The Rock Is Starring Alongside Leo In A Scorsese-Directed Crime Drama. Yes, It's Real.
(Deadline) The hot package in town is a pitch for a Martin Scorsese-directed untitled drama that would star Dwayne Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt.
The thumbnail description: Imagine Robert De Niro’s Jimmy the Gent character from Goodfellas, but as a ruthless Hawaiian crime boss, based on a real figure, who battled encroaching rivals for control of organized crime in Hawaii.
To be written by Nick Bilton, the film focuses on a turbulent time on the island paradise when an aspiring mob boss battled rival crime factions to wrest control of the underworld of the Hawaiian islands. It was a bloody battle, the kind of terrain Scorsese covered in both Goodfellas and The Departed. In 1960s and 70s Hawaii, this formidable and charismatic mob boss rises to build the islands’ most powerful criminal empire, waging a brutal war against mainland corporations and rival syndicates while fighting to preserve his ancestral land. It’s based on the untold true story of a man who fought to preserve his homeland through a ruthless quest for absolute power — igniting the last great American mob saga, where the war for cultural survival takes place in the unlikeliest of places: paradise.
This feels like one of those headlines that feels so made up that it's hard to believe. My initial reaction is probably similar to yours: The Rock has no business working with Scorsese and Leo. In my brain, there are different worlds within Hollywood. There are entertainers, which includes actors like The Rock, Jason Statham, Chris Pratt etc who make big budget movies that don't demand a ton of depth. And, to be clear, there is a place for that! People want to be entertained! Then, there is another world of artists. That sounds extremely pretentious and cunty but it's true. While the Rock is a fantastic entertainer, I wouldn't put him in the artist category.
However, to argue against myself, I don't totally know that the Rock can't hit that other level. There are some serious moments in 'Ballers' where he does a pretty good job! Also, he recently starred as Mark Kerr in a Benny Safdie directed A24 movie, The Smashing Machine, which also stars Emily Blunt. That movie finished shooting in August of last year so maybe he has enough from that that is impressive enough for Scorsese to trust him.
On the backend, Scorsese is Scorsese. One of the best filmakers in history. Writer Nick Bilton is a different story. He is a part time journalist, author and screenwriter that gas a IMDB page 2 projects deep as a writer. That includes staff writing on 'The Idol', which was not good. However, that movie also went through a giant creative overhaul so I'm not sure how much of his stuff made it.