RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson met the press yesterday at the Blaisdell Center Galleria.

Rock solid

The wrestling star pursues
a King Kamehameha film

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By Jason Genegabus
jason@starbulletin.com

Professional wrestling and movie star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said he reached a preliminary deal yesterday morning with Sony Pictures to develop a film about the life of King Kamehameha the Great.

"When I heard the news this morning at 5 a.m., that was it; I couldn't sleep since," he said yesterday during a news conference at the Blaisdell Galleria for tomorrow's sold-out World Wrestling Entertainment "Tour of Defiance."

Johnson, who spent parts of his childhood here and attended McKinley High School, said plans call for him to star in the movie, which he hopes will be filmed in the islands.

RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Minutes before meeting the press yesterday at the Blaisdell Center Galleria, "The Rock" and Leusogafofoma'aitulagi Emmsley of the Samoan Service Providers Association, far left, took to the mat for a kava ceremony.

The development deal with Sony is a first step in the long process of making a movie.

Although he stressed that it was too early to know if the deal will actually lead to a movie being made, Johnson was excited at the thought of portraying Kamehameha, the first Hawaiian monarch to unite all the islands under one rule.

He said it would be an honor to represent the people of Hawaii and help tell the story of such an influential figure in Hawaiian history.

The 30-year-old wrestler's movie credits include this year's "The Scorpion King" and last year's "The Mummy Returns."

RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM "The Rock" also met fans such as Allyson Harada, 10

As a wrestler, he is continuing a family tradition. Both his father and grandfather were professional wrestlers.

Tomorrow's wrestling matches mark the return of WWE to Hawaii after an eight-year hiatus. Tickets for tomorrow's 4 p.m. show, ranging from $25 to $90, sold out in less than two hours, with thousands of fans lining up at ticket outlets around the island last month in anticipation of Johnson's Hawaii appearance.

The quick sellout prompted WWE management to reassess its travel scheduling, according to promoter Tom Moffatt and a WWE official at the news conference. They said that pro wrestling fans in Hawaii could now expect a WWE show at least once a year.

Johnson called this weekend's bout against Chris Jericho the "biggest event in the history of my professional career" and said he was looking forward to performing "in front of my family, friends and people."