Despite the fact that Hollywood’s most recent attempt to blend the supernatural with action resulted in R.I.P.D., which got blasted by critics and died at the box office, MGM seems to believe that Dwayne “Franchise Viagra” Johnson is the man to make the idea work. They have set up a project called Seal Team 66****6 for him to star in{
Evan Spiliotopoulos, who just worked with both the studio and its chosen star on Brett Ratner’s Hercules, has written the script based on Weston Ochse’s book, which hit shelves last year.
The plot follows a man named Jack Walker. Halfway through Navy SEAL training, he's still green but showing incredible promise when he's whisked away to join four SEALs – and their dog, apparently – for a special ops mission. Walker soon finds himself in a whirlwind of otherworldly creatures and events as he learns the true nature of this “special ops” team: SEAL Team 666. Battling demons, possessed humans, mass-murdering cults, and evil in its most dark and primeval form, the squad has their work cut out. And it’s not long before they realize that the threat isn’t just directed against the U.S.: an ancient and deadly cult has bigger plans, and Walker is at the centre of a supernatural conflict with the entire world at stake…
While it sounds like someone thought the title would sound cool before figuring out what the story might be, at least the film has the book as source material (though having a comic book as its basis didn’t help R.I.P.D. much). This one is still floating in development limbo and there’s no director aboard just yet. It's worth noting that Johnson is clearly in with the SEALs in real life; he knew about the death of Osama bin Laden and SEAL Team Six's mission before anyone else. Getting some insight into the SEALs lifestyle, then, shouldn't be a problem.
Hercules will stride on to our screens on July 25 next year, and Johnson will also be seen as Luke Hobbs in Fast & Furious 7, which is still scheduled to arrive on the same day.