Continuing on his hot action-oriented streak after Furious 7 and San Andreas earlier this year, Dwayne Johnson’s next foray into the genre will be for Central Intelligence alongside comedian Kevin Hart. Though while those two blockbusters placed show-stopping spectacle front and center at the expense of true character building, the first images for Rawson Marshall Thurber’s action flick fill us with hope that Johnson’s new feature could prove to be one of the best comedies of 2016.
Emphasizing the mismatched pairing of Hart and Johnson, Central Intelligence is essentially a buddy cop movie in all but name. Starring as the archetypal jock is Hart’s character who, on the eve of a high school reunion, is contacted by former classmate Bob (Johnson), enlisting him for a top-secret CIA assignment.
As was revealed earlier this year, Bob has been billed as “extremely childlike and views the world through exuberant and enthusiastic teenage eyes,” which would perhaps explain the frankly hilarious still image of Johnson’s gentle giant cradling Hart’s sports star like a baby during what we assume to be some form of psychiatrist session.
Debuted via USA Today, the outlet also spoke to the two leading stars about their varying roles in the action-comedy, and how Central Intelligence embraces their ying-yang dynamic.
“With the visual alone, we had a shot at grabbing people,” says Johnson. “That visual is sizzle. And now we have deliver the steak. I was like, ‘Stop playing with me. DJ is going to be doing all the comedy? Really?’ But I said, ‘All right, can I talk to him?’ ” says Hart. “When I heard his take on it, it was a no-brainer. I said that we had to do it.”
Central Intelligence hits hard on June 17, 2016. Amy Ryan, Ed Helms, Danielle Nicolet, Bobby Brown and Breaking Bad alum Aaron Paul.