Cable television network TNT has announced that WWE superstar and Hollywood heavyweight Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has signed onto star in a new “action-packed competition series that will set out to find the next great hero” – coming Summer 2013.
Here is the official announcement from the TNT Newsroom:
High-Impact Series Showcasing Ordinary People in Extraordinary Situations, With Viewers Casting Votes for the Ultimate Hero
The Hero to Utilize Social Media Like Never Before in a Competition Series
TNT has given the greenlight to The Hero (working title), a new reality-competition series that will set out to find the next great hero. TNT has ordered eight episodes of the series from Ben Silverman‘s multimedia entertainment studio Electus and its 5×5 Media exclusive producers. The Hero will be headlined by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who will executive-produce with his producing partner, Dany Garcia. The series is set to premiere on TNT in summer 2013.
The Hero will bring 10 ordinary people together in a house and then assign them various missions that will test their brains, their brawn and even their morality. The show will challenge the competitors to prove they’ve got what it takes to be heroes, pushing them to the limits to see what they are willing (and able) to overcome, undergo or sacrifice for the sake of their fellow contestants. Johnson will serve as The Hero‘s mentor and motivator, encouraging the contestants to reach far beyond their personal limits. In the end, one player will rise above the others, overcoming obstacles he/she never thought possible in order to become a true hero.
In a unique twist on the reality-competition format, The Hero will incorporate social media into every facet of the show, from pre-production and casting to on-location shooting and live broadcasts. Through the show’s interactive digital platform, viewers will be able to vote each week for the contestant they consider to be the most heroic. The series will also leverage the power of Johnson’s enormous social-media following, which includes more than 10 million fans through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
“Dany and I couldn’t be more excited to enter into our first official foray in TV production,” said Dwayne Johnson. “The Hero speaks to everything I believe in when it comes to challenging ourselves, to becoming better people every day and to making the right choices while growing from the wrong ones. Bridging the digital and physical world on the small screen in a way that’s never been done before will enable fans to use social media and on-screen decision making to determine the fate of the show’s contestants, and our goal is to make each TV moment impactful and exciting.”
“The Hero is a great fit for TNT’s drama fans, whether they enjoy stories with a lot of action, suspense and danger, or stories that offer inspiration through the heroic actions of everyday people,” said Michael Wright, President, Head of Programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “We’re also very excited about the extensive social-media aspect of The Hero, which will engage viewers on an entirely new level and develop a strong emotional investment in the competitors and challenges.”
“The Rock is the embodiment of The Hero and an inspirational superstar with an unwavering moral compass,” said Ben Silverman, Founder and Chairman of Electus. “The Hero will deliver on his brand as an incredible action-filled series that test the limits of real people in extraordinary circumstances while also activating the Rock and Turner’s audience with seamless digital and social media tie-ins. TNT is the ideal platform partner, with incredible characters and heroes from the worlds of fiction and sports, as well as a unique capacity to deliver an enthusiastic audience of drama fans.”
Johnson has become a worldwide entertainment brand with a multi-hyphenate global reach as a successful actor, sports entertainer, social media maven, film and now, television producer. Johnson’s upcoming film credits include G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Pain & Gain, Empire State and The Fast and The Furious 6, with past credits including Journey 2: Mysterious Island, Fast Five, The Other Guys, The Game Plan, Gridiron Gang, Walking Tall and The Rundown. Johnson’s television credits include guest appearances on Family Guy and Saturday Night Live, plus regular appearances on WWE Monday Night Raw. Johnson is represented by WME Entertainment.
As a celebrity influencer, Johnson has established unparalleled social-media engagement with more than 10 million fans worldwide to date across the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube platforms. He holds an unprecedented 38% re-tweet rate and has a consistently expanding fan base that averages more than 8,000 new followers/fans per day on both Twitter and Facebook. At last year’s 5th Annual Mashable Awards, Johnson won as a “Must-Follow Actor or Actress on Social Media.” Additionally, over the past month alone, Johnson’s Facebook posts have received more than a quarter million “likes,” reaching upwards of 5 million fans with a single photo and message.
The Hero was created by Craig Armstrong and Rick Ringbakk of the Emmy®-winning 5×5 Media (Survivor, Fashion Star, TBS’s upcoming King of the Nerds), along with Charles Wachter (Fashion Star, Food Revolution) and Electus’ Ben Silverman (Fashion Star, The Biggest Loser, The Office). The series is executive-produced by Electus (Ben Silverman, Chris Grant and Jimmy Fox); 5×5 Media (part of the Electus studio system led by Craig Armstrong and Rick Ringbakk); Charles Wachter; Dwayne Johnson; and Dany Garcia. Electus International, Electus’ global distribution arm, will retain all international distribution rights.
