Screenwriter believes Rock can conquer as Kamehameha

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

Hours after he arrived in Honolulu last week, screenwriter Greg Poirier, a Maui native who has been a Hollywood player for two decades, journeyed to the Royal Mausoleum in Nu'uanu to do research on Kamehameha I, and to pay homage to the ali'i.

Hollywood screenwriter Greg Poirier is doing research on King Kamehameha I for a film that will star The Rock. Poirier is a former resident of Maui who attended Baldwin High School. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

The Rock, the wrestler-turned-movie-star known in his early years here as Dwayne Johnson, has agreed to portray Kamehameha, and Poirier has a deal to script the film for Sony-owned Columbia Pictures. A budget, a director and a timetable are yet to be determined, but with The Rock aboard, Poirier assumes the untitled film will be a major studio release.

"It's a dream come true," said Poirier, who originally did a treatment in 1994 for this biopic. "I've been waiting for a chance to do it — and The Rock can make this movie happen."

As a megastar with World Wrestling Entertainment and a box office powerhouse thanks to "The Scorpion King," The Rock, who announced his commitment to the movie before his June 15 match in Honolulu, is by all accounts elated about the prospects of portraying the warrior king.

"I think this will be his 'Braveheart,' if we do it right," said Poirier.

"Braveheart" with a difference, because this hero is Polynesian.

"You couldn't do a story on Kamehameha with a Mel Gibson or a Kevin Costner," Poirier notes. "My outline for a movie could never get going, because there was never anyone to play the part."

Till now.

Poirier said producer Jon Shestack invited him to lunch recently to discuss the script, telling him this: "I have two words for you: The Rock."

"That was it. We pitched the movie to him. He was familiar with the Kamehameha story, having grown up in Hawai'i, and it's a piece of history that's got to be told."

So Poirier hastily arranged a trip here to huddle with historians in the Hawaiian community, realizing that there are sensitivities in doing a story about a Hawaiian. And, in this case, a revered king.

"I talked with Bill Mauohe at the Royal Mausoleum, and I intend to treat the story of the king with respect," Poirier said. "Obviously, with a movie, there will be certain poetic license taken here and there, but I am fully aware of the sensitivity. And that's why I'm here. To get it right.

"I know I can't make 100 percent of the people happy, but both The Rock and I realize that no matter what we do, we know that this is a story that has to be approached with a certain amount of reverence. That's the danger of doing this film."

The film will track Kamehameha's life, "and the focus will be on how he pulled Hawai'i together when he realized how big the outside world was. He was not out for personal glory; he was always out to preserve Hawai'i. He knew he couldn't have a Hawai'i that was fighting amongst itself; he knew he had to build up his nation. He was a man of great vision; he assimilated weapons, taking the white man's techniques, and innovated them. Anytime you have a character that's passionate and strong, you have a cinematic story. There also is a fantastic love story, almost unrivaled, between him and (Queen) Ka'ahumanu."

Among Poirier's screenwriting credits is "Rosewood," a real-life story about the African American town of Sumner, Fla., which was burned to the ground in 1923 as a result of mob violence fueled by a lie amid racial tensions. "That was a piece of history that had to be shared," he said of the movie directed by John Singleton, released in 1997, starring Jon Voight and Ving Rhames. "So is this."

He hopes to finish his Kamehameha screenplay in the next few months so the studio can launch a search for a director and cast the rest of the film. Poirier assumes that a large part, if not all, of the movie will be made in Hawai'i.

"I hope we start rolling in January," said Poirier. "The Rock has another film to complete this year, so won't be available till early next year."