Dwayne Johnson has spent nearly three decades transforming himself from a WWE ring icon into one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men, headlining box office hits across the action, comedy, and family genres. That reinvention continues this month, as Johnson reprises his role as the demigod Maui in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Moana, putting his face back on multiplex marquees nationwide. Yet even with a new blockbuster in theaters, one of Johnson’s most closely guarded ambitions has nothing to do with a camera, a soundstage, or an opening weekend box office tally. For years, the actor has quietly pursued a passion project that would pull him away from film sets entirely.
“I’ve been working on my Broadway debut,” Johnson told People, confirming a long-gestating side project that has stayed largely under wraps for nearly three years. Johnson explained that he partnered with veteran theater producer Jeffrey Seller on a revival of The Odd Couple, with plans for the production to star both him and Kevin Hart. According to Johnson, the show has yet to move forward because of Hart’s packed schedule. “We should’ve been great. Kevin is my best friend. I love him to death, and the truth is, he’s so booked for the next three to five years. That’s his schedule; that’s a reality. I totally get it. And I love it, and I respect him for that. We do Jumanji, which we’ll promote at the end of the year, but I’m not letting that dream go.”
The Odd Couple has been one of American theater’s most durable comedic templates since playwright Neil Simon introduced it on Broadway in 1965. The premise pairs two mismatched roommates, the high-strung Felix Ungar and the easygoing Oscar Madison, and mines their opposing temperaments for conflict. The property has been reinvented for nearly every medium since its debut, including a 1968 film adaptation starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and a 1970s television series led by Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. A Broadway casting built around Johnson and Hart would extend that tradition by pairing performers whose contrasting screen personas could amplify the material. Plus, the physical mismatch between Johnson’s towering frame and Hart’s compact stature would fit perfectly with Felix and Oscar’s dynamic.
Johnson and Hart have already spent a decade proving that dynamic works, dating back to their first pairing in the 2016 action comedy Central Intelligence. The duo also went on to headline Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and its sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level, films that leaned directly on the friction between Johnson’s fearless bravado and Hart’s anxious dialogue. They later reunited as voice co-stars in the animated feature DC League of Super-Pets. Across each of those projects, critics and audiences consistently singled out the pair’s chemistry, and with the third Jumanji hitting theaters later this year, it’s clear Johnson and Hart enjoy working together. A Broadway endeavor, then, doesn’t sound that far-fetched.
Johnson made clear that he has not abandoned his Broadway ambitions even without a confirmed timeline for The Odd Couple. “We’ll see, but maybe it’s The Odd Couple with Jeffrey. I don’t know, maybe it’s a musical, and I could run around singing in keys that don’t exist. I might do a little dance. I might snatch my waist a little bit. We’ll see.”
Moana is now playing in theaters, while Johnson and Hart are set to reunite on screen in Jumanji: Open World, premiering in theaters this Christmas.
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