Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has the number one movie in America (The Game Plan) after going the Vin Diesel route and starring in a movie where a tough guy has to deal with a child, a la The Pacifier. He's also in talks to play either the classic DC Comics superhero Captain Marvel (better known as Shazam!, for hilarious legal reasons with Marvel) or his archenemy Black Adam, which would likely increase his bankability, unlike Diesel's “wow, he looks weird with hair” turn in Find Me Guilty.
So how did a pro wrasslin' goofball get to this point? Let's chart this, shall we?
World Wrestling Entertainment (although he started back when it was still the World Wrestling Federation and the World Wildlife Fund hadn't gotten all uppity yet). There are many legends in the wrestling world, and even more “superstars,” since all of their wrestlers are obliged to call each other superstars, even if they're insulting each other (i.e. “you are the worst superstar ever!”). The Rock was the only guy who could legitimately claim the name. Sure, Stone Cold Steve Austin was a big draw, and Hulk Hogan has the name recognition and a movie career under his belt, too (Santa with Muscles is a holiday classic), but The Rock had what they didn't – a real sense of humor. He had all the tough-guy bravado, but he also had the flair and dynamic range needed to really make a splash. Didn't hurt that he was a handsome young buck to boot.
The Mummy Returns.
“Hey, we're making a movie about Egypt. We need a big scary dude to be the villain.”
“How about this guy, The Rock?”
“A pro wrestler? Sure, he could pass for Egyptian, but we can't give him any lines. Pro wrestlers can't speak. I mean, have you tried to listen to the Ultimate Warrior?”
“He doesn't need to talk, he just needs to fight at the end.”
“No, we're going to CG his head onto a big spider-thing. He doesn't even need to do that.”
“... really? That's just weird.”
The Scorpion King.
“Hey, that movie did pretty well.”
“And it seems our demos on it exploded just because this Rock guy was in it”
“Give him his own spin-off! We'll let him talk and fight this time, and we'll make him a good guy instead of the evil psycho he was in this movie!”
“... how does that make any sense?”
“Movie magic, I tells ya! I'm greenlighting this cheesy Conan thing!”
The Rundown. Finally, The Rock has come back to the present day. It's a test of his talent that he now has to play the straight man to Seann William Scott after being known for bombastic comedy in the wrestling world. He also has to act like a real person instead of an ancient warrior of questionable historical accuracy. Still, it's an action comedy, just like pro wrestling, and Christopher Walken is there making speeches about the tooth fairy. That's a formula for fun.
Walking Tall. A somewhat more serious tone for him, as he's segueing into being Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson instead of just The Rock, but making him into a more somber badass doesn't quite really exploit his talents. Yeah, he's big and muscular, but the 'zazz is his biggest strength. But it's a reasonably satisfying revenge fantasy, and he wields a 2x4, so they're definitely doing something right.
Be Cool. The ill-advised sequel to Get Shorty allowed “The Rock” Johnson to stretch his public perception a bit by playing a gay bodyguard aspiring to be a movie star. A good supporting role in an ensemble cast to build up the cred, and an opportunity to be more than just a tough guy.
Doom. A video game adaptation is rarely the best move, especially with the occasionally nauseating cinematography, and he's back to tough guy mode. Let's skip this one.
Gridiron Gang. Drawing on his football history with the Miami Hurricanes, we get a sports movie based on a true story about a rag-tag group of misfits in juvie who try to make good. A safe movie to make, and it did well enough.
The Game Plan. Number one at the box office, but another predictable football movie. One might think he's in trouble and might be stuck in this kind of role for a while, if it wasn't for...
Get Smart. That's right, he's starring with uber-funnyman and big-time star Steve Carell in the remake of the classic Don Adams TV series, and this kind of comedy has the potential to get The Rock right back into the thick of things.
Or so we hope, because if Stone Cold Steve Austin's The Condemned or John Cena's The Marine are any indication, there's not a heck of a lot wrestlers can do once they're done taking bumps for a living. We want Dwayne Johnson to stick around.
