Dwayne Johnson and Con Air Director team up for action thriller

Dwayne Johnson has signed on to star in the action thriller Protection, IM Global announced today. Protection will be directed by Simon West (Con Air, Laura Croft: Tomb Raider, Strangers), who is currently completing post work on The Mechanic remake with Jason Statham. Protection is scheduled to shoot in New Mexico this fall, from a screenplay by Brandon Noonan.

Johnson will star as Hombre in the high-octane tale of a mercenary Mexico City security operative forced to smuggle the daughter of an under-threat, high ranking judge and the judge’s chief legal counsel across the border while being pursued by corrupt cops, drug lords and white collar U.S. criminal forces. With Protection, Johnson continues the return to his action roots, having just completed filming CBS Films’ Faster, which is scheduled for release this November.

IM Global Founder and CEO Stuart Ford said, “Dwayne is poised to consolidate his position as one of the planet’s top action stars over the next few years. Meanwhile Simon is a proven commodity when it comes to studio level action pics. Add to that a pulsating storyline which is very much grounded in current events and I think we have a potential smash hit movie”.