Baywatch Movie Adds Ilfenesh Hadera as Dwayne Johnson’s Love Interest

Billions actress Ilfenesh Hadera will join the cast of the upcoming Baywatch movie

According to The Rock’s latest Instagram missive, Ilfenesh Hadera (“Billions,” Chi-raq, “Show Me a Hero”) will play Dwayne Johnson‘s love interest in the upcoming Baywatch movie. She joins a cast that also includes Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario and Kelly Rohrbach. Priyanka Chopra (“Quantico”) was also previously reported to be in talks for a role.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Casting my #BAYWATCH love interest wasn’t easy (extremely tough job but hey I’m one of the producers;) but we finally found her. For our coveted role of “STEF”, she had to be a lot of things: Strong, intelligent, formidable, beautiful and funny. Want to welcome the talented @ilfenator Ilfenesh Hadera to our #BAYWATCH family. She’s a 5’11 walkin’ smokestack with legs for days. Smart and tougher than new rope.. just the way we like ’em. And seeing as she’s playing my love interest – my strong calloused hands are the ONLY HANDS allowed to rub suntan oil on her soft supple skin. You hear that Efron? Step out of line Zac and she’ll knock your unattractive candy ass into next week. Mine too. Our dope cast is coming together nicely with a few more big announcements/cool surprises along the way. Let’s have some rated R fun.. We are the keepers of “The Bay”. We are… #BAYWATCH. #SandSquadUpInThisBitch

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Jan 20, 2016 at 3:57am PST

As a television series, “Baywatch” premiered on NBC in 1989 with a cast that included David Hasselhoff, Parker Stevenson, Shawn Weatherly, Billy Warlock, Erika Eleniak, Peter Phelps, Brandon Call and Holly Gagnier. The series was initially not a success and was cancelled after a single season. Plans were made, however, to move “Baywatch” into first run syndication and, in 1991, “Baywatch” returned to the airwaves where it continued for a full decade, bringing in new cast members like Yasmine Bleeth and Pamela Anderson. The show also received a short-lived spinoff, “Baywatch Hawaii.”

“This is my beach bitch!” Johnson wrote when he first announced his connection to the film in 2013. “Rumors are true… we’re making #BAYWATCH the movie. Edgy, raunchy and hopefully, funny as all hell. Cue slo mo running on the beach… #WhoNeedsMouthToMouth #RedShortsBeHugginABrotha”

Although several writers have been attached to the Baywatch movie, the most recent draft hails from the Friday the 13th pair of Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Earlier reports suggested that the film will offer a comedy-heavy take that has little to do with the original series. Parts were reportedly written, however, for both Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff to reprise their roles. Whether or not that remains the plan is, at the moment, unconfirmed. 

Horrible Bosses and Identity Thief director Seth Gordon is helming the new film, which is being produced by Dwayne Jonson alongside Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, Beau Flynn, Dany Garcia, Ivan Reitman and Douglas Schwartz.

Do you think Ilfenesh Hadera makes a good addition to the Baywatch cast? Let us know in the comments below!

(Photo credit: WENN.com)