Dwayne Johnson wants a Broadway debut, and he says he nearly had one alongside his longtime friend and frequent co-star Kevin Hart. Speaking with People, the actor revealed that the pair spent years developing a stage production of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” a project that stalled once Hart’s film and comedy commitments made scheduling impossible.
“For the past two and a half to three years, we have been working on my Broadway debut,” Johnson said, adding that he was disclosing the plan partly because “it’s tequila talking.” He described the collapsed collaboration with evident disappointment, calling Hart his best friend while acknowledging that a packed slate booked three to five years out left no room for the show to happen. The two had lined up “Hamilton” producer Jeffrey Seller for the project before the timeline fell apart.
Johnson has not abandoned the ambition. He told People he remains in talks with Seller and with Thomas Kail, the Tony-winning director behind “Hamilton” and “In the Heights” who also directed Johnson in Disney’s live-action “Moana.” Whether that future project takes shape as a straight play or a musical remains unsettled, and Johnson joked about the prospect of singing and dancing onstage in an unfamiliar genre for him.
The revelation surfaced during a publicity run for “Moana,” which opened over the weekend to a muted domestic box office performance despite an A-minus CinemaScore from opening-weekend audiences. Johnson reprised his role as the demigod Maui in the remake, working again with Kail in a film capacity even as their stage ambitions remain unrealized.
Johnson and Hart’s screen partnership dates to 2016’s “Central Intelligence” and continued through two “Jumanji” sequels. The duo will reunite once more this year in “Jumanji: Open World,” the third film in their action-comedy franchise, set for a Christmas Day theatrical release. Johnson indicated that the two will promote that film together later in 2026, even as their theater plans sit in limbo.
“The Odd Couple,” which premiered on Broadway in 1965 starring Walter Matthau and Art Carney, has been revived and adapted repeatedly across stage, film and television since its debut, most recently drawing renewed attention as a possible vehicle for two of Hollywood’s biggest comedic stars.
