Dwayne Johnson may have claimed the title of the world’s highest-paid actor on multiple occasions, but he’s been commanding massive paydays since the very beginning of his movie career. Despite only featuring in a minor supporting role that ended with his character being the subject of some of the worst CGI ever put to the big screen, Johnson was paid $5 million for signing on to The Mummy Returns, a record fee for a first-time actor.
Following the enthusiastic response to his appearance, spinoff The Scorpion King was given the green light, and he once again set records after picking up a check for $5.5 million, the highest amount ever handed out to someone for their first leading role. The film was nothing to write home about and delivered perfectly acceptable B-level action fare, but it did solid business at the box office after earning almost $180 million on a $60 million budget.
Johnson may have stepped away after that, but The Scorpion King franchise has continued for almost two decades, although you’d be forgiven for being completely unaware of the existence of the four bargain basement sequels that arrived between 2008 and 2018, with low budget stalwarts like Randy Couture, Billy Zane, Ron Perlman and Rutger Hauer all dropping by at various points. However, insider Daniel Richtman is now claiming that Universal are working on yet another Scorpion King movie, except this time, they want to bring back the original leading man and return the franchise to theaters.
“There is a new Scorpion King in development for the big screen this time and they want The Rock back,” says the tipster.
Whether Johnson would even be interested in the slightest at this stage of his career is up for debate, especially when he’s already got several major blockbusters on the horizon over the coming years. But you can’t deny that it’d be interesting, and pretty exciting as well, to see him return to the role after all this time.