This week, the biographical
sitcom series “Young Rock” will premiere on NBC. This show, created by Nahnatchka
Khan and former WWE superstar Dwayne Johnson will look both on the latter’s
childhood to young adulthood, growing up to eventually become pro-wrestling
icon The Rock, as well as his hypothetical near-future, running for President
of the US. Johnson, who plays himself as an adult, is joined by three young actors
portraying different ages of his life, plus members of his illustrious
wrestling family from Samoa and several key pro superstars. It is in the last
category that two new castings were announced.
The Wrap reports that as of this past weekend, NBC has added
actor-comedian Adam Ray and actor-producer Kevin Makely to the cast of “Young
Rock,” and they will be portraying some major figures in the pro-wrestling
industry. Makely, who was in 2019’s “Badland” by director Justin Lee, will
portray “Macho Man” Randy Savage while Ray, who has been in 2013’s “RED 2” and some
voice-acting stints (Slimer in the 2016 “Ghostbusters” reboot and Swift Wind in
Netflix’s “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”) gets a plum role as Vince
McMahon, owner of pro-wresting promotion the WWF (later renamed the WWE).
You did a great job portraying @VinceMcMahon circa 1982 (the year I first shook Vince’s hand when I was 10yrs old)
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 13, 2021
Ambition, drive, strategist, trailblazer, guts and a wicked sense of humor.
Thanks for the trust Adam, you were perfect. #YoungRock premieres THIS TUESDAY on @NBC https://t.co/xNavySBjs7
Johnson announced the casting of
Ray on his official Twitter page, bringing up the actor’s own tweet about his
role, including photos of him on the “Young Rock” set all in character. It must
be noted that he is portraying McMahon in the early 1980s, when Johnson’s first
interaction with him was shaking his hand. At the time, McMahon was on the
verge of taking control of the WWF from his father, a move described in the
sitcom’s character blurbs as driven by ambition. Yet Vince was also known to be
a friend of Johnson’s grandmother, wresting promoter Lia Maivia.
Makely himself tooted his casting
as mister “Oh Yeah!” Randy Savage, with a photo on Instagram, all kitted out as
the muscular Tower of Power. He and Adam Ray are part of the wrestling/WWF cast
for the show, alongside Matthew Willig as Andre the Giant, Nate Jackson as
Junkyard Dog and Brett Azar as the Iron Sheik. They will take quite the
prominent spot in the 11 planned episodes of “Young Rock,” with Dwayne Johnson
sharing his title role with Adrian Groulx, Bradley Constant and Uli Latukefu.
The series premieres Tuesday, February 16 on NBC.
Image courtesy of Bleeding Cool
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