Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has made it official – he is indeed signed up to play a DC Superhero! But he doesn’t tell us which.
His exact words to Total Film were:
“I will say this. There’s a character out there that we’re going to announce very soon that I’m going to play, and I’ll just say this: This character has the power of Superman, he can throw down. Just say the word. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Now owing to his awesomeness, it would be just plain cool to have him play *any* character (yes, even Wonder Woman). But, he has an imposing physical presence that can lend him to a few marquee stars. So who are they? We think it has to be one of these three:
1) Green Lantern John Stewart: The most muscular of the Green Lanterns who were assigned to Sector 2814. He took over from Guy Gardner and became one of the most popular Green Lanterns during his comic book run. Of the three short-listed DC characters, this seems the most unlikely hero for Dwayne Johnson to play. He may do the character justice, but there just won’t be enough physical & funny moments for the character if adapted honestly. Also, John Stewart should be played by an Idris Elba-esque *black* actor. God knows the last thing Hollywood needs is a black character not played by a black actor.
2) Shazam: The most likely character The Rock has signed up for, especially since he says “Just say the word.” The superhero formerly known as Captain Marvel is the alter-ego of scrawny Billy Batson who is bestowed with the gift to utter the word “SHAZAM” to turn into the godly hero, therefore The Rock playing Shazam is the best educated guess we can make. As one of the bulkier heroes in the DC canon, The Rock will fill the suit well. Added with the powers equaling Superman’s (flight, super-strength, speed, etc.), he’d make a good tag-team with Boy Wonder. Except: Shazam hasn’t been much fun in the comics for a few decades now. He’s not a part of the Justice League (stand-alone movie?) and has hardly much of a fan-following. So this is an uphill battle for DC, Warner Bros. and The Rock.
3) Lobo: Easily the character Dwayne Johnson was born to play, Lobo is an interstellar mercenary and bounty hunter from the planet of Czarina. That was until he wiped out the entire planet’s race as part of his high school project! Yup, that’s how absurd and out there this character is. Definitely not a hero but neither a villain, Lobo walks the same gray-line like Marvel’s Deadpool. He’s huge, rowdy and rides an interstellar motorbike. And he isn’t to chuffed about slamming his huge fists on cute little furry rabbits. A perennial fan favourite, there’s hardly anyone who could play Lobo better (except maybe Mickey Rourke a decade ago). But making a formidable Lobo movie requires an R-rating, something WB will surely be vary off. But one thing is for sure, if there is the eventual cross-over, watching Superman+Batman square off against Lobo will be a heck of a scene!
What do you think? Who should Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson play?
