Dwayne Johnson to star in Netflix's 'John Henry and the Statesmen'

Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Dwayne Johnson is set to portray African-American folklore hero John Henry in an upcoming Netflix film titled John Henry and the Statesmen.

Johnson announced his involvement in the project on Twitter Tuesday alongside a short black and white teaser trailer that exclaims "The legend is real."

"When the man comes around. Honored to play a childhood hero of mine, John Henry & his disruptive band of fellow folklore legends from around the world. @netflix are the perfect partners and platform to build," Johnson said before noting that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle helmer Jake Kasdan is directing the project.

Johnson's John Henry will be seen in the film leading an ensemble cast of popular folklore figures, noted The Hollywood Reporter. The story is based on an original pitch by Tom Wheeler (The Lego Movie, Puss in Boots.)

Johnson is also producing the film along with Kasdan, Beau Flynn and his Seven Bucks Productions partners Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia. No release date has been set.