The Rock has most famously been associated in the past with Microsoft. He played a part in unveiling the original Xbox back in 2001 and has since carried on his partnership with Microsoft by collaborating with them to promote his ZOA energy drink brand. While this highlights Microsoft and its various IPs as a good place to start, it’s also important to look at The Rock and his filmography in order to narrow down the video game franchise he could be potentially bringing to the big screen.
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The Rock as Kratos from God of War
Far and away the most commonly discussed option has been The Rock starring as Kratos from the popular God of War series. From a purely physical perspective, it just makes sense. The Rock is one of the few actors on the planet who wouldn’t have to spend a day in the gym to get into shape to play Kratos. Plus, he’s got more than enough experience with fight choreography and weapons to make the project relatively effortless.
The biggest issue with The Rock starring in a God of War film is his aforementioned ties to Microsoft. While it’s totally plausible that fans are overestimating his past relationship with Xbox, The Rock is not the type to burn bridges once he’s made them, so Kratos may just be out of the question.
The Rock in Call of Duty
Again, The Rock starring in a Call of Duty movie is another no-brainer. It would also be the perfect way for Microsoft to cash in immediately on its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Now that the Call of Duty franchise is at the disposal of Microsoft, pairing one of its biggest titles with one of the biggest box office draws in the world seems like a fairly simple recipe for success.
During the initial buzz created by The Rock’s comments, the Call of Duty series has gone largely overlooked, perhaps because it doesn’t have an obvious role for The Rock to play. In actuality, the fact that Call of Duty is relatively open-ended in terms of plot and roles may make it the ideal choice for The Rock, who would have trouble truly disappearing into any of the series’ most iconic characters like Ghost, Soap, or Captain Price.
The Rock as Dominic Santiago in Gears of War
It’s no secret that Dave Bautista has been pushing for a Gears of War film adaptation for years. Since Bautista has already starred in Gears 5 as Marcus Fenix, it only makes sense that the perfect on-screen companion would be none other than The Rock as Dominic Santiago. While hope for a potential Gears of War movie has seemingly dissipated, The Rock signing on could be enough to get it pushed through.
While it certainly fits the bill of “badass,” Gears of War seems unlikely primarily because it is not as well known as other potential video game adaptations. Sure, a combination of Bautista and The Rock would likely be enough to buoy a Gears of War film to at least a middling level of success, but it’s not nearly as enticing as a Call of Duty or God of War film.
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