An Earthquake can't Stop Dwayne Johnson in Trailer for 'San Andreas'

Dwayne Johnson can revitalize just about any franchise but his standalone projects have been less successful. Movies like Snitch and Hercules came and went without much fanfare, but maybe watching him fend off a natural disaster of Emmerich-like proportions will turn things around? Johnson has reteamed with his Journey 2: The Mysterious Island director Brad Peyton for the 3D earthquake flick, San Andreas, and the first trailer has arrived to shake things up.

Johnson stars as a helicopter rescue pilot, with Carla Gugino as his ex-wife, who must rescue their daughter (True Detective's Alexandra Daddario) when the biggest earthquake ever strikes California. Y'know, we out here in DC know a thing or two about earthquakes and can totally sympathize with what Johnson is going through in this fairly ridiculous trailer, which uses a terrible rendition of "California Dreamin'" while the entire west coast is ripped apart. Basically this looks like an updated version of Dante's Peak, a personal favorite, but this teaser is just plain lousy for trying to take itself so seriously. And what the heck is Paul Giamatti doing in this?

San Andreas hits theaters on May 29th.

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Topher Grace Joins 'American Ultra'; 'Spy' Enlists 50 Cent; Archie Panjabi Goes to 'San Andreas'

* Topher Grace continues to bounce back in a major way, joining Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart in American Ultra. Directed by Nima Nourizadeh with Walton Goggins and Uma Thurman co-starring, the film follows "a stoner whose small-town life with his live-in girlfriend is upended when his past catches up with him, putting him the crosshairs of a government operation bent on wiping him out." Grace will play a CIA agent who has let power go to his head.[Deadline]

* Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson will take on the monumental task of playing himself in Spy, the espionage comedy marking the third pairing of Melissa McCarthy and director Paul Feig. McCarthy plays a CIA analyst who goes into the field for the first time to find her lover's killer. Jude Law, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, and Nia Long make up a pretty impressive ensemble. [THR]

* The Dwayne Johnson-led disaster flick San Andreas just got a whole lot better with the addition of Archie Panjabi. Brad Peyton directs the action thriller about a helicopter rescue pilot who must save his wife and daughter when "The Big One" hits California. Panjabi, an Emmy winner for CBS' The Good Wife, was also terrific in The Constant Gardener and A Mighty Heart. She's also very good in Brit Marling and Mike Cahill's I Origins (review here), due out later this year. Also starring Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario, San Andreas opens June 5th 2015.

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Dwayne Johnson Reveals First Heroic Image from 'San Andreas'

Between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson it's hard to know which one keeps in closer contact with their fans, but it's safe to say their outreach is a big reason for their popularity. It's not just the bald heads and big muscles. Johnson, who is now shooting the disaster flick San Andreas, has treated the millions..."AND MILLIONS!!!!" of his fans to the first heroic image.

Co-starring Alexandra Daddario and Carla Gugino, the film reunites Johnson with Brad Peyton (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) for a 3D adventure set during a devastating California earthquake. Johnson plays a helicopter rescue pilot who must make the journey from Los Angeles to San Francisco to save his wife and daughter as "The Big One" hits.

Johnson captioned the Instagram image with "Puttin' in a lot of hard ass work and proud to play my next role... Los Angeles Fire Department Air Squadron Rescue. Shooting starts in 4 weeks. Biggest earthquake of all time hits... SAN ANDREAS. #FirstInLastOut,".

San Andreas opens June 5th 2015. 

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Jason Momoa Climbs 'Sugar Mountain'; Taraji P. Henson Joins 'Term Life'; Carla Gugino Heads to 'San Andreas'

* Jason Momoa, who can be seen now on Sundance's original series, Red Road, has joined the dark comedy thriller, Sugar Mountain. Directed by Richard Gray with Cary Elwes, Haley Webb, Drew Roy, and Shane Coffey co-starring, the film "centers on two down-on-their-luck brothers who fake a disappearance in the wilderness so they’ll have a great survival story to sell. But the hoax turns out to be more real than they planned." [Deadline]

* Vince Vaughn's action flick Term Life continues to build an impressive ensemble with the additions of Taraji P. Henson and Bill Paxton. Vaughn stars as a hated thief who has the entire criminal underworld looking to kill him. In a rare selfless act, he takes out a life insurance policy on himself with his estranged daughter as the sole beneficiary. Hailee Steinfeld plays his daughter, and she goes on the run with her father as he tries to stay alive for 21 days until the policy kicks in. Jon Favreau, Shea Whigham, William Levy, and Jonathan Banks co-star with Peter Billingsley directing. [Variety]

* We already know that Dwayne Johnson will play the father of Alexandra Daddario in the 3D disaster film, San Andreas, but now we know who will play her mother. Carla Gugino (Sin City) has taken the female lead as Johnson's wife. Directed by Brad Peyton (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) from a Carey and Chad Hayes (The Conjuring) script, the film follows a special ops firefighter who must make the dangerous trek from Los Angeles to San Francisco to rescue his daughter when a massive earthquake hits California.

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Greta Gerwig Cast in 'The Humbling'; Alexandra Daddario goes to 'San Andreas'; Kit Harington Leads 'Testament of Youth'

* Here's one that you may have forgotten. A few years ago, back before Al Pacino and director Barry Levinson were going to team for that Gotti film (Levinson dropped out of it), they were set to unite for The Humbling, an adaptation of Philip Roth's book about "an aging actor who has an affair with a lesbian woman half his age at a secluded country house in Connecticut". Not much was heard about it, but the movie is now in post-production and has been picked up by Millennium Films with Greta Gerwig and Dianne Wiest joining the cast.  Charles Grodin, Kyra Sedgewick, Dan Hedaya, Nina Arianda, and Billy Porter co-star, and presumably we'll see this by the end of the year. [Variety]

* If you've been keeping up with True Detective (I'm still an episode behind, so sue me), then you've seen Alexandra Daddario having her way with one Mr. Woody Harrelson. Now she'll get to hang out with Dwayne Johnson in 3D disaster flick San Andreas, directed by Brad Peyton. Johnson plays a chopper pilot attempting to rescue his estranged daughter after California is devastated by a massive Earthquake. Daddario, who also starred in two Percy Jackson films, is apparently being sought for a role in the Entourage movie.  [Deadline]

* Pompeii and Game of Thrones star Kit Harington will join Alicia Vikander in Testament of Youth, an adaptation of Vera Brittain's WWI memoir. Published in 1933, the book recounted how Britain's world was thrown upside down when the war took the lives of her fiance and brother, forcing her to become a nurse on the sidelines. After the fighting stopped, she attempted to regain her life and became a prominent feminist and writer. Vikander will play Brittain, having replaced the previously-cast Saoirse Ronan, with Harington as her fiance. David Heyman (Harry Potter franchise) is producing with James Kent directing. [THR]

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Dwayne Johnson Heads to 3D Disaster Flick 'San Andreas'

After Dwayne Johnson helped turn the fantasy sequel Journey 2: The Mysterious Island into a surprise smash, director Brad Peyton has been trying to find ways they can work together again. The two were briefly attached to a Lobo film, based on the popular DC Comics character, but that seems to have fallen apart. But now Peyton has found an even better opportunity by landing Johnson for the long-developing 3D disaster film, San Andreas.

Johnson, who is currently flexing his muscles on the set of Brett Ratner's Hercules: The Thracian Wars and will appear in next year's Fast & Furious 7, will play a "rugged rescue helicopter pilot" making the dangerous journey across California to save his estranged daughter after a devastating earthquake hits. Chad and Carey Hayes (The Conjuring) are writing the most recent script, which producers expect will outdo the epic disaster films of Roland Emmerich.

With Johnson's rock solid bankability on board a start date has been set for April 2014, with plans for San Andreas to hit theaters in 2015. [THR]

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