The Rock Will Play An American Folk Hero In His First Netflix Movie

Earlier today, Dwayne Johnson tweeted that he would be dropping a “pretty cool announcement” in the afternoon. His only hint was that “THE LEGEND IS REAL” and that “it’s not a movie about my cheat meals, though that would be fun.” So, outside of The Rock hitting up the Taco Bell drive-thru, he could have been teasing anything: a return to WWE, a new single, that he’s running for president. Turns out, he’s starring in another movie, to go along with the 458 other projects he’s working on (his IMDb will make you feel extremely lazy).

Johnson is re-teaming with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle director Jake Kasdan on John Henry and the Statesmen, a Netflix movie where he’ll portray “Henry, the mythic African-American steel-driver from early American folk tales, and will lead an ensemble cast of the most popular figures from folklore and legend from all around the world,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The pitch comes from Tom Wheeler, whose also wrote The Lego Ninjago Movie.

“Netflix is the perfect partner and platform for us to continue entertaining our global audience in a disruptive way,” Johnson said in a statement. “These diverse characters speak to a legacy of storytelling that is more relevant than ever and span across a worldwide audience regardless of age, gender, race, or geography.” Also, now he can afford another year’s worth of cod.

Add “steel drivin’ man” to the ever-growing list of The Rock’s accomplishments.