PARK CITY, Utah — Believe it or not, Hollywood executives told Dwayne Johnson “no thanks” when he pitched his latest movie.
It was an unusual rejection for the industry’s reigning box office champion, whose “Jumanji” reboot in 2017 made nearly $1 billion worldwide. And so before he trades insults with Jason Statham in “Hobbs & Shaw” or straps in for the Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” the artist forever known as The Rock put on his independent film producer hat and went outside the traditional studio system to make “Fighting With My Family.”
His Seven Bucks Productions found financing through WWE Studios and Britain’s Film4 to make the scrappy, relatively low-budget comedy inspired by WWE wrestler Paige’s life story. Johnson makes a cameo appearance.
Ryan Pearson, The Associated Press
