According to IndieWire, Johnson and Blunt—who are fashioning themselves into some kind of strange (and, based on name alone, easily meme-able) dynamic duo after multiple collaborations—brought the project to Scorsese themselves. He got on board, and then brought in his old pal Leonardo DiCaprio. The film “focuses on a turbulent time on the island paradise when an aspiring mob boss battled rival crime factions to wrest control of the underworld of the Hawaiian islands,” per a synopsis from Deadline. “In 1960s and 70s Hawaii, this formidable and charismatic mob boss rises to build the islands’ most powerful criminal empire, waging a brutal war against mainland corporations and rival syndicates while fighting to preserve his ancestral land. It’s based on the untold true story of a man who fought to preserve his homeland through a ruthless quest for absolute power — igniting the last great American mob saga, where the war for cultural survival takes place in the unlikeliest of places: paradise.”
Johnson’s “biggest box office draw in Hollywood” crown slipped a little bit with the Black Adam fiasco and the Red One behind-the-scenes scuttlebutt. In response, the action star appears to be pivoting to prove he can be a Serious Actor. He and Blunt co-star in the upcoming Benny Safdie film The Smashing Machine about the life of MMA fighter Martin Kerr. “I’m at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I’ve not pushed myself in the past. I’m at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain,” the ex-WWE star told Variety. “I’m at this point in my career where I want more. And I don’t mean I want more box office. I mean I want more humanity. And that is why Benny Safdie is the perfect, collaborative, hungry partner for me.” If that’s what you’re looking for, Martin Scorsese is probably a pretty good partner, too. Nice work if you can get it!
