Dwayne Johnson's Latest Career Update Is 'Personal'

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is working on a new project and this one "is personal," according to the actor and pro wrestler.

On Wednesday, the 52-year-old announced that he would be co-authoring a "gripping" new book alongside Nick Bilton chronicling "the rise of 'The Company,' a fierce and defiant Hawaiian syndicate that battled outsider gangs and corporate invaders for two decades in the 1960s and 70s," according to a press release shared with Parade.

The April 2 announcement also revealed that the new book would serve as the inspiration for a forthcoming Martin Scorsese-directed film, which is set to star Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt. The screenplay will be written by Bilton.

The new novel references "tens of thousands of pages of court transcripts and federal investigation files never before seen by the public" to tell the story of "Hawaii's most notorious crime syndicate, led by Wilford 'Nappy' Pulawa — the first and only Hawaiian mob boss in history," according to an official description, which also offered a bit of backstory on the subject.

Pulawa "emerged from crushing poverty, watched as his people's land, culture, and heritage were systematically taken and exploited by outsiders, from American corporations to powerful Asian crime syndicates" and later built "an unprecedented criminal empire" in an effort to "reclaim control and preserve his Hawaiian identity," per the release.

"Known for his signature aloha shirts and fresh orchid leis, he resorted to unmatched levels of violence because the stakes were personal: his people's very survival. Ultimately, Pulawa ascended to power rivaling mainland crime legends like Luciano, Capone, and Gotti — until it all dramatically unraveled," it concluded.

Johnson's close ties to his Polynesian culture and spending his formative years living in Hawaii make this project "deeply personal."

"I’m honored to co-write this book and tell this story alongside Nick, with the incredible support of our partners at Crown. This isn’t just a gangster story — it’s about power, identity, and what was taken from the Hawaiian people," Johnson said in a statement. “What drew me to this project wasn’t just the action and the intensity — for me, this story hits close to home. It’s not just history, it’s personal. My own family lived through parts of this era, and I’ve seen firsthand the complicated legacy it left behind. Telling this story is a way to honor our Polynesian culture, and honor where we come from and share the untold history of what really happened in paradise."

A title and publication date have yet be released.