Rosario Dawson and Randall Park cast in ‘Young Rock’

Everyone has an interesting life story, but Dwayne Johnson’s history, which includes being born into a famous wrestling family, finding himself homeless at a young age, becoming a professional football player, then a professional wrestler, then the most highly paid actor in the world is, well, not your average success story. That’s why Johnson’s life is getting the sitcom treatment in the upcoming comedy Young Rock, which has just added Rosario Dawson and Randall Park to its already impressive cast.

The new sitcom, which is set to premiere on February 16, will follow the Rock before he was the Rock, but of course after he had a mustache. So, it spans most of his life. Following in the footsteps of Chris Rock’s semi-autobiographical Everybody Hates Chris, Johnson will act as the narrator for the series. He will also live out his (and our) dreams of running for president by appearing in episodes set in the future. In 2032, the fictional Johnson is now running for POTUS, actor Randall Park has pivoted to a career in journalism and Rosario Dawson is saving the Empire. Kidding, she’ll play General Monica Jackson.

EW shared a first look at Park and Dawson’s upcoming appearance in Young Rock and included a description for Dawson’s Jackson, who is "a resilient leader, confident and steadfast in her decisions. Representative of her decorated years of service, General Jackson is an unrivaled force whose respected ethics and values are introduced as a very integral key to Dwayne Johnson's presidential campaign." Dawson has been dating Senator Cory Booker since 2019 and is no stranger to campaign trails, so this role should fit nicely.

Park, who was supposed to play a fictional journalist, suggested he play an ‘absurd’ version himself in the future. Park pitched the idea of portraying himself to director Nahnatchka Khan, who liked the twist. “I just thought it would be funny and weird to portray me having made the pivot from acting to news reporting, especially in contrast to Dwayne making the move from acting to running for president of the United States,” Park told EW, adding that his character will follow Johnson on his campaign trail and interview the presidential hopeful as a way for voters to better get to know the candidate. “I guess this is also a good way for me to keep my options open for the future,” joked Park. “I now have a news reporting reel if I ever decide to go that route!"

Young Rock will reunite Park with Khan, who directed the 2019 romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe, which Park wrote with costarred in with close friend Ali Wong. Park and Khan’s history goes back much further and the pair worked together for six seasons on Fresh off the Boat, another semi-autobiographical sitcom centered around the upbringing of celebrity chef Eddie Huang.

The show will jump between timelines, with three actors playing a younger version of the WWE star-turned-actor at ages 10 (Adrian Groulx), 15 (Bradley Constant) and 20 (Uli Latukefu). Joseph Lee Anderson will play Johnson’s late father and wrestling legend, Rocky Johnson, while the women in Johnson’s life will be played by Stacey Leilua, who will star as Johson’s mother Ata Johnson, and Ana Tuisila as his grandmother Lia Maivia.

The project was announced in January 2020 and Johnson shared the first trailer earlier this month. “I really wish my dad was around to see this one. Maaaaan he would’ve been proud,” wrote Johnson, whose father passed away almost one year to the date of Johnson sharing the trailer. “I can’t wait to make you and your families laugh a little and share some life lessons I’ve learned along the way.”

BEFORE YOU GO: How to adapt and thrive during change in your life

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