Despite Hollywood being on strike, Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, won’t be concerned about putting enough protein on the plate. The jacked superstar has reportedly signed a record-breaking contract for his upcoming Christmas film, Red One, reminding everyone that he’s still the big dog on campus both figuratively and literally.
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While consistently active as an actor, The Rock hasn’t had a banger in a minute. Black Adam was a flop by normal standards, and although Netflix claims Red Notice was its biggest movie ever, it didn’t captivate the cultural zeitgeist like many had hoped. However, Amazon Prime Video still believes the 51-year-old is an easy bet to put bums on seats, dishing him a whopping USD$50 million (AUD$ 73.4 million) upfront for Red One, which is set to hit screens later this year.
Puck News has reported that the incredible figure will become the biggest payday for any actor upfront. The previous record for a single role belongs to Robert Downey Jr. for 2016’s Captain America: Civil War and Will Smith for his Oscar-winning role in 2021’s King Richard. The pair reportedly made USD$40 million for their respective efforts.
The Rock is no stranger to making bank, with his movies grossing a combined USD$12.5 billion at the international box office (per CBR). Forbes reported that he earned USD$23.5 million a piece for his roles in Jumanji: The Next Level and Red Notice. Other jobs over the USD$20 million mark include Jungle Cruise (USD$22 million), Black Adam (USD$22.5 million and the Fast & Furious spinoff film Hobbs & Shaw (USD$20 million).
Plot details for Red One have largely remained a secret, but The Rock did share a few key details on his Instagram page. Johnson described the film: “Think Jumanji meets Miracle on 34th Street meets Hobbs & Shaw with a dash of Harry Potter and sprinkled on top with my all-time favorite Christmas movie, It’s A Wonderful Life… let all that sink in.” The official logline bills the project “a globe-trotting, four-quadrant action-adventure comedy imagining a whole new universe to explore within the holiday genre.”
Adding to the already sky-high labour costs, Red One will feature a stacked cast including the likes of Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J.K. Simmons, Nick Kroll and Kieran Shipka. The film will also see The Rock reunite with his Jumanji director Jake Kasdan and Hobbs & Shaw writer Chris Morgan.
Meanwhile, The Rock recently announced that he is returning to the Fast & Furious franchise, confirming he has settled his beef with co-star Vin Diesel. Set between Fast X and Fast X: Part 2, the actor will star in a spinoff film based on his lawman character Luke Hobbs.
At the time of writing, Red One, which wrapped back in February, doesn’t have an official release date.
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