"The Rock" Snags Two Comic Book Roles

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson solidified his star status with roles in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and Fast Five. In both films The Rock’s presence has resulted in far better box office than the previous movies in those franchises in which the former wrestler-turned actor did not have a role.

This summer Johnson will get a chance at the “franchise-improving” trifecta as he joins the cast of G.I. Joe: Retaliation in an attempt to heat up that lukewarm Hasbro-based franchise.

It’s clear that those in charge of casting at the major studios have noticed the effect that ‘The Rock’s” presence can have in the right film, and the mesomorphic thespian’s movie dance card is quickly filling up. Variety reports that The Rock will play the classic Greek strongman Hercules in Brett Ratner’s long-gestating adaptation of Steve Moore’s Radical Comics graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian War.

Almost simultaneously Deadline reported that Johnson has signed on to star in another comic book-based film, Ciudad, an intense action thriller based on an upcoming graphic novel from Oni Press written by Joe and Anthony Russo (with Ande Parks). The Russo brothers will direct Ciudad from a script written by Joe. Although they have directed one movie, You, Me and Dupree, the Russos are better known for their work on TV series such as Community, Happy Endings, and Arrested Development. Ciudad, a tough crime drama about a black market mercenary hired to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Brazilian drug lord, represents something of a departure for the Russos, though not for Johnson, who should be able to ease into the movie’s key role without a hitch.

Brett Ratner to Helm "Youngblood"

Variety is reporting that Brett Ratner, director of the Rush Hour movies and X-Men: The Last Stand, has been tapped to helm the big screen adaptation of Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood comic book series. Reliance Big Entertainment, a Mumbai-based company which signed a $1.2 billion deal with Dreamworks last September, has acquired the rights to Youngblood for a mid-six figures price. The Indian media conglomerate has signed nine deals with the development companies of various Hollywood figures including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Ratner. Reliance has also nabbed the rights to the French graphic novel Fly Wires for Ratner’s Rat Entertainment.

Youngblood, which was first published on its own in 1992 as the flagship release of the newly-formed Image Comics, is the saga of a team of superheroes working for the U.S. government. Ratner told Variety: "Most of the great graphic novels are gone, and Youngblood is one of the few comic books left with tent-pole potential. It was a real personal passion project for me, and a lot of people wanted Youngblood, but the amazing thing about the guys at Reliance is the speed with which they’re able to move.”

According to Variety the project is being fast-tracked along with Fly Wires, which Ratner is producing with Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard) directing.

Brett Ratner Helming Conan?

According to The Hollywood Reporter director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, X-Men 3: The Last Stand) “is in final negotiations to take on literature’s most famous barbarian.” Be prepared for a massive collective wail from certain quarters of fandom that don’t see Ratner as anything more than a mediocre director of campy cop capers. Speaking of which, it is likely that Ratner will helm Beverly Hills Cop IV (penned by Wanted scribes Michael Brandt and Derek Haas) for Paramount before commencing his work on the new Conan movie—both films are tentatively slated to be released in 2010.

Co-produced by Nu Image/Millennium and Lionsgate, and written by Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly, the new Conan film is an origin saga for the mesomorphic mutilator that hews closely to the spirit of the original Robert E. Howard stories (see “Conan Movie on the Fast Track”). According to The Reporter, the new Conan film will be R-rated (like the original John Milius 1982 Conan the Barbarian, and not PG-13 like the franchise-snuffing Conan the Destroyer from 1984) and have a budget of $85 million (down from earlier estimates of $100 million).