A Wrestler’s Toughest Move

A stretch of the back lot at Universal Studios is standing in for Gomorrah, 3000 BC, on a mid-May morning, as the people who brought you this summer’s first big hit work on their plan for next summer.

What’s the connection? “The Scorpion King,” a $60-million action-adventure movie now in production, tells the back story of the fierce and deadly Egyptian warrior played in “The Mummy Returns” sequel by World Wrestling Federation star the Rock.

“We’re heading into our third [and final] month of shooting,” says the wrestler, whose real name is Dwayne Johnson. His aged leather costume has obviously been strategically designed to showcase his enormous biceps. “Everyone is working extremely hard with very long hours because of the tight deadlines, so the success of ‘Mummy Returns’ has been [great for morale].”

It’s not often that a film gets a promotional boost while it’s being filmed, and a year before it’s scheduled to hit theaters. But that’s exactly what happened when “The Mummy Returns” had the largest box-office debut ever for a film not opening over a holiday. Over the May 4 weekend, the action-adventure movie grossed an estimated $70.1 million. As of Tuesday, it had pulled in $146 million.

But although the two films are linked, they are also very different projects. Except for the Scorpion King, none of the other major characters from the “Mummy” films will be involved in this spinoff. In “The Scorpion King,” an evil ruler sets out to eliminate all the nomadic inhabitants of the desert. To survive, the few remaining tribes hire the assassin Mathayus (the name of the Rock’s character before he is anointed Scorpion King) to kill the tyrant’s all-important sorcerer. After discovering that this visionary is a woman (Kelly Hu), Mathayus takes her deep into the desert, knowing that the ruler’s henchmen will attempt to rescue her.

“The Mummy Returns” was loaded with special effects, but “The Scorpion King” is being described as more of an old-fashioned swashbuckler with a lot of hand-to-hand combat and sword-fighting scenes. It’s an approach Johnson insisted upon before signing on for the lead role.

After his years with the WWF, Johnson knows plenty about how to stage a dramatic fight scene.

“The Rock has a special athleticism that’s obvious, plus he’s just plain fascinating to watch,” says director Chuck Russell, between scenes on “The Scorpion King” set. “I haven’t had so much fun blocking action scenes in my career. He can move like no one else. We’re having a real problem doubling him convincingly. He is the best at doing these stunts. So he’s doing a lot of [his own] stunts. It’s also been a pleasant surprise that no one can sell the swordplay like the Rock. Plus, there’s a sex appeal about this guy.”

Johnson had appeared in guest roles in a handful of television shows like “Star Trek: Voyager.” But it was a gig hosting “Saturday Night Live” in March 2000 that helped him become an acting commodity. Insisting on not participating in any wrestling skits, Johnson handled a variety of comedic situations on “SNL.” He even did a sketch in drag.

“ ‘Saturday Night Live’ really helped me,’ said Johnson. “According to my agent, we were besieged with [acting] offers.”

It was Stephen Sommers, the writer-director of the two “Mummy” films, who cast Johnson in the brief role of the Scorpion King in “The Mummy Returns.” But there were no plans to launch a film around Johnson’s character until Kevin Misher, then president of production at Universal Pictures, became entranced by Johnson’s charisma while watching dailies from “The Mummy Returns.”

Misher persuaded Universal Pictures Chairman Stacey Snider to green light “The Scorpion King,” and Sommers agreed to write a first draft of a script.

Russell says the film was originally designed as a modestly budgeted action tale. But Universal’s enthusiasm increased as the movie began to unfold and interest in the Rock as an actor began to escalate. The studio heads agreed to invest more money in the project, which has meant larger battle sequences and an overall grander scope to the movie. Mary Parent, president of production at Universal Pictures, says the film has a budget of about $60 million.

Russell, who directed Jim Carrey in the “The Mask” and Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Eraser,” says a film like this would typically be made in another country in order to scale back production costs. He’s out to prove with “The Scorpion King” that a major action film can be shot locally within a reasonable budget.

“This isn’t a small film,” he said. “But it’s being done efficiently and with substantially less money than what I made ‘Eraser’ for.” The action-thriller had a budget upward of $70 million.

“It’s almost a patriotic project,” Russell adds. “We’re trying to show that we can do it here in America without foreign crews and locations, and make a big exotic adventure film. There are a lot of people with families that want to stay home and work. We don’t want to be on the road for six months.”

Despite his small part in “The Mummy Returns,” Johnson played a prominent role in that film’s trailers, TV ads and posters. Russell and co-star Michael Clarke Duncan are among those involved with “The Scorpion King” who firmly believe the Rock can become a major action star in a genre in need of a young and compelling new hero.

Part of what makes the 6-foot-5, 275-pound behemoth such an intriguing figure is that his real personality plays against the stereotype of the Neanderthal wrestler.

That Johnson’s good looks, muscular charisma and natural athleticism are complemented by a surprisingly soft-spoken and vulnerable nature is a key reason Universal Pictures is paying him $5.5 million to star in the “The Scorpion King.” The feeling is that the 29-year-old has the potential to appeal to more than just the young males who make up the core audiences for the WWF and hard-core action films.

“He’s got a selflessness about him that’s hard to find in this genre,” Russell said. “The danger in this genre is self-aggrandizement--of the actor thinking he’s the greatest thing. As we build stories around them to make them heroes, it takes a special kind of humility to still make that character an appealing figure. The Rock has got a charm and humility you rarely find in a person this dangerous. And that’s interesting.”

During one scene in “The Scorpion King,” Johnson’s character has to chase down a street urchin who has absconded with the rubies that are his advance payment for killing the sorcerer. As this segment is being shot, Russell is pleased with the subtle and charming interplay between this hulking man and this tiny thief as the chase concludes.

Johnson is working with acting coach Larry Moss, who has tutored such actors as Helen Hunt, Hilary Swank and Duncan.

“In the WWF, my facial reactions and emotions are very large,” Johnson noted, pointing out that his wrestling extravaganzas typically take place in 20,000-to 30,000-seat arenas. “The emotions I have to convey are very large. Larry has helped me tremendously. He’s helped me tone things down. I’ve been able to convey emotions that I wouldn’t usually show in WWF venues like sadness and loss. I’m still able to be evocative in the WWF but not to the extent that I can be on film.”

During one scene in “The Scorpion King,” Johnson was faced with the challenge of reacting emotionally to the death of his character’s brother. Russell says he nailed it.

“I’m trying to find moments in this movie to show the Rock’s heart. He has a heart as big as the sky,” Russell said.

“The action part is pretty easy for him,” added Duncan, who earned an Academy Award nomination last year for his performance as the gentle giant in “The Green Mile.” “When he learns how to really harness his emotions, he’s going to be a phenomenal action hero.”

Johnson believes the humility that has endeared him to so many of his co-workers on the set of “The Scorpion King” stems from the tough times he’s endured during his life.

Born to an African American father and a Samoan mother, Johnson grew up mainly in Hawaii. Wrestling is definitely in his blood. His father, Rocky Johnson, wrestled professionally from the 1960s to the mid-’80s. His grandfather Peter Maivia also made a living as a big man in tights.

When he was a teenager, Johnson says, his family’s home was repossessed after his father made some ill-advised investments. To help his family out, the son took a job washing dishes between 3 and 11 p.m. at a pizza joint.

At 18, a hopeful Johnson left home for the University of Miami, where he played mostly defensive tackle for the college’s highly vaunted football team. But a serious back injury just before his senior season eliminated any chance of being drafted into the NFL. He eventually signed on with the Canadian Football League, where he made little money. After being cut by the Calgary team in the fall of 1995, he moved back home to live with his parents with only $7 to his name.

“You leave home at 18 ready to tackle the world,” he recalled. “So moving back in with my mom and dad was a tough pill to swallow.”

Family connections helped him land an audition with the WWF. But even after he joined the well-known wrestling league, his ascent to stardom was gradual. He recalls being paid just $35 for his first WWF match.

The turning point in his wrestling career occurred when he realized the full value of developing an engaging and entertaining persona in the ring. During his WWF career, he’s been a good guy and a bad guy. But whichever role he’s playing, he’s learned to always offer plenty of personality.

“Once I grasped that it was about being the most entertaining and not about being the biggest or the baddest, my goal switched and I went to [WWF chairman] Vince [McMahon] and I said, ‘I want to be the best ever,’ ” he explained.

In recent years the Miami-based Johnson has published a best-selling autobiography, helped Martha Stewart bake cookies on her TV show, and appeared at both the Democratic and Republican 2000 conventions. Johnson says he and his agent are looking into possible movie projects with actors Chris Rock, Ben Stiller and Rob Schneider. He clearly likes the idea of doing action movies with a sense of humor.

Johnson, who is about to become a father for the first time in August when his financial consultant wife, Dany, is due to deliver a baby girl, has four years remaining on his WWF contract. He’s scheduled to return to the ring late this summer. Johnson says he plans to juggle both careers and believes he will always be involved in wrestling in some fashion.

But it’s clear that it’s big-screen stardom he prizes most. From football bad boy Brian Bosworth to fellow wrestler Hulk Hogan, innumerable muscle men have tried and failed at the game of becoming the next big-film action hero. How the public responds to “The Scorpion King” will give the first--and perhaps most telling--indication of where Johnson might land.

Russell says he feels energized rather than cowed by all the hype being generated around Johnson and “The Scorpion King.”

“I feel more pressure when I do a film like ‘Eraser,’ where I’m doing another movie with Arnold with a gun in his hand,” Russell said.

“Then I feel the pressure of, ‘How can I make this special?’ Now I’m making a movie that’s set in 3000 BC that doesn’t have anything to do with ‘The Mummy’ films in particular. But it’s set in an imaginative, rich world that I enjoy with a brand new star that nobody knows what to expect from. To me, that’s the greatest opportunity a director can have.”