The Rock To Star In New Family Film Teddy Bear

Dwayne Johnson is set to star in New Line’s children’s film Teddy Bear, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Beau Flynn is set to produce.

New Line bought the project based on an illustration from Alex Panagopoulos, a Greek software engineer turned fantasy artist. It features a little girl asleep in bed while a small brown teddy bear with a wooden sword and shield fighting off an enormous, fanged monster. The caption reads: “Teddy Bears: Protecting innocent children from monsters under the bed since 1902.” The teddy bear was invented in 1902 by Morris Michtom, who was inspired by a political cartoon featuring President Theodore Roosevelt and a bear he refused to shoot.

Hiram Garcia, a former assistant to Johnson, found the illustration and brought it to Flynn’s FlynnPictureCo and New Line. Flynn and Johnson previously made Journey 2: The Mysterious Island together. Garcia was an associated producer. The film made nearly $328 million worldwide.

Johnson, Flynn and Garcia will produce while Michael Disco and Sam Brown will oversee for New Line; Adam Yoelin is handling things for FlynnPictureCo.

No writer is attached and the story is being kept secret, but New Line is hoping for a huge franchise, especially after the success of Universal’s $500 million hit Ted, although this will have a much different tone.

Johnson, meanwhile, is going to have a big 2013. His next film is Snitch from Summit, followed by G.I Joe: Retaliation, Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain and The Fast and the Furious 6.

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