King Kamehameha, who had a much longer and more complicated indigenous name, was the first ruler to conquer and unite all the islands of Hawaii in the 1700's. The brown-skinned ruler was born into royalty, but had a steady climb to become ruler due to family disputes. The legends surrounding King Kamehameha shroud his actual history in myths and lore, but Dwayne Johnson looks to bring the true story of the fabled ruler to the big screen.
According to Variety, Johnson is set to play King Kamehameha in the upcoming film The King. The historical drama will be directed by Robert Zemeckis. Zemeckis has a long history of crafting hit movies, such as Forrest Gump, the Back to the Future trilogy, Cast Away, Flight, and The Polar Express. Johnson, who has steadily been building his acting career, seems to be ready for a drama role on par with those portrayed in the aforementioned films. The serious tone of the historical drama is miles away from films like Tooth Fairy or Be Cool, two films that Johnson starred in earlier on. Filming for The King is set to begin in 2020, which means it may be three to four years before we get to see the movie in theaters.