Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was sidelined Monday in Boston after rupturing his Achilles tendon during football practice for his role as a pro quarterback in the upcoming Disney comedy Game Plan.
In a statement, the studio announced that shooting, which was supposed to commence next week, would be postponed until the former pro wrestler completes what is expected to be months of intensive rehab--and doughnut consumption.
"I approached this role trying to be as true to the character as possible, and the fact is, professional athletes train hard and get hurt," the Rock said. "I anticipate that with some TLC, pizza and a lot of doughnuts, I will be making a speedy recovery and will be able to get myself, and everyone who has been working so hard on this production, back to the business of doing what we love most--making movies."
"While this is a setback for our production schedule, we completely support him as he recuperates and look forward to resuming production when Dwayne is fully recovered," said Nina Jacobsen, president of Walt Disney Motion Picture Group.
In Game Plan, previously titled Daddy's Girl, Johnson was set to play a bachelor NFL quarterback who learns he has a seven-year-old daughter.
The football flick was supposed to shoot on location in Boston during the NFL's off-season, but the Boston Globe reports the delay could complicate Disney's own game plan for getting stadium shots.
The Rock will likely be on the disabled list until fall, when pro and college games will be in full swing.That would force filmmakers to shoot crowd scenes at the Patriots' Gillette Stadium in Foxboro and Boston College's Alumni Stadium during off-weekends in October, when both teams are on the road.
Disney reportedly hopes to stay in the Boston area to take advantage of lucrative tax breaks passed by local politicians last spring.
This isn't the first time the Rock's pigskin prospects have been rolled by an injury.
The erstwhile Scorpion King received a full scholarship at the University of Miami and was on his way to becoming a football star.
But his NFL dreams were dashed in 1995 after he suffered a back injury. After a brief stint in the Canadian Football League, he turned to pro wrestling--and the rest is history.
No word how the hiatus will affect the Rock's future projects. Johnson, whose credits include The Mummy Returns The Rundown, Walking Tall, Be Cool and Doom, is set to star in a live-action adaptation of the classic Spy Hunter videogame in 2007 and is also attached to the comedy Johnny Bravo.
He'll next be seen in theaters in the sci-fi movie Southland Tales from Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly.
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