Baywatch (2017)
- The incredible score for Baywatch was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
- Before Dwayne Johnson was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- Seth Gordon originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
Baywatch is a 2017 American action comedy directed by Seth Gordon, a film adaptation of the 1989-2001 television series. Dwayne Johnson stars as Mitch Buchannon, the dedicated, impossibly muscular head lifeguard of Emerald Bay, who clashes with Matt Brody, a disgraced Olympic swimmer played by Zac Efron, when Brody is assigned to the team. When they uncover a criminal drug operation being run by a local businesswoman played by Priyanka Chopra Jonas through the adjacent beach club, Mitch leads the team on an investigation that goes far beyond their lifeguard duties.
The film took the self-aware comedy approach of the 21 Jump Street adaptations, acknowledging the absurdity of its source material while mining it for humor. Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron's physical comedy โ particularly their competitive dynamic about body types โ provided reliable laughs. The film earned $177 million worldwide on a $69 million budget.
