The Rock Will Run For President In This Upcoming Comedy Series
Have you ever thought about what Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would be like as Young Sheldon? Well, wonder no more, because that's basically the premise of Young Rock, a new family comedy series coming to NBC next month. Like the aforementioned Big Bang Theory prequel, Young Rock tells the origin story of a beloved character by showing what he was like when he was a kid growing up in the '80s and '90s. You can check out a trailer for the series, which premieres Tuesday, February 16.
The frame narrative for the show's flashbacks is a really fun one: It's 2032, and a lightly fictionalized version of Dwayne Johnson is running for president (something the real Johnson may or may not consider an actual possibility, as described in a memorable GQ cover story from 2017). He sits down for an interview with Randall Park – the Randall Park, who has transitioned from being an actor to being a journalist, as the Always Be My Maybe star explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. In order to understand why The Rock's running for president, people need to understand where he came from, and where he came from is Hawaii.
The actual Rock actually grew up in a family of actual professional wrestlers, so not exactly the prototypical American experience. It wasn't always easy, and there were some really hard times, but there was always a lot of love and support.
Young Rock is The Rock like you've never seen him before
Young Rock was created by Johnson and Fresh Off the Boat's Nahnatchka Khan, who serves as showrunner. Johnson will appear in every episode, and will be played at ages 10, 15, and 20 by Adrian Groulx, Bradley Constant, and Uli Latukefu, respectively. The cast also includes Stacey Leilua as Dwayne's mother Ata, Joseph Lee Anderson as his father Rocky, Matt Willig as legendary pro wrestler and Johnson family friend André the Giant, and The Mandalorian's Rosario Dawson as General Monica Jackson, whom EW describes as "a resilient leader ... whose respected ethics and values are introduced as a very integral key to Dwayne Johnson's presidential campaign."
During the show's panel at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, per Indie Wire, Johnson described the show as a "love letter to professional wrestling" that pays respect to the wrestlers who came before him and were his "superheroes," including his father. Rocky Johnson was the first Black champion in WWE history. He died last year at the age of 75 (via The Ringer). The younger Johnson said his father would have loved the show, especially because it portrays pro wrestling in a positive manner.
Could the show be incepting the American public with the idea that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will become the leader of the free world in 2032? Stranger things have happened! In one of the most successful movie star reinventions ever, he went from being a pro wrestler to the world's most bankable leading man. We'll have to see if he gets our votes when Young Rock premieres next month.