Dwayne Johnson, the actor we no longer present, will play a famous figure of Hawaiian history in The King.
Many people are unaware that Dwayne Johnson has Polynesian ancestry. As such, the former wrestler will embody a role that is dear to him and that he would dream of since his debut on the screen: Kamehameha I (1758-1819).
Fulfilling the prophecy that surrounded him at his birth, Kamehameha is known for unifying the islands that now make up Hawaii. The first king of the archipelago, considered a legend, he advanced his kingdom culturally and promoted trade with the United States as well as Europe.
As Deadline reports, it was during the filming of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle in Hawaii that Johnson made the decision to finally slip into the skin of the character. He and his associates at Seven Bucks Productions contacted writer/director Randall Wallace (who wrote Braveheart) to write the film. Once the script was ready, it was sent to Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future trilogy, Forrest Gump, Who Wants Roger Rabbit's Skin?) who attached himself to the position of director quickly.
The King would have been the subject of important auctions with other studios, but it was finally New Line and Warner Bros. who won, thanks in particular to their previous partnership with Johnson on San Andreas. Zemeckis, Wallace and Beau Flynn (Tigerland, Premonitions) are also producing the project, which was blessed by a Hawaiian priest on site last year!
If The King follows the vein of Braveheart, we look forward to the result that already promises to be epic.
