Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is often criticized for always playing basically the same character – the stoic, fearless, eyebrow-raising action hero who never loses a fight or exhibits any flaws – but two of his upcoming movies are finally going to change that. A few years ago, The Rock seemed unstoppable. He was practically a one-man franchise, pumping out two or three hit movies a year like Marvel Studios. But in the past couple of years, the wrestler-turned-actor has had to do some damage control, because his movies haven’t been doing so well.

Red Notice and Jungle Cruise were panned by critics and underperformed. Black Adam disappointed at the box office and failed to upend the power hierarchy of the DC universe. It started to look like audiences were getting fed up with The Rock’s never-changing on-screen persona, and he needed to do something drastically different to renew their interest. With two of his upcoming movies, Johnson seems to be answering those complaints and stepping outside his comfort zone to try something new – and it could give his career the second wind it desperately needs.

Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine Is His Most Unique Role In Years

The Rock is starring in an A24 movie

Johnson is currently hard at work on a biopic of wrestler and mixed martial artist Mark Kerr, titled The Smashing Machine. Johnson will play Kerr alongside Emily Blunt as his wife, Dawn Staples. The Smashing Machine is an artsy A24 production. A few years ago, when Johnson was raking in billions at the box office, it seemed impossible that he would end up in an A24 movie. But a thoughtful A24 drama is just the shake-up that Johnson’s career needs right now. His big-budget blockbusters aren’t doing so well anymore, so he’s pivoting to the complete opposite side of filmmaking.

There’s no official release date for The Smashing Machine yet, but it’s expected to hit theaters sometime in 2025. It’s being written and directed by Benny Safdie, best known as the co-creator of The Curse and one half of the Safdie brothers, who made Good Time and Uncut Gems together. With Safdie in the director’s chair and Academy favorite Blunt at his side, The Smashing Machine will be Johnson’s best chance yet at scoring an Oscar nomination, or even being considered for one.

Moana Live-Action Is Also A Unique Movie For The Rock (For Different Reasons)

Maui has a lot more depth than a typical The Rock character

The Smashing Machine isn’t the only wildly different project that Johnson has on the docket. He’s also slated to star in the live-action remake of Moana (a movie that came out less than a decade ago). Auliʻi Cravalho won’t be reprising her role as Moana – someone else will be brought in to play the title role – but Johnson is reprising his role as Maui. Disney is set to release the Moana remake on July 10, 2026, and it could be another chance for Johnson to try something different and show off his unseen range.

On the surface, Maui is just another The Rock character: big, brash, heroic, and charming. But Maui’s characterization goes a little deeper than the average Johnson action hero. He’s an overconfident tough guy who’s really quite insecure and sweet at heart. The movie frequently pokes fun at Maui because of that, so it’ll be interesting to see Johnson play those emotions in live-action. How can the filmmakers make an action star that imposing look truly silly and funny?

Dwayne Johnson Hasn’t Stopped Playing Action Heroes

Johnson still has plenty of big-budget action movies on the docket

Although he’s stepping outside his comfort zone with The Smashing Machine and the live-action remake of Moana, Johnson isn’t abandoning the action genre entirely. He still has plenty of action movies on his schedule where he’ll be playing his usual action-hero archetype. He’s got Red One, which is set to be released later this year on November 15. He plays the North Pole’s head of security who teams up with a bounty hunter, played by Chris Evans, to find and rescue a kidnapped Santa Claus.

And on top of that, Johnson is back in the Fast & Furious franchise. He made a cameo as his character Luke Hobbs in Fast X to set up another spin-off movie. Fast X seems to have set up a team-up with Jason Momoa’s new villain, Dante Reyes, so the next Hobbs film could see him reluctantly joining forces with a new partner. After being absent from the franchise for a little while, Johnson’s Fast & Furious future looks bright. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could have a much-needed career renaissance on the horizon.