A reboot of the 2002 Mummy-franchise spin-off The Scorpion King is reportedly in the works, thanks to a union between Universal Pictures and Seven Bucks Productions, the latter of which is a company headed up by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia.
Note that Johnson started as the title character in the '02 version of the film. However, due to obligations that have him locked up through 2022, he is not be able to reprise that role, and therefore a new actor will play said King. The project is also yet to get a director attached, though it does have a writer.
That scribe will be Jonathan Herman, who previously penned the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. For his job on that he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Though he won't be able to star in the titular role, it's believed Johnson will appear in the film in some way (note that's unconfirmed...it's just speculation, but it's educated speculation). The reason for that is because playing the part of The Scorpion King, in 2001's The Mummy Returns, represented his acting debut. The studio is said to have liked the audience reaction to that character, which led to them green-lighting a full-on film based around him a year later. In turn, that movie helped to launch Johnson into the type of big-time star that has obligations locked in more than two years into the future.
You can see why it would hold some significance for him.
“The Scorpion King was my very first role ever on the silver screen and I’m honored and excited to reimagine and deliver this cool mythology to a whole new generation,” Johnson said, according to Deadline. “I wouldn’t have had the career I’m lucky enough to have had it not been for The Scorpion King and I’m thrilled that we at Seven Bucks Productions can help create those same opportunities for other hardworking actors today. I believe Jonathan Herman will put in the hard work to deliver a fantastic script for our global audience.”
Garcia (who, it should be noted, was married to Johnson from 1997 to 2008) added to that via a statement with a similar sentiment.
“The original Scorpion King was a crucial catalyst helping to catapult us into the world of film,” she said “To be able to now produce the next iteration as part of our Seven Bucks Productions slate is a special, full-circle moment, a testament to what we have been fortunate enough to build for our audience and ultimately a humble reminder of the timeless value of authentic storytelling.”
As one might expect from a movie that just announced who the writer would be, plot details are unclear at the moment. The original film served as both a Mummy prequel and an origin story showing how the character Mathayus became The Scorpion King. We also don't know much about how the new film will differ from the original, though we do know that it "will be a contemporary take set in modern times" as opposed to the original, which took place several thousand years ago.
