Dwayne Johnson Gets in the Ring for 'Fighting With My Family' Wrestling Film

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Dwayne Johnson Gets in the Ring for 'Fighting With My Family' Wrestling Film

Stephen Merchant will direct the WWE Studios and Film 4 project, which will star Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is ready to get back into the ring — on the big screen.

Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden will star in Fighting With My Family, a new film about an aspiring female wrestler that will have a very big — Rock-sized — cameo.

Johnson, who soon will be seen in both Baywatch and Fate of the Furious, will executive produce the comedy-drama and play a cameo as himself.

The project, based on the true personal story of WWE Superstar Paige and her family of professional wrestlers, makes a lot of sense for Johnson, who first found fame as the professional wrestler The Rock.

The film is inspired by the Channel 4 British documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family and tells the story of reformed gangster and former wrestler Ricky, his wife Julia, daughter Saraya and son Zak, who make a living performing in tiny venues across the country. Ricky and Julia want a better life for their children, and when brother and sister get the chance to audition for WWE it seems the family dream is coming true and all their troubles will be solved. However, Saraya and Zak are about to learn that becoming a WWE Superstar demands more than they ever imagined possible, both as athletes and siblings. Wrestling has always kept this family together — but now it could tear them apart.

Stephen Merchant (The Office, Hello Ladies) will write, direct and executive produce the project.

Seven Bucks Productions’ Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia will executive produce while Kevin Misher of Misher Films will produce alongside WWE Studios President Michael Luisi. WWE Studios will co-finance the film with Film4. The film will start principal photography in Los Angeles and London this month.

“Back in 2012, I was in my hotel room in London and stumbled across a documentary on a local UK channel. Not only was I intrigued by this loving and wild family, but I also felt it’s the kind of narrative that would make an amazing movie,” said Johnson. "The Knights’ journey is a universal one that all families are familiar with. I relate to Saraya (Paige) and her wrestling family on such a personal level and it means so much that I can help tell their story."

Johnson most recently voiced the character Maui in Disney’s animated film Moana and starred in Central Intelligence with Kevin Hart. The coming year will be a big one for him on the big screen, with The Fate of the Furious, Baywatch and Jumanji all hitting theaters. He’s repped by WME and Gang, Tyre.

Pugh is a rising star who appears in the Netflix series Marcella and also stars in the upcoming film Lady Macbeth, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival to strong reviews. She's repped by WME, Julian Belfrage Associates in the UK and Bloom Hergott.

Lowden soon will be seen in Amma Assante’s A United Kingdom and Christopher Nolan’s war epic Dunkirk. He also appeared in the War & Peace mini-series in 2016. He is repped by UTA and Conway van Gelder Grant in the UK.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

[Big Boss Man]

Interesting considering the controversy around Paige and Del Rio at the moment. I assume with the movie green lighted Paige will come back to a major push. Her feuding with Alexa on SmackDown seems likely.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Meltzer has said that Paige is still a fair while away from returning. The movie won't be out for ages anyway.

[Big Boss Man]

Yea I imagine it's because of the neck/shoulder injury. I think Paige is on her third strike now so it will be embarrassing for WWE to have a movie about a talent they could have future endeavoured by the time of the movies release. Her brothers got WWE try outs at one point too, I think they wrestle as the Hooligans.

[Dr. Zoidberg]