The Rock is about to become the Chicken Man. Dwayne Johnson is set to reteam with his Smashing Machine director, Benny Safdie, to make Lizard Music, a fantasy adventure based on the popular 1976 book by Daniel Pinkwater.
According to Deadline, which broke the news, Johnson will play the aforementioned poultry-themed character, who teams up with a young man to explore some mysterious goings-on involving music played by lizards on TV. It’s one of those books you probably read in middle school or high school that really opened your imagination, though you likely never pictured the Rock being at the center of it.
Safdie (best known for films like Good Time and Uncut Gems made with his brother) will adapt the novel and direct. And though no production company or distributor has come on board yet, we’d imagine that changes quickly. Not only is Johnson, obviously, one of the most famous, bankable stars in the world, but he and Safdie are also about to release the UFC drama The Smashing Machine, which garnered major awards buzz out of the Venice Film Festival. You wouldn’t normally think that you go from a brutal, violent UFC drama to a weird, fantastical fantasy, but it certainly sounds like a more bankable idea.
Here’s how Amazon describes Lizard Music, which, for those of us who haven’t read it, just might make you want to order a copy: