Over the years, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has been at the front of various different big movie hits. The Rock makes us laugh and is full of energy and adventure, rarely failing to bring a story to life and create a fun atmosphere. Given his string of successful blockbusters, we sometimes forget that not all the projects he was a part of have made it to the big screen; despite them seeming like brilliantly captivating movies, for various reasons, they didn't go ahead.
Having recently performed as a voice actor in the animated film DC League of Super-Pets, and appearing in the upcoming superhero film Black Adam (which DC fans are hyped for), let's have a look at some Dwayne Johnson movies that would have done brilliantly had they actually happened.
Doc Savage
Doc Savage is an Indiana Jones-style man of great knowledge and action, first appearing in pulp magazines in the 1930s and 40s as one of the earliest heroes in comic books. He is a typical superhero, hunting bad guys to save the world, but his talent doesn't stop there. He is not only a doctor, but a scientist, a detective, and a super cool adventurer. It sounds like Johnson would make the perfect Doc Savage, so why didn't it go ahead?
When Shane Black was set to direct a film adaptation in 2014, it was made clear that Johnson was the perfect contender for Doc Savage, and he was even getting pretty excited about the opportunity. Yet, we then received the dreaded news that they were suffering with issues concerning who owned the rights to Doc Savage, which means that he would have to stay in the comics for now. It's a huge shame that this movie didn't go ahead as Johnson; his adventurous personality would have definitely done it justice.
Tomorrowland
Now, this movie did actually go ahead, but sadly without The Rock. The 2015 science fiction film Tomorrowland, directed by Brad Bird, gained a fair share of mixed reviews. The movie follows Casey Newton after she touches a pin with a T on it and is teleported to a magical utopian world called Tomorrowland. When she finds scientist Frank Walker, who made a strange discovery, they adventure into Tomorrowland to unravel a deep secret.
While the storyline sounds interesting, the film was slightly underwhelming, and perhaps some of that's because Tomorrowland is missing a certain actor — Dwayne Johnson. Disney fans might know about their theme park ride, Tomorrowland; in 2008, it was announced that it might be getting its own film inspired by the ride. It was to star Jon Lucas, Scott Moore and none other than Johnson. But, in 2011, when Fast Five was released and slung Johnson into action movie stardom, it meant that he was a no-show for Tomorrowland.
Johnny Bravo
Johnson was close to getting his cool on as a live-action Johnny Bravo, not long after The Scorpion King. There's no doubt he'd be a hit with the ladies as the Cartoon Network character; he even said that he was a fan of Johnny Bravo himself, and we can see from his fantastic physique and brilliantly humorous personality as to why he'd be a great fit. Unfortunately for all of us, the project was never taken any further, and it was best for Johnny to remain a cartoon.
Not Without Hope
As of yet, we have not seen Johnson as much of a drama or thriller film kind of guy, making the more bombastic genres of action and comedy his go-to. By all means, we are not complaining, but he did get very close to being part of this other world when he was to appear in thriller, Not Without Hope. Based on the true story, and the non-fiction book by Jere Longman and Nick Schuyler, the movie would detail four friends who were stranded at sea and struggled to survive.
The film was to be made with Relativity Media, but they actually went bankrupt only two years after the announcement of the project. Instead, it was saved by 36Films, but Johnson was no longer a part of it. However, to everyone's relief, while the film didn't go ahead, Johnson did in fact produce a documentary of the story instead, titled Four Down. It is a shame that we didn't get to see a different side to Johnson in something more serious like a thriller, though we should never say never.
San Andreas 2
2015 disaster film, San Andreas, was a huge hit for Johnson, as he received great reviews for his performance, although the movie itself was actually criticized for its plot. It centered around a disastrous earthquake caused by the San Andreas Fault, causing mass destruction. Many people thought about how it would be possible to create a sequel to a disaster movie — how would the plot develop and what about the characters?
Despite the concerns, it was announced that Johnson would indeed be starring in a follow-up, but they must have struggled as there was not much progress and in 2019, it became clear that the disaster might have gone a bit too far, and it wasn't possible to carry it on. Although, this does make sense, we know Johnson's performance in the sequel would have gained just as much praise and would have been great to see.
Take My Wife
Take My Wife was claimed by Lionsgate, but unfortunately didn't go ahead. The romantic comedy would have starred Tyler Perry and Johnson and followed a guy who attempts to transform a strange person into the perfect lover, for none other than his ex-wife. The Perry and Johnson combo would have been hilarious, and the two would have had great on-screen chemistry. Although, no further updates were given, so we assumed that it wasn't going ahead. Fans were looking forward to seeing this silly comedy and are still waiting to see if anything emerges from the two actors in the future.