November 3, 2015

By Josh Lyons

Generating even more heat on a spec that’s already turning heads in Hollywood, sources close to the Tracking Board have confirmed that Dwayne Johnson is attached to star in Matt Portenoy’s UNTITLED LARRY HILLBLOM PROJECT. The script has not been set up yet, but given the overwhelmingly positive responses across town, we’re hearing that it will likely find a home soon.

The script tells the strange-yet-true story of the battle over the estate of Larry Lee Hillblom, billionaire founder of DHL, the worldwide express delivery service.

Hillblom led an interesting life after finding financial success, moving to Southeast Asia and investing in several more businesses–which occasionally required him to circumvent US laws. In 1995, Hillblom was flying from Pagan Island to Saipan in a small seaplane, when the plane crashed. The bodies of the pilot and another passenger were found, but Hillblom’s body was never recovered. In the wake of his death, multiple law suits were filed from children Hillblom had supposedly fathered throughout the Pacific, triggering a storm of controversy and bizarre legal battles.

Johnson’s reputation precedes him, as one of the world’s most bankable actors. San Andreas, which Johnson anchored, was one of the summer’s most successful blockbusters. He’s currently in pre-production with the feature adaptation of Baywatch, on which he’s also serving as a producer, and will return for the eighth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise in 2017.

Portenoy was a writer on the 2013 comedy Movie 43, and his script The President Stole My Girlfriend is currently in development with Russell Brand at Warner Bros.

Johnson is repped by WME.
Portenoy is repped by Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and attorney Rob Szymanski.