When it was announced at the beginning of May 2026 that the rights to Joe Ballarini's short tale Ripped, which Seven Bucks and 12:01 Films will produce, had been acquired by 20th Century Studios in a preemptive move, there was excitement as the project came attached with Dwayne Johnson as producer. He is producing for Seven Bucks alongside Dany and Hiram Garcia. Among the producers is also Scott Glassgold of 12:01, who just confirmed that we are going to see The Rock star in the new 20th Century film as well.

In an appearance on The Town with Matt Belloni podcast, Glassgold revealed that there is a part in the film that is perfect for the actor, and fortunately, they were able to attach him to the project. Earlier, when The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed the movie was being developed by 20th Century Studios, Johnson was just attached as a producer. But now, Glassgold’s words have affirmed that his role goes beyond that in the film.

"We've got this, you know, amazing short story that we were lucky enough to attach to The Rock [Dwayne Johnson]. The part is perfect for him,” Glassgold told Belloni.

Shedding further light on the upcoming film, Glassgold dubbed it "Fight Club adjacent" and called it “really cool,” which further hypes up the project. Going further in The Town with Matt Belloni podcast, he talked about the effectiveness of short stories as movie pitches, where they are easily accessible and can be used to hook a huge movie star like Johnson himself, and then work together with the actor to curate a final script that works out best for everyone.

Ripped is the third project that Glassgold's company has sold and set up this year. Glassgold is a master in the short story-to-film genre. Top talent has been drawn to his projects, which include Lili Reinhart's Fake Wedding at Amazon MGM Studios and Brandon Sklenar's After Shock at Lionsgate.

Ripped is set to be the biggest of them all with Dwayne Johnson’s name attached to it as both producer and actor, and a plot that just fits The Rock.  

The storyline of Ripped fits The Rock like a glove

The plot of Ripped revolves around an anxious man who, ahead of his wedding, enrolls in a rigorous underground training facility run by a charismatic fitness teacher who inspires cult-like loyalty with the promise of top performance at all costs. This already seems like a story that is tailor-made for Dwayne Johnson, and this might allow him to go all out, as this is his forte.  

Joe Ballarini, the writer of the original short story, is set to adapt it into a script for the movie. Ballarini previously made a Netflix film based on his best-selling book A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting. The Bluff, an action film starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and produced by Russo Bros. via AGBO that Amazon MGM will release later this year, is the latest credit in the longtime writer and author's repertoire.

What are your expectations for the upcoming Dwayne Johnson starrer? Share your thoughts.

Written by

Harshit Kumar

Edited by

Itti Mahajan