Dwayne Johnson To Lead ‘The Janson Directive’, Based On Book By ‘Bourne’ Author
BecauseDwayne Johnsondoesn’t have enough action/adventure franchises already, he could find himself with yet another one on his hands. The actor has confirmed he’ll star inThe Janson Directive, based on the book byBourneauthorRobert Ludlum.Akiva Goldsmanis writing the script.
Hit the jump for more on the Dwayne JohnsonJanson Directivecasting.
Reports that Johnson could leadThe Janson Directivebegan circulating in July. Then this week, Johnson himself announced the casting on Twitter.
Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman will write the script. Let’s roll…#Ludlum#Conspiracy#JansonDirectivepic.twitter.com/B0tpHu3dL8
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock)June 26, 2025
Naturally, Universal Pictures is hoping this leads to a full-fledged franchise with Johnson at the center. It’ll be one of many. He currently has major roles in theFast & Furious,G.I. Joe, andJourney to the Center of the Earthseries.
On top of that, he has several more potentially brewing. He recentlybooked a lead rolein Warner Bros. / DC’sShazamadaptation, and his upcomingSan Andreashas beendescribedas a possible franchise-starter as well.
This summer’sHerculeswas also supposed to lead to a new film series, though as of now there’s no word on a sequel. Basically, everyone everywhere wants Dwayne Johnson to star in everything, at least as long as it involves toting a gun or flexing his biceps.
The Janson Directivewill feature Johnson as Paul Janson, a former Navy SEAL and legendary spy who leaves the U.S. government to start his own agency. However, he finds himself being hunted down by his own former bosses. To save himself, he must get to the bottom of a massive conspiracy.
That description sounds more than a littleBourne-esque, and it’s worth noting that theBournemovies are set up at Universal too. The studio hasn’t mentioned the possibility of a crossover, but given the current craze for “Marvel-style” cinematic universe it wouldn’t be so surprising if they tried to unite the threads eventually.
Goldsman is coming off of his directorial debutWinter’s Tale, which he also scripted based on the book by Mark Helprin. In 2002, Goldsman won an Oscar for scripting Ron Howard’sA Beautiful Mind.The Janson Directivedoes not yet have a director or release date.
