Chris Luckett

Dwayne Johnson is adding another action franchise to his already-full plate.

Pulp magazine hero Doc Savage will be making his first journey to cinemas since 1975’s poorly received Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, in a reboot co-written and directed by Shane Black (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, The Nice Guys).

On Monday, Johnson posted the announcement of his involvement to Instagram, similarly to his announcement two weeks ago about Jack Black joining him in the upcoming Jumanji remake.

First appearing in 1933, Doc Savage’s backstory involves what would become staples for many future superheroes, especially Superman and Batman.

A scientist, martial artist, scientist, inventor, physician, explorer, and detective, Savage was trained from birth by his father to develop near-superhuman abilities, for the fight of good. Longtime Doc Savage Magazine writer Lester Dent once described Savage as a blend of Sherlock Holmes’ mental abilities and Tarzan’s physical instincts.

“Here’s the #1 reason I’m excited to become Doc Savage,” Rock posted. “He’s a f—ing hilarious weirdo!”

Johnson is actually the second modern star to be attached to a Doc Savage production. Arnold Schwarzenegger was lined up to star as the superhero in 1999, but plans were scrapped when his attentions turned to California’s governorship.

Filming of Johnson’s version is expected to begin once Black completes his 2018 Predator reboot.

In the meantime, Johnson will keep busy filming San Andreas 2, Fast 8, Shazam, Rampage, The Janson Directive, Jumanji, and two more Journey to the Center of the Earth sequels — while somehow still finding time to promote his upcoming releases Central Intelligence, Moana, and Baywatch.

(Source: Dwayne Johnson)