Dwayne Johnson to Portray John Henry in Netflix Film

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Former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will star in and produce John Henry and the Statesman for Netflix, according to Deadline.

Johnson uploaded a trailer for the film to Instagram on Tuesday night. It is based on John Henry, an African-American folklore hero known as the “steel-driving man.”

View this post on Instagram

WHEN THE MAN COMES AROUND. Inspired to bring to life one of my childhood heroes, John Henry, in JOHN HENRY & THE STATESMEN. In this movie, I’ll lead an ensemble of the most popular folklore figures and legends from different cultures around the world. @NETFLIX is the perfect partner & platform to bring these global folklore icons to life. The NETFLIX brand speaks directly to our @sevenbucksprod ethos of being bold, ambitious and game changing – and most importantly, always thinking “Audience first” in homes all around the world. The legend of JOHN HENRY’S strength, endurance, dignity and cultural pride was instilled in my DNA at a very young age. My dad would sing “Big John” to me every time he would put me to bed. At bedtime most children get loving nursery rhyme songs — I got this/ Every mornin’ at the mine, you could see him arrive. He stood 6 foot 6 and weighed 245. Kind of broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip. And everybody knew you didn’t give no lip to Big John. Big John. Big Bad John. Directing this big ol’ tentpole is the talented and passionate, Jake Kasdan. Jake and I found nice success together in a little movie called, JUMANJI. Gonna be a lot of fun bringing these legends to life. My childhood hero. The steel driving man and his disruptive band of international folklore legends. JOHN HENRY & THE STATESMEN @sevenbucksprod @danygarciaco @hhgarcia41 @flynnpictureco @NETFLIX

A post shared by therock (@therock) on Oct 9, 2018 at 11:50am PDT

As Henry, Johnson will lead a diverse cast of other prominent folklore legends from around the world.

“Netflix is the perfect partner and platform for us to continue entertaining our global audience in a disruptive way,” the former WWE superstar said. “These diverse characters speak to a legacy of storytelling that is more relevant than ever and span across a worldwide audience regardless of age, gender, race or geography.”

Johnson will once again work with Jake Kasdan, director of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and executive producers Melvin Mar (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) and Wendy Jacobson (San Andreas).