New Baywatch movie to star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson alongside Zac Efron
Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron will pull on Baywatch’s famous red trunks and head for the Pacific in a big screen take on the 90s TV show, according to Hollywood Reporter. The new version is expected to be an R-rated comedy with production likely to begin in February 2016. Horrible Bosses’ Seth Gordon has been signed on to direct the movie.The film will take the form of a buddy comedy in which a straight-laced lifeguard (Johnson) is forced to unite with a youthful rule-breaking newcomer (Efron) when the beach they both love faces destruction courtesy of the avaricious attentions of a nefarious oil tycoon.
Efron rose to fame in the High School Musical movies, but has since proven his comedy chops in various movies most recently being 2014’s Bad Neighbours. Meanwhile Johnson brings global megastar status to the project, having become one of the top earning stars in Hollywood in recent years thanks to the success of the Fast and Furious movies. The original Baywatch show ran for 12 years between 1989 and 2001, spawning spin-offs such as Baywatch Hawaii and Baywatch Nights. There has been talk of a movie for many years, but no film previously made it to the production stage.