You didn't expect Michael Caine to sit around and wait for Christopher Nolan to start shooting the sequel to "The Dark Knight," did you?
The two-time Oscar-winning actor is in talks to play Josh Hutcherson's grandfather in New Line's "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," an individual familiar with the project has confirmed to TheWrap.
Deal Central previously reported that Dwayne Johnson is in negotiations to star in the 3D sequel, which will find the former wrestler teaming up with his girlfriend's son (Hutcherson) to find the boy's missing grandpa on a mythical island.
Caine may be 77-years-old but that won't keep him from flexing his action muscles, as the role will reportedly require him to run around during several chase sequences, including one involving a swarm of giant bees.
Brad Peyton directs from a script that is loosely based on Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island."
Contrafilm's Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson will produce with Charlotte Huggins, while Walden Media's Michael Bostick and Evan Turner will exec produce.
Production is expected to begin in October in Hawaii before moving to the less tropical locale of North Carolina.
Caine recently starred in the British revenge thriller "Harry Brown," and he also appeared all-too-briefly as Leonardo DiCaprio's father in "Inception." He's no stranger to family-friendly films, having previously shared the screen with child actors Haley Joel Osment ("Secondhand Lions"), Jonah Bobo ("Around the Bend") and Bill Milner ("Is Anybody There?"), not that the 17-year-old Hutcherson is a kid anymore.
Caine is represented by ICM, and his potential casting was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
