Remember that great scene in "The Rundown" where Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson walks by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Schwarzenegger just says "Have fun," and we all saw one charismatic action icon passing the torch to another and assumed that A-list stardom was only a couple films away for Johnson? 

Yeah…that really hasn't happened yet.

If anything, Johnson has just jumped into the family comedies where he has found greater success than straight action movies.  But you have to keep re-upping your action bonafides before you put on a tutu for "The Gameplan" or "Race to Witch Mountain" or Johnson's upcoming film, "The Tooth Fairy".  So Johnson is re-teaming with his "Gridiron Gang" director Phil Joanou for "Faster".  Here's the brief synopsis [via Variety]: Johnson plays ex-con bent on avenging the death of his brother, murdered 10 years earlier when the two were double-crossed during a heist.

Why is Johnson always an ex-con in these films?  Wasn't he an ex-con even in "Race to Witch Mountain"?  What, are audiences not going to buy that Johnson is a tough guy with a heart unless he's done time?  I wonder if dudes in prison resent Johnson or they love the guy like the incarcerated loved Johnny Cash.