Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Teases Major DC Comics Project

While his Fast & Furious pal Vin Diesel has already teased his way into Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (and potentially other Marvel projects), things haven't worked out quite as well for Dwayne Johnson and Warner Bros. A few years ago he was rumored to play the villain Black Adam in a Power of Shazam movie, which would have been awesome. And recently he was linked to Brad Peyton's shelved Lobo film. But is it possible one or both of these projects is back on? Certainly The Rock has something cookin' with the studio, according to his latest tweet...

We just had a big meeting w/ Warner Bros CEO re: @DCComics 2014 we will partner up and create the cool bad assery. #RockTalk @ActionTilson
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) December 31, 2013

He could be talking about a comic book project but...nah, not likely. Does this mean he's landed a role in Man of Steel 2? Maybe in the part Jason Momoa has been mentioned for? Is the Lobo project suddenly revived? Johnson and Peyton are definitely familiar with one another after Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, so why waste what has already been proven to work? Or maybe it's something altogether new that we haven't heard anything about? Anybody considered him for Green Lantern, maybe? He'd make a Hell of a John Stewart. In fact, Johnson seems to agree that would be a sweet move....

Funny U say that.. RT: @krystal_burt: @ron2smoove I could see Rock playing in DC movies. Gravedigger or John Stewart (JL's Green Lantern)
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) May 17, 2012

Let the speculation begin. 

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Dwayne Johnson won't be playing DC's 'Lobo', after all

Hey, we can't have it all, fellow fanboys. On a day that's seen the possible return of Han Solo to Star Wars: Episode VII; the potential reveal of Peter Dinklage's role in X-men: Days of Future Past; and maybe a new addition to Guardians of the Galaxy; there's one major geek project that just lost out on some dream casting.

For some time, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had been rumored to be taking on the role of DC Comics antihero, the intergalactic bad ass Lobo. Last July he confirmed  negotiations were underway, just a few months after his Journey 2: The Mysterious Island director Brad Peyton came on board to helm. Unfortunately, it won't be happening. Johnson tells MTV....

Johnson: "It was [something that I was going to do] for a minute, but then it kind of just went away, as things happen in Hollywood. For a minute, I was interested in it, but then it went away."

Lobo had picked up a good deal of buzz at the time, with some even speculating the character could appear in Justice League. With Warner Bros. having some obvious difficulties getting that off the ground, the last thing they're worrying about is a C-list character like Lobo. Besides, Johnson has about about a million other projects cooking right now.

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Could Lobo appear in the 'Justice League' movie?

Warner Bros. and DC Comics are juggling a lot of balls in the air when it comes to building up their own cinematic superhero universe. While the ultimate goal is to have something similar to what Marvel has, they're taking a different approach by essentially starting things off with Justice League, and using that as a vehicle to introduce many of the heroes we already are familiar with. The one exception would be next year's Man of Steel, and we've already heard the rumors of Henry Cavill donning Superman's cape for Justice League, as well.

Well now comes another rumor from the folks at Comic Book Movie, and it's one I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in just yet. The site says that Warner Bros. is "kicking around" the idea of having the intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo, appear in the Justice League film. On the surface it doesn't seem all that crazy of an idea, since a Lobo film is in the works with Brad Peyton(Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) directing and possibly Dwayne Johnson in the title role. But would the character play a villain or be a member of the team? He's been on both sides of the fence in the comics, although he achieved his greatest popularity as an antihero. He started out similar to the Punisher but is probably best compared to Marvel's Deadpool, more comedy than violence at this point.

Assuming this rather weak rumor is true, I think they'd be smart to make Lobo an important cog in the story. He's not exactly the most recognizable character, and having him start off as a wisecracking villain beating down the likes of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman is a pretty good way to set him up for his own solo flicks. Plus, think about how badass it would be to have Dwayne Johnson in a comic book movie of this magnitude. Pretty sweet.

We'll see if writer Will Beall puts Lobo into the mix probably around when 2015 when Justice League is expected to touch down.

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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson confirms he's in talks to play 'Lobo'

There's a reason why fans have been hoping for years that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would star in his own superhero movie. He's basically a comic book character brought to life anyway. With his big muscles, physique, and boisterous WWE personality bleeding over into the real world, nobody seems more suited to carrying his own superhero franchise. He's been rumored roles in the past, most notably as the Shazam villain, Black Adam. Back in May we heard his name floated as a possibility to play the galactic bounty hunter, Lobo, based on the DC Comics antihero, and now Johnson taken to his Twitter account to confirm talks are taking place...

“Rumors of me possibly playing LOBO are true. Joel Silver and Brad Peyton working on it now. That could be fun..”

It would make sense for Johnson to be at the top of the list, considering he and Peyton scored a major surprise hit this year with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. It was just one of a handful of franchises Johnson has reinvigorated over the last year. He really lit a fire underneath Vin Diesel in Fast Five, and has people actually looking forward to G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Warner Brothers would obviously love to have him under their tent as they jumpstart their own superhero line of movies, and since Lobo is mostly an unknown character to many, Johnson would likely be the reason many would pay to see it.

Much in the same way Ryan Reynolds is perfect for Deadpool, Johnson would seem to be well-suited to playing Lobo. He's a character who started out as a bad guy of sorts, but really took off as a comedic character when written by Keith Giffen in Justice League International. At that point he went from villain bounty hunter to hilarious anti-hero with incredible strength and fortitude to match. Yep, right up Johnson's alley. The only real stumbling block I see may be his schedule. Johnson has a number of movies upcoming,  including two comic book adaptations in Hercules: The Thracian War and Ciudad. He's also set for a Charley Pride biopic, is in talks for another Journey movie, and let's not forget Fast Six is right around the corner. He's also lined up an adaptation of Lore, based on the Ashley Wood fantasy comic book. Yeah, the dude's pretty busy.

We'll see if this pans out, but it'd be a great move for Johnson, and obviously a smart one for Warner Brothers. Lobo would be a shoe-in to be a part of their Justice League movie if Johnson signs on.

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Brad Peyton to direct DC Comics antihero, 'Lobo'!

With much of the superhero movie attention justifiably focused on Marvel, we've been trying to come up with ideas for which of their lower tier characters might be next on the silver screen. But DC Comics has an even greater roster of characters to pull from, many with significant built-in audiences and histories that stretch back decades.  One of DC's most popular B-list characters is Lobo, and Warner Brothers has been trying to get a film based on the alien bounty hunter at least since 2009.

At one point, Guy Ritchie was set to direct a Lobo adaptation but he had to drop out to take on Sherlock Holmes. Obviously, that was a wise move considering the money they made. Now Warner Brothers is putting the project back on the frontline, with Brad Peyton set to direct. Peyton is getting a shot at jumpstarting his own franchise after banking more than $300M for Warner Brothers with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, so obviously they are lovin' this guy right now. There was a script already completed by Don Payne before, but it remains to be seen if that's still in play. I doubt it.

Lobo, who looks like an alien member of KISS, is an intergalactic bounty hunter created in 1983 by the great Keith Giffen and Roger Slifer as part of their Omega Men series. Giffen dreamed him up as an indictment on the extreme violent characters like Wolverine and The Punisher. He was a bad ass biker who took no prisoners at first, but upon his re-emergence he became more of a comedic anti-hero similar to Marvel's Deadpool.

Although some may disagree, I think this is a smart move for Warner Brothers. Lobo has huge franchise potential if done correctly. And since whoever takes the lead role will be heavily made up, they can invest in building a rising star who doesn't command big money. Jeffrey Dean Morgan(Watchmen) has stated in the past that Lobo is one of his dream roles, and considering his past with DC and Warner Brothers(he also starred in The Losers for them), it would make a nice fit.  Plus, this builds up the DC movie universe in a significant way, giving us a taste of it outside of Batman and Superman. If the ultimate goal is to lead up to a Justice League film, then movies like this are going to be a part of that. I'm much more excited about seeing Lobo than I am Aquaman or Martian Manhunter. [Deadline]

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Ritchie and Lobo; a Match Made in Hell?

The former Mr. Madonna, Guy Ritchie, has inked a deal with Warner Bros. to direct Lobo, a big screen actioner about a cosmic bounty hunter who makes the DC Comics universe his home. The film will be next on Ritchie's list after Sherlock Holmes, which opens on Christmas Day.

Lobo was one of DC's most popular characters during the 90's, and is often compared to Marvel's Wolverine due to their similar power set, appearance, hard nose laconic attitude, and penchant for extreme violence. Despite this, Warner Bros. is shooting for a PG-13 rating when production begins early in 2010. The story has already been set, featuring Lobo arriving on Earth to bring in four violent fugitives. Lobo seeks the aid of a teenaged girl to help bring them in.

I guess WB never got a look at X-men Origins: Wolverine and exactly how lousy it's PG-13 made it. Well, Lobo would be worse. Imagine the Punisher with a PG-13 rating. Would you pay to see that? Neither would I. This adds another to an already impressive stable of WB comic book adaptations, but I have a feeling they've already sh*t the bed on Lobo before it's even under way. Ritchie is a great choice to direct, but his style doesn't lend itself to being reigned in. They might as well have chosen somebody else.

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