Dwayne Johnson, Universal Pictures team up in ‘The Scorpion King’ reboot

Universal Pictures and Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions will be teaming up to create a fresh reboot of the blockbuster movie The Scorpion King, according to a report from Entertainment Weekly.

The collaboration will see the revival of a new Scorpion King and producers are currently looking for a new actor to take on the lead role. Plot details are still vague as of the moment but sources said that unlike the original, this one will be a contemporary take set in modern times.

Oscar-nominated writer Jonathan Herman will be in charge of penning the script while Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia will be tapped as producers.

Johnson first played the role of Akkadian warrior-turned-villain Mathayus, the Scorpion King, in Universal’s 2001 box-office smash hit The Mummy Returns. The studio was pleased with the film’s positive reception with fans that a spin-off focusing on the character was made the following year.This marked Johnson’s first leading role and status as a Hollywood star.

"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. 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 hard-working actors today. I believe Jonathan Herman will put in the hard work to deliver a fantastic script for our global audience," Johnson said in a statement.

The Scorpion King is about a desert warrior that rises up against the evil army that is destroying his homeland. Given how the movie has a soft spot in Johnson’s heart, insiders say that he may opt to appear in a cameo role for the reboot.

The original 2002 film earned $178.8 million in the box office, against a budget of $60 million.