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The Rock rolls to Universal
By Michael Fleming

NEW YORK (Variety) - Universal is trying to keep its half-nelson hold on grappler-turned-movie star The Rock, aka Dwayne Johnson.

The studio has acquired two projects with an eye toward the wrestler: an untitled pitch to be written by Oscar winner Brian Helgeland (''L.A. Confidential''), and spec script ``Hunting Bronze,'' a rugged action comedy written by newcomer scribe Joseph C. Muscat.

The Rock is firmly attached to ``Bronze'' and is in pole position to topline the Helgeland effort.

The projects come as Universal tries to keep The Rock, who, despite a spandex-thin film resume, has shown evidence that his following will follow him to theaters.

Debuting in ``The Mummy Returns,'' The Rock logged only about 10 minutes of screen time but became a major selling point for a sequel that outgrossed the original with $415 million worldwide.

Universal brass and ``Mummy'' architects Stephen Sommers, Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel spun his character into a separate film, which became the Chuck Russell-directed ``The Scorpion King,'' an action film slated for a 2002 release for which The Rock earned $5.5 million.

Both the Helgeland project and ``Hunting Bronze'' will be produced by Kevin Misher, the former Universal production president who became a producer on ``Scorpion King'' with Sommers, Jacks and Daniel.

Helgeland has crafted such star vehicles as the Mel Gibson-starrer ``Payback'' and most recently the Heath Ledger-starrer ``A Knight's Tale.''

The studio cautioned that Helgeland isn't writing the piece specifically for The Rock, and he won't direct it, though the scribe will likely have a producing capacity with Misher.

In ``Hunting Bronze,'' a ``Midnight Run''-like action comedy, The Rock will play a bounty hunter who tries to corral a fugitive before a rogue cop seeking revenge finds and kills him. The film was scripted by Muscat, who for three years has been a talent agency assistant in New York.

After taking off four months to star in ``The Scorpion King,'' The Rock has resumed his rigorous ring schedule, capturing last weekend the WCW (news - web sites) title and currently lining up a showdown with WWF beltholder ``Stone Cold'' Steve Austin.

Several studios are engaged in a battle for his next available movie slot, which will come in the winter. Both Universal films will be aspirants for that title.

[Source: Yahoo! News]