WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has announced the cast for his upcoming NBC comedy series, Young Rock.
The show is inspired by Johnson’s life growing up in a wrestling family, as his father and grandfather were Hall of Fame professional wrestlers. It will also focus on his football career and the recruitment process that led to him playing football at the University of Miami.
The project is the brainchild of Johnson and Fresh Off the Boat creator, Nahnatchka Khan. It received an eleven-episode straight-to-series order back in January. The pilot was co-written by Khan and Jeff Chiang, with production expected to begin in Australia later this year.
Johnson, who will make an appearance in every episode, revealed the cast in a series of photos on Instagram.
Adrian Groulx plays Johnson at age ten, with Bradley Constant portraying him at fifteen. Uli Latukefu will play him from the ages of eighteen to twenty, when he’s recruited to play college football. And Ana Tuisila will play Johnson’s grandmother, Lia Maivia.
Stacey Leilua has been cast as his mother, Ata Johnson, with Joseph Lee Anderson portraying his late father. Johnson wrote a special tribute to his dad when announcing Anderson in the role.
“As you guys know, my dad passed away earlier this year so this role is a special one and our first episode is dedicated to him. My dad was a true trailblazer and broke colour barriers all across our country in the 60s, 70s and 80s. One half of the first black tag team champions (with Tony Atlas) my pops was a bad dude in the tame. I miss him. This one’s for you Rock.”
The series is produced by Universal Television, Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions and Khan’s Fierce Baby Productions.
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