Dwayne Johnson, who has been mysteriously absent from the WrestleMania build, I must say, is adding to his Hollywood portfolio in a major way. Sources with World of Reel have learned that Johnson is co-writing Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Hawaii-set crime film that will star Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Emily Blunt.
Johnson is co-writing Scorsese’s Hawaii mob film with Vanity Fair journalist Nick Bilton. As I predicted when news of the film was first announced, the story centers on the Hawaiian crime syndicate known as The Company, which ruled the island underworld in the 1960s and ’70s and was led until 1973 by Wilford “Nappy” Pulawa. Johnson and Bilton are also collaborating on a nonfiction book on the subject, which the film would adapt.
“This isn’t just a gangster story—it’s about power, identity, and what was taken from the Hawaiian people,” Johnson explained in a statement. “What drew me to this project wasn’t just the action and the intensity. My own family lived through parts of this era, and I’ve seen first-hand the complicated legacy it left behind. Telling this story is a way to honour our Polynesian culture, and honour where we come from and share the untold history of what really happened in paradise.”
For Johnson, this would be his first screenplay credit. And who knows? Maybe after working with Scorsese, he’ll want to step behind the camera next? Coming up later this year for Johnson is Benny Safdie’s MMA drama The Smashing Machine.
