Young Rock creators tease Dwayne Johnson's wrestling heel turn in season 3

Young Rock creators tease Dwayne Johnson's wrestling heel turn in season 3
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The best part of making a TV show about someone like Dwayne Johnson is that you'll never run out of material.

The NBC comedy Young Rock will soon return for its third season, once again following the life of everyone's favorite wrestler-turned-movie-star-turned-potential-presidential-candidate. The first two seasons have already covered a lot of ground, stretching from Johnson's childhood in Hawaii up through his awkward teenage years and his first forays into professional wrestling. The season 2 finale also presented major challenges for the future Rock, as he lost his bid for president in the 2032 election.

But when EW caught up with Young Rock creators Nahnatcha Khan and Jeff Chiang for our Fall TV Preview, the two producers teased that there's still a lot of story to explore — from the fallout of Johnson's election loss to his legendary wrestling heel turn.

YOUNG ROCK -- Episode 212 -- Pictured: Uli Latukefu as Dwayne -- (Photo by: Mark Taylor/NBC)
YOUNG ROCK -- Episode 212 -- Pictured: Uli Latukefu as Dwayne -- (Photo by: Mark Taylor/NBC)

Mark Taylor/NBC Uli Latukefu in 'Young Rock' season 2

Season 3 (Nov. 4) will pick up in the aftermath of Johnson's failed presidential campaign. "We pick it up a year after and see how he's doing in the time since," Khan teases. "He's sort of stepped out of the public eye a little bit, but then he gets the call from President Taft telling him there's a national crisis and he needs Dwayne's help. So, he kind of gets pulled back into the mix."

The new season will continue to juggle multiple timelines and flashbacks, checking in with Johnson as a child (played by Adrian Groulx), as an awkward teenager (Bradley Constant), and as a young adult (Uli Latukefu). (The real-life Johnson narrates the show and also plays the future version of himself.) Season 2 found the young twentysomething Dwayne taking his first steps into wrestling, and the new season will explore his career further, including his infamous turn from Rocky Maivia to "The Rock." (Khan and Chiang also promise that the new season will include some familiar figures from that legendary era of wrestling.)

But despite the wrestling hijinks and high-stakes politics, Khan and Chiang say that the most rewarding part of working on Young Rock is collaborating with the real Johnson. They both praise him for his candor and commitment to the show's authenticity, whether he's opening up about the highs and lows of his past or sending them long voice memos with detailed script notes.

"He cares so much at every level," Khan says. "It's not overbearing, but just like, 'Hey, I love what you guys did here.' Even the little details. It's like having a collaborator and someone who's an advocate, too."

"It's pretty rewarding because we care about his story so much," Chiang adds. "We want to honor his family and their story and his support and all the little details he's willing to share that help us make this show more specific. He shares all those little details that I think we'd all be curious to know about Dwayne. It's good to have him in our corner."

Make sure to check out EW's Fall TV Preview cover story — as well as all of our 2022 Fall TV Preview content, releasing over 22 days through Sept. 29.

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