Director J.J. Abrams has not directed a film since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and while we still don’t know what his next film will be, it may star one of the biggest actors on this planet. On social media on Wednesday, only Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shared that he and Abrams, along with writer Zack Penn and Johnson’s business partner, Hiram Garcia, were working on a project. The only hint was the slogan “…tonight, it comes to life…”
Here’s the post.
Years of work – we finally broke bread, drank, laughed, drank into the night (maybe just me 🙋🏽♂️), talked about life things, love, things buddy, and took our time in dissecting our passion for film and stories. Then we all raised a glass and drank toast …
Yes, … pic.twitter.com/0E2E1MCRwS
– Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 16, 2024
Penn is known for his early work in superhero movies, writing scripts or stories for films like X2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, The Avengers, and Men in Black: The Final Stand. His big break came in the early nineties when he helped create a story about people who were greatly underestimated and surpassed their time. The recent project The Last Action Hero starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also recently co-wrote Ready Player One for Steven Spielberg and Free Guy for Shawn Levy.
He is a big and versatile man, not only fitting well with Abrams, who worked on Lost, Star Wars, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, and more, but also with Johnson, who is always looking for the next big thing. (For example, the start of his hopeful franchise with Red One on November 18.)
So let’s wander here a little. It’s clear that the idea of collaboration between Abrams and Johnson is an intriguing one, whether you like it or not. They are the people who bring big ideas to the table. The unclear part in the post is whether everyone is playing their usual roles. The assumption is that Johnson plays the lead role, Abrams directs, and Penn writes, but this isn’t unusual. Perhaps Penn is directing (which he has done in the past) and Abrams producing (which he has consistently done since then in The Rise of Skywalker). We’re not sure, but it’s important to consider all possibilities.
Then there’s this slogan: “…tonight, it comes to life…” To live, you’re supposed to be dead or not existing. Is this some kind of monster? Devil? Disease? Unclear. But again, with Penn in the mix, we imagine we’re looking at some kind of IP with franchise potential and quadruple quadrants appeal. Or we’re stupid and it’s a crime drama for Apple TV+. Who’s to say?
Penn harmonized with a small Twitter update “More on this later.” Are we thinking New York Comic Con? Direct ad in trades like the final deadline? We’ll watch and let you know when we know more.
What do you think of the collaboration between Abrams and Johnson? It’s clearly not a high point in either of their careers, so is this the right team at the right time?
Correction: October 16, 7:30pm – We had an incorrect release date for Red One. It has been fixed.
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