Penguin Random House has acquired an as-yet-untitled book cowritten by actor and professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and journalist Nick Bilton. Gillian Blake, EVP, publisher, and editorial director of Crown, acquired North American rights from Jay Mandel and Erin Malone of WME. No publication date has been announced.
The book, per a release, will chronicle “the extraordinary story of the rise and fall of Hawaii’s most notorious crime syndicate, ‘the Company,’ led by Wilford ‘Nappy’ Pulawa, the first and only Hawaiian mob boss in history,” during the 1960s and ‘70s, and “aims to shed light not only on this chapter of American history but on Hawaii’s systematic theft by outsiders through the lens of this unique era.” The publisher added that the book “will serve as the inspiration” for a film directed by Martin Scorsese, with a screenplay from Bilton and Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Leonardo DiCaprio attached to star.
“This isn’t just a gangster story—it’s about power, identity, and what was taken from the Hawaiian people,” said Johnson in a statement. “What drew me to this project wasn’t just the action and the intensity. My own family lived through parts of this era, and I’ve seen firsthand the complicated legacy it left behind. Telling this story is a way to honor our Polynesian culture, and honor where we come from and share the untold history of what really happened in paradise.”
