In a damning and somewhat bizarre new report published by The Wrap, a string of allegations are made about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's supposed lack of professionalism on the set of Prime Video's Red One (we'll get to those).
However, the trade has also spoken to at least four insiders with knowledge of a 2022 meeting which saw Johnson and producer Dany Garcia meet with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. The conversation was about bringing Henry Cavill back as Superman in Black Adam...and Seven Bucks Productions running DC in place of the DC Films boss Walter Hamada.
An individual close to Seven Bucks claims the meeting was only about Black Adam and meant to serve as a general introduction to Zaslav. Either way, Johnson and Seven Bucks were ousted from the DCEU when James Gunn and Peter Safran took charge of DC Studios.
Cavill is also said to have fired Garcia as his manager after his return as Superman lasted for only a single post-credits scene.
Back to Red One and the trade reports that the movie's budget has ballooned to over $250 million due to Johnson's "chronic lateness and lack of professionalism."
They've spoken to more than a dozen insiders with direct links to the actor and his work, with claims ranging from Johnson showing up to set as much as eight hours late to him upsetting crew members by peeing in a water bottle to save time (on previous movies, not Red One as far as we're aware).
"On set, away from his trailer, if he needs to pee, he doesn’t go to the public bathroom," one insider claims. "He pees in a Voss water bottle and his team or a PA has to dispose of it." Johnson previously confirmed he has a habit of peeing in the water bottle while training in the gym.
The bigger issue on Red One is reportedly the actor and pro wrestler's tardiness. His habit of showing up late - previously an issue for Vin Diesel while working on the Fast & Furious movies - may have cost the production more than $50 million.
"The only thing Dwayne was consistent at was being chronically late," one insider says, with another adding, "It was a f*cking disaster...Dwayne truly doesn’t give a f*ck."
Apparently, Johnson also refuses to work a full workday. "It’s his absolute refusal to work more than a four-or five-hour day," a studio insider explains, with another insider claiming, "It’s a control thing."
There are countless other allegations in the trade's piece, including Johnson supposedly breaking COVID protocols while shooting Netflix Red Notice. It also sounds like a lack of experience among Seven Bucks' executives is proving problematic when they get involved with Hollywood productions.
It's important to note that the piece is full of denials from anonymous sources and studio spokespeople, with Amazon and MGM claiming Red One didn't go over budget any more than they'd expect from a movie of this size. One response states that, at most, Johnson would only be an hour late to set (which still doesn't seem great).
"Dwayne Johnson and Seven Bucks have been incredible partners on 'Red One' - a film that audiences of all ages are going to love this holiday season," an Amazon spokesperson stated. "Our testing has been very strong - the reaction from CinemaCon speaks for itself - and we couldn’t have made it without Dwayne’s constant work and support."
"Any reporting that implies that we got to this point with him showing up seven-eight hours late to set is both ridiculous and false."
It will be interesting to see whether Johnson responds, particularly as he's in the midst of a career overhaul which has seen him return to WWE and take on a lead role in an A24 movie about UFC fighter Mark Kerr instead of yet another big budget blockbuster.