Wrestling’s “The Rock” To Star in Charley Pride Biopic
Country Music Hall of Famer Charley Pride will be portrayed in a new biopic about his life by former pro wrestler turned actor/comedian Dwayne Johnson, aka “The Rock”. Though many outlets will love to portray that “The Rock” is “Going Country”, in truth he is just signing up to play a role in a movie (though current Saving Country Music/Las Vegas odds of The Rock parleying the role into a country music career are a very generous 3 to 1) .
The Rock was not the original actor tapped to play the role. Terrence Howard was originally slated to play the 73-year-old country singer, who started out as a baseball player before signing a recording contract with RCA in 1966. Terrence had to back out because of other film commitments. Pride told the Telegraph Journal that he was a little leery at first of The Rock pick, but warmed up to it after meeting him.
Terrence is no doubt a more in-depth actor academically, but Dwayne is such a force on screen. It startled me a little at first, but he flew down to Dallas and spent a day with me just sitting, talking recently. And when he left it was like parting with an old friend. We had such similar views on so many things.
Charley, a Mississippi native now lives in Dallas, and is a minority owner of baseball’s Texas Rangers. He has sold over 70 million records total over his career including singles and compilations. In 1967, he became the first black performer to appear at the Grand Ole Opry since harmonica player DeFord Bailey. His biggest hit was “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'” which earned him the CMA Entertainer of the Year award, and Top Male Vocalist award in 1971.
Leave your best wise cracks that incorporate “smell” and “Rock” and “cooking” below.
April 30, 2011 @ 1:08 am
Finally, the Rock has returned to the grand ol opry! The Rock is goinf to layeth the smacketh down on the fruit loop troop aka rascal flats. Tim Mcgraw do you like pancakes? Well why don’t you take those pancakes, roll them up real tight, turn them sons of bitches sideways and stick them strait up your candy ass! If you can smell, what the Rock, is cookin.
Now since my baby left me, ive found a new place to dwell, its down at the end of jabroni drive its, smackdown hotel.
shall i stop?
April 30, 2011 @ 6:32 am
Well done, sir. Well done. But maybe you should take that ACM shine it up REAL nice, turn it sideways and stick it straight up Kenny Chesneys candy ass!!!!!!!!!
April 30, 2011 @ 1:15 pm
20 Points!
April 30, 2011 @ 5:02 am
A strange pick to play Charlie Pride but for what its worth, The Rock actually is a big country music fan and is a decent singer and guitar player. I guess we’ll see how it turns out.
April 30, 2011 @ 6:44 am
I have no problem with the Rock as a wrestler or an actor but couldn’t they have at least tried to find someone a little more convincing to play the part?
I mean the Rock? I don’t every remember Charlie Pride being jacked up and chiseled. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.
I just can’t wait for the Porter Wagoner Biopic… starring Triple H.
Or maybe the Waylon Jennings story with Mick Foley (hmm? that actually may work.)
April 30, 2011 @ 9:26 am
i think Mick Foley would be better suited for Jeff Clayton
April 30, 2011 @ 7:38 pm
Fuck that, I say let Clayton play himself
April 30, 2011 @ 7:22 am
This was the first ever The Rock Concert…
http://youtu.be/wk2bDiXDezI
April 30, 2011 @ 8:29 am
My Grandad really enjoyed Charlie Pride’s music. I hope the rock does the movie justice.
April 30, 2011 @ 9:47 am
My honest opinion: with the right actor on board this is a potentially Oscar-winning role. Unfortunately, I have my doubts as to whether or not The Rock is the right actor.
I’ve enjoyed a few of his movies and I have no doubt that he has respect for Pride, but I just don’t see him pulling it off.
Then again, Eastwood had done nothing but action films and westerns when he was in “Honkytonk Man” and that’s one of my favorite movies. But The Rock is no Eastwood either.
We’ll see. I’m not totally against it yet.
April 30, 2011 @ 10:00 am
Its really not a big deal for him to lose the weight, I think he could easily look the part (he doesn’t have to look exactly like Pride, Pheonix’s resemblance to Cash was minimal at best) I think he’ll look along the lines of how he does in this video for the role: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRCvmap8G_8&feature=related Perhaps a bit smaller. He can act decently, (See Southland Tales) And if its a matter of his past acting jobs not really showing he’s right for the job, look at Jamie Foxx’s carrer before Ray, it was laughable at best, and he showed next to abililty to be a compelling force on screen, but he knocked it out of the park with ray, perhaps The Rock will do the same with Charley Pride….maybe.
April 30, 2011 @ 11:08 am
I have my doubts about the Rock playing this role, but if he can actually do it well, maybe this will push Charlie back into the spotlight.
April 30, 2011 @ 3:12 pm
I like the Rock, I think he’s been a bit typecast as a tough guy so hopefully he can show us what he’s cookin with this
April 30, 2011 @ 4:45 pm
The Rock is a great entertainer. I do think he will give the role everything he has and treat it with respect.
The better topic is that it is about DAMN time someone gave Charlie Pride some respect. In all the talk of who is country and who ain’t, at times we lose perspective on who was.
May 2, 2011 @ 10:15 am
The Rock as Charlie Pride? The Rock seems a little to bloated and rock hard to play Charlie. I love Charlie Pride but he didn’t win any body building contest in the 70’s.
May 3, 2011 @ 10:16 am
Some interesting news regarding The Rock and Osama bin Laden. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/did-the-rock-know-about-obls-death-before-the-president-did/
May 5, 2011 @ 4:48 am
The Rock as Charlie Pride is a stretch, although not anywhere near the stretch that was The Rock cast loosely in the role of Sheriff Buford Pusser (Walking Tall)…the mere mention of which can still earn you a fair ass-whipping in some of McNairy County, TN’s more out-of-the-way beer joints…
May 5, 2011 @ 9:16 am
If he can somehow pull this off, it would be impressive. So far, he’s done basically action movies and light comedy, I think. This one will require a little more in the way of gravitas (or something). Sure, Joaquin Phoenix, doesn’t look much Johnny Cash, but he had a reputation as a weighty actor. Intriguing.