Joe Manganiello & Marley Shelton may join Dwayne Johnson for some Rampage

Oh boy, there’s a part of me that seriously can’t believe that this film is even getting made, but here we are! Okay, so today it’s been announced that TRUE BLOOD star Joe Manganiello and Marley Shelton are in talks to join Dwayne Johnson in the planned adaptation of RAMPAGE, an adventure film from New Line based upon the 1986 video game by Bally Midway.

Directing this strange and ambitious endeavor is Brad Peyton, whose previous work with Johnson involved the making of SAN ANDREAS and JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. New Line is staying pretty tight lipped about the plot details of RAMPAGE, but anyone who has pumped countless amounts of quarters into the arcade original (like me) can bet that it will have something to do with three monsters wreaking havoc on an unsuspecting cityscape. New Line lists the creatures to be featured in the film as a grotesquely transformed gorilla, crocodile, and wolf – which falls in line with the character lineup of the arcade game quite well.

It’s been said that Johnson will assume the role of an animal-loving hero-type, who will be the answer to humanity’s prayers during the crisis, while Naomie Harris will slip on the glasses of a geneticist with a conscience. Meanwhile, Manganiello will portray the leader of a private military group while Shelton will enter the fray as a scientist and astronaut.

Producing the movie along with Flynn are John Rickard, by way of his Wrigley Pictures banner, and Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson’s partner who is producing via Seven Bucks Productions. Peyton is also poised to produce via his ASAP Entertainment banner.

I must admit that there’s a large part of me that’s very curious about this one. The characters and roles listed here for our stars are all a little too human for me to believe that this movie doesn’t have something up its sleeve. In the game, it’s the scientists who are transformed into the beasts, so what exactly are we looking at here? Will we get any manner of transformative body-horror going on, or will the animals be born from lab experiments gone terribly wrong? I suppose we’ll just have to wait for more details until we find out. Either way, sign me up for this one!