World Wrestling Federation star The Rock is in final negotiations to make his big-screen debut as a villain in Universal Pictures' "The Mummy 2."
The wrestler, whose real name is Dwayne Johnson, has been tapped to play a reincarnated half-man, half-scorpion character in the sequel to last year's hit. Production is expected to begin in May in England.
"The Mummy 2" reteams actors Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, screenwriter-director Stephen Sommers and producers Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel in a story set a decade after the original. Universal has slotted the sequel for a May, 2001, release.
Johnson, 27, played football at the University of Miami before debuting as a wrestler in 1996 under the name Flex Kavana.
He has become a leading WWF attraction by winning the league's championship three times, authoring an autobiography and developing signature phrases such as "Know your role and shut your mouth" and "Do you smell what the Rock's cooking?"
Johnson, who hosted the March 18 broadcast of "Saturday Night Live," is repped by Endeavor.
Contact Dave McNary at
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