
"This November will mark the 20th anniversary of my professional wrestling debut. I was 24 years old, putting in the hard work, making $40 bucks per match and had no clue of the long journey that lay ahead of me with characters and backstage stories so colorful you’d think there’s no way that can be true. The entertaining show that goes on in front of the crowd pales in comparison to the insanely entertaining show that goes on backstage. Brian and myself can’t wait to tell our stories."
Tapped to write the script for the project is Andrew Gurland, the creator of the FX sitcom Married whose scriptwriting work has also been seen in films such as 2010’s The Last Exorcism and its 2013 sequel. The would-be series will be a production of Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions and Will Ferrell’s company with Adam McKay in Gary Sanchez Productions. As McKay comments on the project:
"Ferrell and I met in the wrestling ring so doing this show with Dwayne Johnson brings us full circle and there's no one more talented (or limber) than Andrew Gurland to steer this project."
Interestingly, Johnson’s wrestling series project isn’t even the only one currently in the works. A few months back, Netflix announced plans for a fact-based wrestling comedy series chronicling the late-1980’s era of women’s wrestling organization GLOW starring Alison Brie and Marc Maron. However, Johnson’s project will apparently make viewers smell what The Rock is cooking with a more contemporary look at the inside baseball aspects of this unique branch of the entertainment industry and the often-crossed thin line between real life and the kayfabe (wrestling storylines).