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The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

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The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Old 08-29-18, 12:26 PM
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The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Dwayne Johnson to Play Hawaiian King in Epic From Robert Zemeckis
9:19 AM PDT 8/29/2018 by Mia Galuppo

Kamehameha is known as the founder and first ruler of the kingdom of Hawaii.

Dwayne Johnson will play the Hawaiian king Kamehameha I in Warner Bros.' epic The King.

Robert Zemeckis will direct from a script by Braveheart writer Randall Wallace for New Line,
which worked with Johnson on disaster thriller San Andreas and his recent release, Rampage.

Kamehameha is known as the founder and first ruler of the kingdom of Hawaii, uniting the warring islands. The King is described as a sweeping historical epic based on the true life story of Kamehameha, who fulfilled the prophecy that surrounded his fabled life since birth.

Johnson will produce via his Seven Bucks Productions, along with Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia. FlynnPictureCo’s Beau Flynn, Zemeckis and Wallace will also produce.

Johnson, who is of Polynesian decent, has been hoping to make a movie about Kamehameha for the better of the past two decades. Last year, a Hawaiian Kahu, a priest, held a ceremony blessing the project, Johnson, Wallace and Garcia in Hawaii.

The Jumanji actor was last seen in action thriller Skyscrapper and is currently filming Disney's Jungle Cruise movie.

Zemeckis will soon be in theaters with Universal's Welcome to Marwen, starring Steve Carell and Leslie Mann.
I thought there was a previous thread a hella long time ago when this was at Sony.
Old 08-29-18, 12:34 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Goodness.. here's an old article from 2002.

https://ew.com/article/2002/07/16/ro...ian-king-role/

The Rock is smacked down over Hawaiian king role
GARY SUSMAN July 16, 2002 at 04:00 AM EDT

He was a hit as the Scorpion King, but is The Rock the right guy to play a real-life Hawaiian king? Some eyebrows are being raised over the wrestler/actor’s recently-announced Columbia Pictures biopic of the 19th-century Hawaiian monarch King Kamehameha the Great, in part because of the Rock’s Samoan heritage, and in part because of his irreverent, Hollywood action-sledgehammer style.

The Rock (real name: Dwayne Johnson), who is of both Samoan and African-American ancestry, announced last month that he would play Kamehameha, who is credited with uniting the Hawaiian islands during his reign, from 1795 to 1819. But producer Gary German tells the Associated Press, ”It would be a great taboo for the part of Kamehameha to go to a nationality that was a fierce enemy of the Hawaiians during that time.” Of course, German is not a disinterested party; his North Shore Pictures Entertainment is developing its own biopic of the king. ”We are looking at two actors of Hawaiian descent who will make a great Kamehameha,” he tells AP.

A Hawaiian academic is also worried about the racial implications of The Rock’s movie. ”There are so many racist portrayals of Hawaii in the media,” says Professor Lilikala Kame’eleihiwa, director of the Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii, in an interview with the New York Daily News. She says she doubts that any film can do justice to the King’s story. ”Kamehameha is a sacred chief. He comes from hundreds of generations of sacred chiefs, and he needs to be represented properly.” She says that Greg Poirier, the former Maui resident who’s writing the Rock’s screenplay, consulted her but could not guarantee that the movie would remain historically accurate. ”He said, basically, once he hands in the script to the movie company, they’ll do what they want.”

Neither the Rock nor Columbia has commented on the Kamehameha dust-up.
Old 08-29-18, 01:00 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Dwayne probably has enough clout to get this done now. I just recently went to Maui, and have been to Hawaii two previous times, and each time I go to hikes, cultural centers, and tours, I get interested in the history of the island and it's people.

I'd be down for this, but wonder if it would be more sensationalized and action oriented given The Rock's involvement.
Old 08-29-18, 02:32 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Originally Posted by fumanstan
I'd be down for this, but wonder if it would be more sensationalized and action oriented given The Rock's involvement.
Depends on Wallace's script. I don't think Zemeckis would film it if it were. I'd hope there would be some Hawaiian historians involved much like how Clements and Musker took Moana to her Polynesian roots first by visiting the islands and meeting elders.
Old 08-29-18, 02:44 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Originally Posted by devilshalo
Depends on Wallace's script. I don't think Zemeckis would film it if it were. I'd hope there would be some Hawaiian historians involved much like how Clements and Musker took Moana to her Polynesian roots first by visiting the islands and meeting elders.
That's true, I didn't really think about Zemekis' style for this kind of movie.
Old 08-29-18, 02:50 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Originally Posted by fumanstan
I'd be down for this, but wonder if it would be more sensationalized and action oriented given The Rock's involvement.
Originally Posted by devilshalo
Depends on Wallace's script. I don't think Zemeckis would film it if it were. I'd hope there would be some Hawaiian historians involved much like how Clements and Musker took Moana to her Polynesian roots first by visiting the islands and meeting elders.
Just because The Rock's in it doesn't mean it won't be serious. He's had moments in movies where he shows himself capable of more challenging material (most especially Snitch). I wouldn't be surprised if he's getting to the point in his career where he's willing to branch out (especially with a project that means something to him personally).
Old 08-29-18, 02:59 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Originally Posted by brainee
Just because The Rock's in it doesn't mean it won't be serious. He's had moments in movies where he shows himself capable of more challenging material (most especially Snitch). I wouldn't be surprised if he's getting to the point in his career where he's willing to branch out (especially with a project that means something to him personally).
Maybe. I love Dwayne and have for some time, it's just his current string of movies is mostly generic action fare. I wouldn't mind him seeing him take on a more dramatic role, and I also think he's capable.
Old 08-29-18, 05:08 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Originally Posted by fumanstan
Dwayne probably has enough clout to get this done now. I just recently went to Maui, and have been to Hawaii two previous times, and each time I go to hikes, cultural centers, and tours, I get interested in the history of the island and it's people.

I'd be down for this, but wonder if it would be more sensationalized and action oriented given The Rock's involvement.
I don't know how it could be more "sensationalized" than the real history of Kamehameha.
He lived quite a life:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_I
Old 08-29-18, 05:15 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

I scanned the article to make sure it’s none of Zemeckis’ mo-cap crap. I didn’t see any mention of it so I’m in!

Of course, as much as I love Zemeckis, he hasn’t exactly been thrilling me lately with his non-motion capture stuff either. Still, I have faith.
Old 08-29-18, 05:16 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

I guess Johnson won't be taking a vacation for another 5-6 years.
Old 08-29-18, 06:34 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

If this movie is a serious drama Dwayne will have to work on his acting skills.
Old 08-29-18, 07:17 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Hawaii has such a rich and glorious history. This would be good and I like Zemekis for most part and Johnson can definitely pull off a dramatic role. Needs good script of course...
Old 08-29-18, 08:39 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Kaaaaaaaaa-meeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaa-meee-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! - Goku

Never knew Master Roshi got his signature technique in Dragon Ball from a Hawaiian King, but I guess it makes sense that Roshi always lived on a tiny island. lol

Would be strange to see Rock in this though imo.
Old 08-29-18, 09:02 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Originally Posted by Koby
Would be strange to see Rock in this though imo.
Why? He kinda did it in Moana, where he was fabulous, though animated obviously. Who else would you want?
Old 08-29-18, 10:48 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Yup, only two (famous) people could possibly play him : The Rock or Jason Momoa.
Old 08-30-18, 12:57 AM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Originally Posted by Decker
Yup, only two (famous) people could possibly play him : The Rock or Jason Momoa.
I would put money on BOTH being in the movie.
Old 08-30-18, 03:54 AM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

This might be the first Zemekis movie I pass on.
Old 08-30-18, 11:40 AM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Originally Posted by TomOpus
This might be the first Zemekis movie I pass on.
That would have been Polar Express for me.
Old 08-30-18, 11:59 AM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Interesting pairing. Zemeckis and Johnson are both lucky to get to work with each other.
Old 08-30-18, 01:36 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Originally Posted by TomOpus
This might be the first Zemekis movie I pass on.
How come?

The real history of KK is interesting and is deserving of a movie.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the ancient Hawaiian culture...a lot could be mined for drama.
Old 08-31-18, 01:26 AM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

Originally Posted by TomOpus
This might be the first Zemekis movie I pass on.
Originally Posted by melasnus
How come?

The real history of KK is interesting and is deserving of a movie.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the ancient Hawaiian culture...a lot could be mined for drama.
Exactly. I can't imagine the person who says to himself "I'll watch crappy Uncanny Valley fare like 'Beowulf', 'Polar Express' and 'A Christmas Carol' and totally unnecessary live action recreations of excellent, readily-available documentaries like "The Walk" and 'Welcome to Marwan' but I have to draw the line at a historical action-drama set in 1800s Hawaii".
Old 09-02-18, 12:29 PM
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Re: The King (Kamehameha) - D: Zemekis, S: The Rock

I've seen some historical documentaries about this guy (can't try to type the name), and always knew if they made a movie the Rock would be the one to play him. Hopefully it's good.

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