Is Brock Lesnar the Next Hollywood Action Hero?
by Larson Hill

In the years since Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sly Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Dolph Lundgren battled for action hero supremacy on the big screen, the gun-toting, muscle-bound action torch was passed to a variety of wrestlers in the ‘90s and into the 2000s. Although Hulk Hogan didn’t turn out to be the second coming of Schwarzenegger, the likes of Goldberg, Kane, Triple-H, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock (now known as Dwayne Johnson) did find their way to Hollywood.

Since 2000, the action hero character has been redefined to include less physically imposing actors while still giving moviegoers the same thrills with better technology. As compared to the behemoths of the ‘80s, Jason Statham, Matt Damon and Daniel Craig look like gun-toting "average Joes". But given the rising popularity of the UFC and fighter Rich Franklin’s recent move to starring in straight-to-DVD action films, a new age is beginning to take shape on film for MMA stars.

With the recent crowning of new Heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar when he quickly disposed of former champ Randy Couture at UFC 91, is it only a matter of time before we see Lesnar make the leap to Hollywood? There’s still a "big guy" vacancy at the top since Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has carved out an acting career beyond action movies.

WWE: Inside the Actor’s Studio

Sure Brock Lesnar was one of the best college wrestlers of the past few decades, but when he signed on the dotted line to join the WWF in 2002, he also became an entertainer. Considering the fact that many pro wrestlers found their way to Hollywood with varying degrees of success, they’ve all been schooled by WWE president Vince McMahon in the art of dramatic theatrics and three-act "ring stories". We all know that wrestling is entertainment (my apologies to you guys who still think it’s real) and Lesnar has three years of WWE training while carrying many top events on his own main card persona. Although that doesn’t mean he can carry a film, he has become a bankable entertainer.

The interesting thing about Brock Lesnar as a future action star if he gets bitten by the Hollywood acting bug is that he’d be following in the footsteps of a few of his most famous WWE adversaries who have already made movies - Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Goldberg, even Stone Cold who left a lasting impression with the big man in his final WWE bout. Now that Brock Lesnar has become a UFC Heavyweight champ after only four professional fights, he’s not going to be fighting forever. Since he’s 31, it’s doubtful we’ll see Lesnar hang around UFC until he’s 41. And like many who made it big inside the wrestling ring, he already has the acting skills from the WWE to make it in Hollywood. How far and to what degree is yet to play out.

What happened to comic book and super heroes with huge muscles?

It’s not like we’ve seen bodybuilders, athletes and wrestlers win Oscars over the years, but if Arnold Schwarzenegger could play Conan at a time in his career when no one took him seriously as a master thespian, why couldn’t Brock Lesnar fill the shoes of any number of page-to-panel heroes for the big screen? He has been loosely linked and rumored to a variety of projects. Although we’ve had a slew of A-list actors take on some of our favorite super heroes, have they really looked like their larger selves from the comics? The role of Thor hasn’t been cast yet. Do we need an A-list actor to play Thor? How about an A-list supporting cast? Here’s a wild, far-fetched thought, but what if Lesnar grew out his blonde hair and picked up a hammer? Wouldn’t he fit the role? Like I said, if Arnie could play Conan, is it really all that crazy to think Lesnar wouldn’t be able to play Thor? And it wouldn’t be an actor with a wig either.

At the very least, Lesnar could get his acting feet wet with a role as a villain in any number of upcoming super hero movies between now and 2012. And since we don’t know Lesnar’s true acting abilities, at the very least he’d be a good villain. If there’s going to be another Hulk movie down the road, why not create a CG Hulk slightly based on the image of Lesnar, with motion capture of Lesnar added to the Hulk to make the character more believable? The problem with the Hulk movies is still the visual imagery of the Hulk himself. The last Hulk movie could have made another $50 million by attracting an added UFC audience with a Lesnar-like Hulk.

Hollywood Action Heroes with MMA in their Arsenal

In the ‘80s, Arnold Schwarzenegger rose to fame in Hollywood after becoming the most famous body builder on the planet. Chuck Norris was the best Karate fighter in the U.S. in the late ‘60s. Jean Claude Van Damme was a full contact Karate and kickboxing champion in Europe. Dolph Lundgren was a black belt champion in Kyokushin Karate. Steven Seagal was a master in Ikido, Karate, Judo, and Kendo. Although Brock Lesnar’s career as a UFC champion is just getting off the ground, none of the earlier action heroes were MMA champions. In the day of the ‘80s action hero, MMA was truly an underground, often illegal blood sport.

In an age when Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Fighting has taken the spotlight away from boxing, traditional martial arts, and wrestling to a certain degree, it’s inevitable that the next big Hollywood action star will likely come from the UFC world. At 6’3 and 265 pounds, Brock Lesnar’s skills in traditional wrestling combined with the over-the-top athleticism of his WWE background, mixed with his increasing MMA abilities inside the Octagon, are unique advantages in creating a new big screen action hero for the next generation. Any action star can use a gun and throw punches, but have we seen an action hero that can take the fight to the ground like the fighters in the MMA world? It certainly make for a few new options when writing and choreographing action sequences