Tomb Raider isn’t the only video game adaptation coming down the pipeline this year. Rampage, which is based on Midway’s arcade classic, has officially set up shop at New Line and will star Dwayne Johnson as a primatologist named Davis Okoye, “a man who keeps people at a distance and shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth.”
Indeed, George is one of three animals to be grossly mutated as a result of a genetic experiment gone horribly, horribly wrong. A lizard and wolf are also in line to become hulking rage monsters, for those keeping track, and it seems that Johnson’s Okoye will have his hands full dealing with them all.
Or at least, that’s what this latest trailer teases. Though not terribly long, it promises a showdown between “big” and “bigger” as we see some absolutely massive creatures causing all sorts of destruction as The Rock tries to save the day. In other words, leave your brain at the door for this one, but definitely prepare for some good fun if you like monster flicks in the vein of Godzilla and Pacific Rim.
For more, here’s the official plot synopsis:
Primatologist Davis Okoye (Johnson), a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry transforms this gentle ape into a raging monster. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered alpha predators. As these newly created monsters tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend.
Casting-wise, Johnson and director Brad Peyton – joined by San Andreas alum Beau Flynn – have assembled an enviable roster of Hollywood talent that includes Naomie Harris, Joe Manganiello, The Walking Dead‘s Jeffrey Dean Morgan, P.J. Byrne, Marley Shelton, Breanne Hill, Jack Quaid and Matt Gerald, not to mention Malin Akerman and Jake Lacy.
Look for Rampage to cause a Roland Emmrich-like path of cinematic destruction on its journey toward an April 20th release.