Taylor Lautner And Dwayne Johnson Size Up 'Goliath'

[NelsonG]

[img]http://moviesblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/rock-taylor.jpg[/img]

Since leaving the world of professional wrestling, [url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/444156/personmain.jhtml"]Dwayne Johnson[/url] AKA The Rock, has mostly portrayed good guys, but that could change with Relativity’s “Goliath,” as the studio is eyeing Johnson for the title role while crossing their fingers that [url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/373803/personmain.jhtml"]Taylor Lautner[/url] will play David, the Biblical king of the Israelites.

Relativity is prepping the film now, which [url="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/taylor-lautner-dwayne-johnson-offered-229923"]The Hollywood Reporter[/url] describes as “a period action movie made with contemporary sensibilities but based on the Biblical tale.” Currently attached to direct is Scott Derrickson, who most recently helmed “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.”

Full-blown negotiations for Lautner and Johnson haven’t begun yet, which the Hollywood Reporter claims is due to financial issues related to the fact that both actors “command upwards of $10 million in asking prices, depending on the project.” That said, the star power of the two could end up being well worth their hefty price tags, as their appearance would breathe fresh life into a story that’s literally as old as the Bible.

In a [url="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/exorcism-emily-rose-director-scott-69557"]Heat Vision[/url] story earlier this year about Derrickson coming on board the production, the site described the movie like this:

[indent]The story is set in motion when the fierce warrior Goliath is sent to track down a foretold king of the Israelites. A young shepherd David is thrust into an epic chase and adventure fighting for his own life, the lives of his loved ones and eventually the lives of his people. The story climaxes in a battle of literal Biblical proportions between the young man and the giant sent to destroy him.

[/indent]Apparently, the second best thing about Johnson’s mixed ancestry (after being a third generation professional wrestler, natch), is his resulting ambiguous ethnicity. Need an Akkadian mercenary? A southern-fried sheriff? Call the Rock! Apparently the wrestler-turned-actor has a distinctly Philistine air about him as well though. Who knew?

[i]What do you think about Dwayne Johnson and Taylor Lautner stepping into the roles of one of Sunday School’s greatest hits? Tell us in the comments below or on [url="http://twitter.com/mtvmoviesblog"]Twitter[/url]![/i]



[url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/09/02/taylor-lautner-dwayne-johnson-goliath/]View the full article[/url]