io9: The Rock

The Rock is here to guide you into manhood among the giant lizards

Charlie Jane Anders — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 PST

The Rock is here to teach you about being a man, while man-handling tiny elephants and riding around on giant bees. The Rock is strong but sensitive, and he's downright eager to guide you over the threshold into a new world of confusing sexuality, in which the scat of massive birds sprays all over people's faces and chests. You want a male role model who's not afraid to give advice about macking on girls, while in a cave full of mega-fauna? That's The Rock. More »

What is Michael Caine thinking in this Journey 2 character poster?

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:06:53 PST

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Or more to the point, what is Michael Caine about to say to his agent once he gets home from doing this fiasco? Some new character posters for Journey 2, the sequel that absolutely nobody demanded, have come out. And they're like the posters from the waiting room to Photoshop Hell. I especially like the look on The Rock's face as he contemplates what has become of his non-Fast and Furious career. More »

Do we need another Doom movie, even in 3D?

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 06:30:00 PST

Remember Dwayne Johnson's sad adaptation of the first-person shooter game Doom? Well Hollywood isn't about to let that terrible franchise die out, like other 90s fads. In fact, Universal wants to reboot the Doom movie series — in 3D. More »

If Andromeda came back, what would you do differently?

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:34:31 PDT

Suppose someone tried to relaunch Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. What would you change? Who would you cast? That's the question former Andromeda writer Zack Stentz posed in a forum, and former showrunner Robert Hewitt Wolfe chimed in with some suggestions. More »

6 Clips From The Rock's Tooth Fairy Movie Will Make Your Gums Bleed

Meredith Woerner — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:00:00 PST

The Rock rolls on a pair of sateen tights in his role as the tooth fairy — get it? Beause that's effeminate, and he's masculine. New clips include Dwayne eating shrinking paste and flushing himself down the toilet. Comedy! More »

There's No Intelligent Life on Planet 51

Lauren Davis — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:02:32 PST

Planet 51 has an intriguing premise, promising advance clips, and acid-piddling dog straight out of Alien. But none of that can save a rambling movie that's never quite sure where it's going. More »

Hockey-Playing Tooth Fairy Trailer Puts the Rock in the Penalty Box

Lauren Davis — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:00:00 PDT

We warned you that Dwayne Johnson's hockey player turned tooth fairy movie was on its way. Now the trailer has arrived and you can watch the Rock sneak into kids' bedrooms, battle cats, and get taunted by Billy Crystal. More »

The Rock As The Tooth Fairy, Hilarity Must Ensue

Meredith Woerner — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:30:00 PDT

Dwayne Johnson continues the Hollywood tradition of surly, no-nonsense males getting stuck in stereotypically feminine roles. Otherwise known as, "This pool isn't going to pay for itself" films. See the glorious oddball poster in full wacky glory. More »

Planet 51 Is Where Green People Are Fat And BBQ Just Like Us

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:28:41 PDT

When Dwayne Johnson lands in the middle of alien suburbia on Planet 51, he's gotta make haste before the planet's government kidnaps him. Yet another "we're the aliens" switcheroo flick, but in reality the aliens are just Green-Americans. More »

The Rock Struggles To Placate Disney's Family-Friendly Aliens

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:50:43 PST

We've rounded up a few clips from Disney's Race To Witch Mountain, which feature a whole lotta Dwayne Johnson being cute with a dog and trying to make you laugh. So does it work? More »

The Rock Dons Race Bannon's White Wig In Jonny Quest Movie

Meredith Woerner — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:00:00 PST

Zac Efron and Dwayne Johnson are teaming up in the Jonny Quest movie as Jonny and his bodyguard Race Bannon. Anyone else wondering why this wasn't a Venture Brothers film instead? More »

The Rock's Cab Is A Magnet For Stormtroopers And Aliens

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:00:00 PST

Race To Witch Mountain's Dwayne Johnson not only chauffeurs around a pair of tween aliens in his cab, but apparently some of our stormtrooper buddies as well. Check out the Superbowl Witch Mountain trailer early. More »

Why Is The Rock's Head So Freakishly Large?

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:00:00 PST

Dwayne Johnson is the latest star to have his disembodied head in mid-air, in the poster for Disney's reboot Race To Witch Mountain. Check out the greatest floating-head posters from scifi movies past, below. More »

Disney Slams SUVs into Children's Faces

Meredith Woerner — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:00:00 PST

The brand new reboot of the Disney's Witch Mountain series is packed with CG effects, The Rock, UFOs, shiny lights . . . oh and Master Chief. Or was that Boba Fett? Either way they've managed to cram a ridiculous amount of crap into this kiddie movie that was once a treasured memory of mine. While I actively support Dwayne Johnson's continued ability to get work, I'm having a really hard time accepting the fact that the alien children stranded on Earth can walk through walls and stop a SUV with their tiny prepubescent bodies (and nary a harmonica). More »

Feast Your Eyes On The Mountain Everyone Is Running To

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:20:00 PDT

The website for Race to Witch Mountain is up, debuting one hefty rock for alien kids to journey to. Disney promises creepy alien kids, terrible harmonica playing and one giant Rock. I hope in this Disney film (based on the original Escape To Witch Mountain), the alien children everyone is so keen to protect go Children Of The Corn on everyone. [Race To Witch Mountain] More »

io9 Grills The Rock About Aliens

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:08:10 PDT

The Rock is starring in the new Race to Witch Mountain movie (an update of the Escape to Witch Mountain movies) — and he believes, or wants to believe, in aliens. You be the judge. At the Race To Witch Mountain press line, we grilled cast members about the existence of aliens. The lovely Carla Gugino walked away from my questions looking at like I was mad (you can't turn away from the truth Carla) so did the director Andy Fickman, but Dwayne Johnson threw us a bone. When we asked if he believed in aliens he replied, "Yeah yeah of course." Click through for more on the Rock's belief in the beyond and pictures from the Con press line. More »

Go On A Wild Date With Get Smart's "Uncle Handsome"

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:40:00 PDT

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shares a behind the scene look into how he crafted Agent 23 for the comedy Get Smart — or, as he calls him, "Uncle Handsome." Watch in a special clip as Agent 23 throws people against walls, staples a mans head, and gets into random bouts of silliness with Agent 86 (Steve Carell). Johnson was expertly cast in this role as the handsome devil 23 and it's cute to watch him get his feathers ruffled when this massive field agent is forced to sit at a desk and do paperwork at Control. But I'm much happier knowing the brunt of the comedy work will be left in Carell's hands. More »

Child Actors Never Escaped From Witch Mountain

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:21:26 PDT

Succumbing to the Richard Hatch effect, the original child actors from the 1970s science fiction flick Escape to Witch Mountain are set to appear in the Disney remake Race to Witch Mountain, which stars The Rock. Ike Eisenmann is cast as the town sheriff and Kim Richards will play a waitress at a diner. No word yet if Eisenmann lent the new little boy the infamous harmonica that could harness his telekinetic powers. [Hollywood Reporter] More »

Planet 51 Continues Scifi's Invasion Of Animation

Charlie Jane Anders — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:00:00 PDT

The trend of animated movies swinging from fantasy to science fiction (with Wall-E and Space Chimps) continues with Planet 51, starring the Rock as a human astronaut who lands on a planet of xenophobic aliens who regard him as an invader. Written by Shrek scribe Joe Stillman, Planet 51 is a "reverse E.T.," the Rock says. He gave away some new plot details for Planet, which he says is coming November 2009. More »

Lightning Strikes With A Sucktastic Title For Shazam Movie

Kevin Kelly — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:20:23 PST

Director Peter Segal was at WonderCon plugging his upcoming Get Smart film, but he also talked a bit about the Shazam/Captain Marvel movie he's slated to helm. While he didn't reveal anything new (they're talking to The Rock about playing Black Adam, etc), he did say that the tentative new title for the project is Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam. Which sounds like the name of one of those .99 cent DVDs they sell at Target near the front door. You know, the junk you've never heard of? Shazam! is a perfect title, and it might finally eradicate the existence of the Shaquille O'Neal movie Kazaam from our minds. [Comic Book Movie] More »

Tongue-Shooting Action in Doom

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:30:23 PST

Doom is one of those rare naratives that works both as a violent video game and a violent movie. Here, in the film version, you can see why. A weird virus/mutation/science whatsit has gotten loose in a research station on Mars. It's turning everybody into angry monsters who shoot tongues. But that's not all: apparently the shooting tongues have the ability to tell if you are evil or good based on your genetics, and will target you accordingly. Here you can see the full bizarre wonderfulness of the tongue-shooter, who is chasing after one of the researchers and a military guy, but gets stuck in a forcefield. More »

Shazam's Magic Word Is Fan-Wank

charliejane — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:30:05 PST

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson let the fans dictate which role he should play in the upcoming Shazam movie, according to About.com. Johnson was trying to decide between playing Captain Marvel (the good guy) and Black Adam (the bad guy). Really, the only difference between the two is that Black Adam is evil. And an Arab. Johnson asked the fans, and guess who they wanted him to be? More »

Southland Tales Devolves Into Artistic Apocalypse

Kevin Kelly — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:06:32 PST

Southland Tales was eagerly anticpated by fans who loved director Richard Kelly's cult hit Donnie Darko, but. But the weird movie that blended musical comedy with post-apocalyptic LA is getting raked across the coals by reviewers. Kelly was able to sign up talent like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seann William Scott and Justin Timberlake, but even this A-list Oscar crowd of thespians couldn't save the flick from itself. More »

Has Southland Tales Shaken The Suck Factor?

Kevin Kelly — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:40:25 PST

Director Richard Kelly brought us the cult hit Donnie Darko, and he's been hard at work on Southland Tales, a weird mix of science fiction, music, comedy, and drama set against a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. Sounds like the perfect backdrop for a light-hearted romp, right? More »