The Rock has confirmed that Game of Thrones actress Lena Headey is to star in his new feature film about a Norwich wrestling family.
%image(14786460, type="article-full", alt="The whole Knight Family, L-R: Roy wrestling as The Zebra Kid, Zak wrestling as Zak Zodiak, Rowdy Ricky Knight, Julia wrestling as Sweet Saraya and Saraya-Jade wrestling as Britani Knight")
The American wrestling and movie star, real name Dwayne Johnson, announced this week that he is making a film called Fighting With My Family which will portray the story of Norwich-born WWE star Paige and her family.
Paige, real name Saraya-Jade Bevis, started wrestling at 13 years old and was named the NXT Women's Champion and WWE Divas Champion in 2014, becoming the only person to hold the titles concurrently.
Thrones actress Headey will play the role of Julia Hamer-Bevis, Paige's mother, and will appear alongside Shaun of the Dead star Nick Frost, who will play Paige's dad Ricky Knight.
%image(14801780, type="article-full", alt="WWE star Paige. WWE star Paige. Picture John Giamundo/2015 WWE, Inc")
When making the casting announcement, The Rock said: 'Ricky and Julia have that hard core DNA - they do what they have got to do to get the job done.
'And in the end it always comes down to taking care of your family at all costs. It is very cool to see so many brilliant actors respond to our script.'
Other confirmed names for the movie include Florence Pugh, who will play Paige, and Jack Lowden, who will play Paige's brother Zak Bevis.
The Rock first became aware of Paige, whose father owns World Association of Wrestling in the city, when he saw a documentary about her family in 2012 whilst filming in London.
%image(14801781, type="article-full", alt="Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Picture Yui Mok/PA Wire")
He said: 'The family element I saw in the documentary is what grabbed my attention. That no matter how crazy life gets, no matter how dysfunctional our families can sometimes be and especially regardless of how much we fight - we're always there for each other when it counts. That's what families do.'
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WWE Studios and Film 4 are helping the bring the story to life and the film will be directed by The Office star Stephen Merchant.
%image(14801782, type="article-full", alt="Nick Frost arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Huntsman: Winter's War" (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)")
The Rock gained world-wide fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) which became the WWE before launching a movie career which has included hits like The Scorpion King, Hercules, San Andreas.
He added: 'Paige and I both know what it's like to come from a wrestling family that has had good and hard times. Her and I have talked about this project for years now and we're all excited to bring her and her family's story to life.'
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