http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...ter17_ST_N.htm

Dwayne Johnson lifts a revolver as large as his paw of a hand and takes a bead down the basement hall of an abandoned hospital.

Johnson steadies the Ruger double-action revolver — known as a "bear stopper" because hunters often carry the gun to stop charging animals — and pulls the trigger. Though he's firing blanks, the thunder echoes through the halls, prompting film crewmembers to cover their ears, though many are wearing headphones.

He fires again. And again. When the gun is empty, he smiles broadly. "That," he says, "feels nice."

After a stint as a Disney leading man, Johnson is back in action. His next film, Faster, which will be unveiled at the ShoWest convention Thursday in Las Vegas, puts Johnson back in his wheelhouse. (The film is scheduled to open in November.) From his college days as a University of Miami tackle to his years as wrestling's "The Rock" to his early acting days, Johnson has made his name throwing his body into things.

And he gets to rough it up plenty in Faster, the story of an ex-con (Johnson) who is out to avenge his brother's murder. The film, directed by Notorious' George Tillman, also stars Billy Bob Thornton and Carla Gugino as cops working to stop Johnson from completing his deadly to-do list.

How do you know this isn't the Johnson of kid-friendly The Game Plan and Return to Witch Mountain? For starters, Johnson gets shot in the head.

"Isn't that great?" Johnson says with a certain relish. He is clearly at ease in the genre that began his career with films like The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King. "It's fun to come back after a few years," Johnson says. "I always consider acting like an education. You learn something on every movie. I feel like I'm coming to this as a different actor."

Even co-stars are glad to see Johnson back in the action saddle. "Some movies you do for money, some movies you do because they mean something to you personally," Thornton says. "And some movies, like this one, you do for fun. Who doesn't want to be chasing and shooting at The Rock?"

http://www.beyondhollywood.com/the-r...yek-and-grace/

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s vehicle action movie “Faster” has cast one female lead, and is in negotiations with a second one. Maggie Grace, the abducted daughter from “Taken” (she’s set to reprise the role in the sequel), has already signed on to star with Johnson, while Mexican spitfire Salma Hayek is currently dotting the “i’s” and crossing the “t’s” to do likewise. No word on what roles the two women will be playing. Also in the cast is Billy Bob Thornton, playing a cop who is trailing Johnson’s character, an ex-con and ex-wheelman looking to avenge his brother’s murder.