The Rock Becomes the Doc: Dwayne Johnson Cast as Doc Savage

Do you smell what the Doc is cooking? Apparently, it’s going to include action and adventure. Why? Because Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has officially signed on to join Director Shane Black in a new adaptation of The Adventures of Doc Savage.

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 @sevenbucksprod’s producer @hhgarcia41 on this Memorial Day weekend to chop up creative and break story on this very cool project. 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*CKING 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 #ManOfBronze #DocSavage

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on May 30, 2016 at 5:53am PDT

The announcement was made on Johnson’s Instagram (is there anyone better at using social media than The Rock?). He takes on the role of one of the oldest comic book heroes out there; a character who inspired Superman himself. It also allows Johnson (one of Hollywood’s hottest actors) to work with Shane Black (one of Hollywood’s hottest directors). Black gets to follow his critically acclaimed The Nice Guys with his Predator reboot, and then gets right into production on his passion-project, Doc Savage.

As for The Rock, his next flick Central Intelligence is released in June. He already wrapped production on Baywatch, and is currently attached to eight different projects including Fast 8, San Andreas 2 and Jumanji. Now, he can add the role of Clark Savage to that list. But what would bring Johnson to add yet another movie to his already loaded schedule? Apparently, it’s all about that character.

“But here’s the #1 reason I’m excited to become Doc Savage.. HE’S A F***ING HILARIOUS WEIRDO! 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.”

So what makes Doc Savage such a “weirdo” of a character? Bursting onto the scene in the 1930s, Clark Savage was trained since childhood to become the perfect man. He’s a genius-level scientist, surgeon, inventor and detective who is in peak physical condition, and a master of various martial arts. Did I mention he also has a photographic memory? Take one-part Sherlock Holmes, one-part Tarzan, and a splash of Indiana Jones and you’re touching on how perfect Doc Savage is

His problem? All his time spent learning his various skills and becoming the ultimate hero left him with zero social skills. Because of this, the Savage character can be extremely deadpan, leading to plenty of awkward situations; a perfect human specimen who can also provide funny moments. It appears Dwayne Johnson is the perfect choice for the role.

Johnson was also the rumored first choice for Shane Black, who spent the past six years working to make this movie happen. With the passion possessed by the director combined with an actor dedicated to every role he takes on, don’t be surprised if Doc Savage is the surprise hit of 2018.