Charley Pride: Dwayne Johnson Reveals He Nearly Played Late Country Music Star in Movie

Sad news hit the Internet today when it was announced that music legend Charley Pride passed away at age 86 due to complications from COVID-19. According to CNN, Pride had a vast career, having been featured on more than 50 Top 10 country songs. Pride was also the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and even played professional baseball in his younger years. Many people have taken to social media to mourn the loss of Pride, including Dwayne Johnson. The Rock shared that there was a time when he almost played Pride in a biopic, and considering all the singer did throughout his lifetime, fans are disappointed to learn that the movie never happened.

“Sad news. A lil’ insider Pride/Johnson intel. 10+ years ago I had the privilege of spending time with Charley in Texas as I was going to play him in a biopic movie. Never got it made, but still my honor. Kiss those angels good morning, brother and RIL 💫,” Johnson wrote. You can check out the tweet below:

Many people commented on the post: “Sorry it didn’t get made. He deserves to have his story told,” @MelissaJPeltier wrote. “I would have freaking loved that movie,” @LochNessTomster added. “I’ve seen your singing and guitar playing skills, you could have pulled this off,” @paulshaw81uk replied.

While Johson may not have gotten to play Pride, the actor does have many other projects in the works, including Disney’s Jungle Cruise alongside Emily Blunt. The movie was originally supposed to hit theatres this year but was postponed until next summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Johnson also has some non-Disney movies coming up, including Netflix’s Red Notice. He will also be making his DC debut in Black Adam, which is expected to begin production soon. It was revealed recently that Seven Bucks Productions will be rebooting The Scorpion King, which marked Johnson’s first starring role in Hollywood.

Would you have liked to have seen The Rock play Charley Pride? Tell us in the comments.

Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for CMA