Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has confirmed he’s "officially" playing Doc Savage.
The 44-year-old actor thanked the film’s director Shane Black – whose recent work includes ‘The Nice Guys’ and ‘Iron Man 3’ – for taking the time on America’s Memorial Day weekend, which commemorates all men and women who have died in military service for the United States, for flying out to Los Angeles to prepare for the big reveal.
Johnson took to Instagram on Monday (30.05.16) to share the news, alongside a photo of himself and the crew, he said: "It’s OFFICIAL: For all comic book fans you already know the world’s first superhero (pre-dating Superman) is the "Man of Bronze" himself Clark "Doc" Savage.
"Want to thank my bud director/writer Shane Black and his writing team Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry for flying in from LA and sitting with me and our Seven Bucks Productions’s producer Hiram Garcia on this Memorial Day weekend to chop up creative and break story on this very cool project."
The former wrestler joked that the main reason he’s excited to take on the role of the titular comic book superhero is because the character is a "f***ing hilarious weirdo".
He added: "Comic book fans around the world know that the cool thing about "Doc" Savage is that he’s the inspiration for Superman. First name Clark, called "Man of Bronze", retreats to his "Fortress of Solitude" in the Arctic etc etc.
Doc was physically and mentally trained from birth by his father and a team of scientists to become the perfect human specimen with a genius level intellect. His heightened senses are beyond comprehension. He can even identify a women’s perfume from half a mile away. He is literally the master of everything.
"But here’s the #1 reason I’m excited to become Doc Savage.. HE’S A F***ING HILARIOUS WEIRDO! Confidently, yet innocently he has zero social graces whatsoever due to his upbringing so every interaction he has with someone is direct, odd, often uncomfortable and amazingly hilarious.
"After speaking for hours w/ Shane Black I can see why the creator of Superman took only the best parts of Doc Savage and leaving the "weirdo" part behind. But to us, it’s that "weirdo" part that makes Clark "Doc" Savage dope! Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one of a kind character.
#ItsOfficial #WorldsFirstSuperhero #GeniusIntellect #PhysicalSpecimen #FnLoveableWeirdo #DocSavage (sic)"
The blockbuster will follow the story of Savage – who has been created with superhuman abilities – as he’s raised from birth by geeky scientists to be the perfect hero.
‘Thor’ actor Chris Hemsworth was previously in the frame for the role, but the filmmaker admitted earlier this year he was keen to cast Dwayne in the movie.
Shane said: "’Doc Savage’ is sort of in the ether now. We’re hoping to make it sometime next year. I would very much like to do Doc with a fellow named Dwayne Johnson if we can make that work. I made a decision that Dwayne is the guy. It’s on the back burner while he’s busy."
A release date for the film has yet to be set.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to play Doc Savage
