There are only a few actors in Hollywood that could effectively portray the mythological hero Hercules, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is definitely one of them.

The former pro-wrestler turned actor appeared at CinemaCon Tuesday for the promotion of his upcoming action flick, Hercules. Johnson screened the newly-released trailer for select members of the press on Monday during a brunch hosted by Paramount Pictures, in which he also entertained questions from the participants.

The highly-anticipated film adaptation of the Ancient Greek legend has taken 10 years to conceptualize and put together. However, it was with the arrival of Rush Hour director Brett Ratner that the project started to come into focus. The film features English actor Ian McShane, who also narrated the trailer, theater actor Reece Ritchie as Hercules’ nephew Iolaus, and Russian model Irina Shayk as Hercules’ love interest Megara.

Apart from playing the title role, Johnson also plays the role of Greek thunder god Zeus as well as Trojan hero Achilles.

The film is based on the graphic novel entitled Hercules: The Thracian Wars, in which the plot revolves around the events following Hercules’ twelve labors. According to the movie’s official synopsis, Hercules turns into a mercenary due to being “haunted by a sin from his past”. Hercules serves as a hireling of sorts and sells his services for gold along with five other companions, but returns to being “the hero he once was” toward the end of the story.

Johnson went through eight months intensive training and bodybuilding to prepare himself for this role. The hulking 6-foot-5 actor revealed that he idolized Hercules in his youth and considered the character as “the first superhero”.

The semi-retired WWE star, whose real name is Dwayne Douglas Johnson, is no stranger to playing mythological figures. He also starred in the 2001 adventure film The Mummy Returns as the terrifying Scorpion King.

Hercules premieres in US theaters July 25.

Hercules: A First Look

Image via YouTube