Dwayne Johnson’s The Scorpion King is looking to reign once again. Universal is developing a reboot of the 2002 film, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Screenwriter Jonathan Herman, who earned an Oscar nomination for Straight Outta Compton, is penning the script for Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions.
Scorpion King was a spinoff of Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy series, which saw Johnson’s Scorpion King serve as an antagonist of 2001’s The Mummy Returns. The next year, Johnson led his own film, a prequel that told the story of the desert warrior Mathayus. Scorpion King earned $178.7 million globally and launched Johnson as a leading man.
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This version is described as a contemporary take not set in the distant past like the original. Johnson will not reprise his role as the titular character, but may appear in the film in another capacity.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
“The original Scorpion King was a crucial catalyst helping to catapult us into the world of film,” added Garcia. “To be able to now produce the next iteration as part of our Seven Bucks Productions slate is a special, full circle moment, a testament to what we have been fortunate enough to build for our audience and ultimately a humble reminder of the timeless value of authentic storytelling.”
Universal senior vp of production Jay Polidoro and creative exec Tony Ducret will oversee for Universal. Herman, who also has a Scarface reboot in development, is repped by UTA, Industry Entertainment, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler, Feldman & Clark.
