Coming to cinemas in just a couple of weeks is the latest Dwayne Johnson movie Skyscraper and it’s sure to make more than a ton of money at the worldwide box-office. The film is the brain child of Rawson Marshall Thurber, who previously directed Johnson in Central Intelligence opposite Kevin Hart.
Thurber, who wrote and directs Skyscraper, recently took part in a Reddit AMA and revealed his key influences for the movie which is set in the world’s tallest building. It seems that one of the greatest action movies of all time was a key influence for his latest epic.
“Die Hard is one of my all time favorite films,” Thurber said on the forum. “It’s on the Mt. Rushmore of action pictures. Skyscraper is a love letter to Die Hard and films like it. I grew up on late 80s and early 90s action. So, Skyscraper owes a debt not only to Die Hard, but the Fugitive Cliffhanger and Towering Inferno. I hope the film feels like a throwback in a great way.”
The film also seemingly made it to the screen in break-neck time. Thurber added: “The process for Skyscraper was very fast. We went from pitch to principal photography in 10 months and a little under 2 years from beginning to release. An average movie takes about 5 years to get made. So this one was quick!”
It sounds like it could be Johnson’s best performance to date too. Early test screenings had audiences going wild for his turn. “One thing we heard over and over from early audiences was that this was the best performance of Dwayne Johnson’s career. That makes me particularly proud as the writer-director of the film, but even more so for Dwayne, because I know how hard he worked on this role, and how much he gave it. It’s his most vulnerable performance and most challenging role to date.”
Skyscraper opens in cinemas on 12th July in the UK with Stateside cinemas getting the film a day later. Once the promo trail is done, Thurber will re-team with Johnson for actioner Red Notice, a film he also wrote and will direct.
We’ll have more coverage of Skyscraper as the release date draws nearer.
