Dwayne Johnson has confirmed on social media that he will be joining the cast of Martin Scorsese’s next crime movie, this one set in Hawaii.
Johnson wrote in his post:
Grateful for what’s been the most creatively inspiring time of my career – working closely with my friends and of course, the maestro Marty Scorsese. Much more to come.
At last report, a few weeks back, multiple studios and streamers were bidding for Scorsese’s film, but Netflix seemed to have the upper hand by outbidding the competition. Now, it remains to be seen if Scorsese will accept the streamer’s offer.
The untitled crime film, set in ‘60s and ‘70s Hawaii, is set to star Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Emily Blunt. It centers on a Hawaiian mob boss (Johnson) who engages in a brutal and bloody war with rival crime syndicates and corporations to gain total control of the island’s underworld and preserve his ancestral land.
Nick Bilton, an investigative journalist, is in the middle of writing the script. This might not technically be Scorsese’s next film, but it looks like it might be coming soon. I expect either “Home” or “Devil in the White City” to arrive before it.
The film is expected to have a budget of around $200M, which is how much Scorsese’s last two films — “The Irishman” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” — cost to produce. I gather if Netflix does nab the rights then it’ll probably get their usual two-week theatrical release, for Oscar eligibility purposes, before being sent off to streaming.
As for Johnson, he’s trying to become a more serious actor these days — he has the lead role in Benny Safdie’s upcoming “The Smashing Machine.” The A24-produced film test screened earlier this year, and I’m hearing that it’s a completely gonzo vision, and not at all the straightforward biopic that might have been previously advertised.