Dwayne Johnson Once Rejected Massive Role in $1B Grossing Film for Another That Made Over Four Times Less

Dwayne Johnson may be as successful an actor as he is a shrewd businessman, but he once made the mistake of turning down a movie role from a billion-dollar franchise. After carving out a legendary career in WWE, Johnson forayed into Hollywood. The Great One is currently known as one of the most successful actors in the world. However, Johnson once rejected a massive role in Transformers: Age of Extinction for another movie role that made three times lesser than the former. 

The Transformers franchise is the 14th-highest-grossing film series. With a net worth of $4.8 billion, the franchise has released several blockbuster films. The 2014 film, Transformers: Age of Extinction, grossed $1.104 billion with a budget of $210 million.

In 2013, the actor turned wrestler revealed that he was offered the role but it eventually went to Mark Wahlberg, after DJ turned it down. 

Dwayne Johnson lost millions after rejecting a role in Transformers: Age of Extinction

Dwayne Johnson was rumored to be cast in the Transformers franchise in 2013. A fan of Twitter asked Johnson on Twitter to spill the beans. The Red Notice actor responded to the fan stating that he was offered the role, but he rejected it for Hercules.

According to DJ, the filmmaker of the Transformers film series, Michael Bay, initially approached him with the offer.

Since Dwayne Johnson was already involved with Hercules, he had to pass on the opportunity. Ultimately, the sought-after role went to Mark Wahlberg. 

“Michael Bay offered me Transformers, but I was unavailable due to Hercules. Then Wahlberg was offered the role.” 

In hindsight, Dwayne Johnson could have made a lot more money with the Transformers: Age of Extinction than he did with Hercules. Bret Ratner’s Hercules did average at the box office, grossing $244M. Whereas, the Transformers film grossed four times more.

According to reports, Mark Wahlberg took home a whopping $17 million from Transformers. While Johnson may regret his decision, he still has continued success in Hollywood. 

The Rock is set to be cast in Fast and Furious 11

It’s no secret that Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel do not see eye-to-eye. However, they may have ironed out their differences for the final installment of the Fast and The Furious franchise. Dwayne Johnson was first featured in Fast 5 in 2011.

Johnson continued playing the role of Luke Hobbs in the film until Fast 8, The Fate of the Furious. Dwayne Johnson’s split from the franchise opened doors for John Cena in the ninth installment. 

Even though Vin Diesel publicly requested Johnson to return to the franchise, the latter refused. In 2019, Johnson played the lead role in the spinoff, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.

According to multiple reports, Dwayne Johnson is looking to make his anticipated return in the final installment of the Fast and the Furious film series. The film is likely to be released in 2025.

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