Last time we checked in on Paramount’s big-budget and ballsy Baywatch reboot, Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron’s duelling lifeguards were out on patrol to protect the bay.
Anchoring the film as a mismatched duo, the pair will set aside old differences to take on a power-mongering oil tycoon hellbent on taking advantage of Johnson’s prized stretch of sand for commercial interests, and Indian actress Priyanka Chopra (Quantico) will be taking point as the film’s chief villain.
Currently in production in Miami, Baywatch is on course to release in 2017, and Chopra is relishing the part because it’ll not only have her starring among a talented ensemble, but also because she’s wanted to play the bad guy “for a really long time.”
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly during last night’s Academy Awards, here’s what the actress had to say:
“I wanted to play a bad guy for a really long time. And I’m doing that in Baywatch so I’m excited. “It’s Miami and it’s Baywatch and it’s such an amazing cast,” she adds on the red carpet. “It’ll be great.”
Gunning to pump the brakes on Chopra’s plan in the film are Zac Efron, Dwayne Johnson and his San Andreas co-star Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, Hannibal Buress and Jon Bass.
Baywatch is targeting a theatrical release of May 19, 2017. Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon is behind the lens, who will look to Sony’s lucrative Jump Street series as a template for success when it comes to bringing dormant TV series to the big screen.