Yes sir, happy you picked up on that. Since my character was adopted by a Nigerian family, I wanted his last name to pay homage to one of my all time fav @NFL football players – the “Nigerian Nightmare” Christian Okoye. Enjoy Rampage 👊🏾 https://t.co/08OixZNKet
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 11, 2018
Primatologist Davis Okoye, a man who is the head of an anti-poaching unit, finds out his beloved albino silverback gorilla friend George has been infected with a mysterious experiment that turns him into a giant, aggressive beast. He must save George, stop Ralph and Lizzie from destroying most of America, and find out who mutated the animals.
The actor said he named his character ‘Okoye’ after his all-time favourite NFL player Christian Okoye, a Nigerian-American and former American football fullback for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1987 to 1992.
In response to a tweet by a Nigerian man Wale Adetona, The Rock explained how he came about the character.
“Yes sir, happy you picked up on that. Since my character was adopted by a Nigerian family, I wanted his last name to pay homage to one of my all time fav @NFL football players – the “Nigerian Nightmare” Christian Okoye. Enjoy Rampage”, the superstar actor tweeted on Wednesday, April 11, 2018.
Yes sir, happy you picked up on that. Since my character was adopted by a Nigerian family, I wanted his last name to pay homage to one of my all time fav @NFL football players – the “Nigerian Nightmare” Christian Okoye. Enjoy Rampage 👊🏾 https://t.co/08OixZNKet
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 11, 2018
The legendary NFL player also acknowledged the honour, describing it as “awesome”.
Okoye, 56, was nicknamed the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ and known for his powerful running style and ability to break tackles.
“I love it! That’s awesome my friend! Thanks for thinking of me, I love your work, I am a big fan”, Okoye responded.
Yes sir, happy you picked up on that. Since my character was adopted by a Nigerian family, I wanted his last name to pay homage to one of my all time fav @NFL football players – the “Nigerian Nightmare” Christian Okoye. Enjoy Rampage 👊🏾 https://t.co/08OixZNKet
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 11, 2018
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