X

The Rock confirmed to play the Man of Bronze, Doc Savage

WWE superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been confirmed to star as pulp hero Doc Savage in an upcoming film.

Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
See full bio
Michelle Starr

He inspired the creation of Superman, a heroic role model for generations of wide-eyed children. Now, Clark "Doc" Savage Jr, created in 1933 by pulp novelist Lester Dent, going to hit the big screen played by possibly the most fitting actor ever -- WWE superstar-cum-actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

And to further gild the lily, the screenplay will be directed and co-written by Shane Black, whose previous credits include "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," "Last Action Hero" (a criminally underrated film), "Lethal Weapon" and the newly released "The Nice Guys."

"Here's the #1 reason I'm excited to become Doc Savage.. HE'S A F*CKING HILARIOUS WEIRDO!" Johnson wrote on Instagram. "After speaking for hours w/ Shane Black I can see why the creator of Superman took only the best parts of Doc Savage and leaving the 'weirdo' part behind. But to us, it's that 'weirdo' part that makes Clark "Doc" Savage dope! Can't wait to sink my teeth into this one of a kind character."

Dope indeed, Mr The Rock. Dope indeed.

It's OFFICIAL: For all comic book fans you already know the world's first superhero (pre-dating Superman) is the "Man of Bronze" himself Clark "Doc" Savage. Want to thank my bud director/writer Shane Black and his writing team Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry for flying in from LA and sitting with me and our @sevenbucksprod's producer @hhgarcia41 on this Memorial Day weekend to chop up creative and break story on this very cool project. Comic book fans around the world know that the cool thing about "Doc" Savage is that he's the inspiration for Superman. First name Clark, called "Man of Bronze", retreats to his "Fortress of Solitude" in the Arctic etc etc. Doc was physically and mentally trained from birth by his father and a team of scientists to become the perfect human specimen with a genius level intellect. His heightened senses are beyond comprehension. He can even identify a women's perfume from half a mile away. He is literally the master of everything. But here's the #1 reason I'm excited to become Doc Savage.. HE'S A F*CKING HILARIOUS WEIRDO! Confidently, yet innocently he has zero social graces whatsoever due to his upbringing so every interaction he has with someone is direct, odd, often uncomfortable and amazingly hilarious. After speaking for hours w/ Shane Black I can see why the creator of Superman took only the best parts of Doc Savage and leaving the "weirdo" part behind. But to us, it's that "weirdo" part that makes Clark "Doc" Savage dope! Can't wait to sink my teeth into this one of a kind character. #ItsOfficial #WorldsFirstSuperhero #GeniusIntellect #PhysicalSpecimen #FnLoveableWeirdo #ManOfBronze #DocSavage

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on