Before becoming a blockbuster entertainer both in the ring and on the big and small screens, a young and hungry Dwayne Johnson trained hard and heavy under the tutelage of his father, Rocky Johnson, who then had a stirring wrestling career of his own. This window and the view through other areas of his life are reportedly being seen through the optics of Toronto-based JG Brothers – Justin Gajewski and Jonathan Gajewski, with plans to develop and produce a biopic based on the retired wrestler’s life.
Titled Ring King, the film focus on the life and times of Johnson, a black Canadian born and raised in Nova Scotia as Wade Douglas Bowles who sought his rise toward wrestling fame and posterity in a career dating back to 1964. Emerging as his ring name, Rocky Johnson and after 1983 upon joining the then-branded WWF (now dubbed WWE), he paved the way to becoming a tag-team champion with fellow colleague Tony Atlas as The Soul Patrol. As of 1991, Johnson is a WWE Hall Of Famer.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
“We are very excited to bring Rocky Johnson’s incredible story to the world,” Jonathan and Justin Gajewski, who are also writing the screenplay for Ring King, said in a statement.
The Gajewskis’ previously served as assistant directors with credits including Suicide Squad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the Minority Report miniseries.
The younger Johnson himself produces and appears in director Stephen Merchant’s Fighting With My Family which opens on March 1, 2019 from MGM.
Featured photo: WWE