A spinoff of the Brendan Fraser-starring Mummy franchise, 2002’s The Scorpion King starred Dwayne Johnson as Mathayus, the titular Scorpion King, spawning its own film franchise that to date includes five total installments. Johnson returned for precisely none of them, but he will be on board as producer for a brand new reboot on the way from Universal Pictures.
Jonathan Herman (Straight Outta Compton) has been hired to write the reboot for Universal and Johnson & Dany Garcia’s company Seven Bucks Productions, Deadline reports.
The site also notes that while Johnson won’t be leading the film, it’s possible that “given how important the project is” to him, he could at least appear in the movie.
Deadline also explains, “The original film followed a desert warrior that rises up against the evil army that is destroying his homeland. Plot details are vague on what this reboot will do differently than the original, but sources do say that unlike the original, this one will be a contemporary take set in modern times.”
“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,” said Johnson. “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 Scorpion King first appeared in 2001’s The Mummy Returns.