Darren Aronofsky in Talks to Direct Dwayne Johnson for A24’s Breakthrough

Dwayne Johnson is collaborating with director Darren Aronofsky and studio A24 on the upcoming psychological thriller Breakthrough, marking a notable shift in Johnson's career towards more complex, supporting roles. The film, written by Zeke Goodman, is set in early-2000s Southern California and follows an alienated young man influenced by a manipulative self-help guru, a role Johnson will play. This project reunites Aronofsky with A24 following their work on The Whale and adds to Johnson's recent collaborations with auteur directors like Benny Safdie and Martin Scorsese. Breakthrough is produced by Stacey Sher's Shiny Penny Productions alongside Johnson and Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions, with executive producers from Lighthouse Management and Media. Johnson is also starring in A24’s The Smashing Machine and a Hawaii-set mob epic directed by Scorsese. Aronofsky, meanwhile, continues to be active with upcoming films including Caught Stealing and a Netflix adaptation of Cujo.