Emily Blunt & Dwayne Johnson look to save the world in superhero flick 'Ball and Chain'

Emily Blunt and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson are reportedly set to star in a film adaptation of the superhero comic book Ball and Chain, which will find their superpowered characters fighting to save the world as well as their marriage.

According to Deadline, Blunt and Johnson are in talks to play the husband-and-wife duo of Mallory and Edgar Bulson, who can't stand to be on the same planet as one another, let alone in the same room. The two are ready to end their marriage until a meteor gives them superpowers. The catch? The powers only work if the two work together.

The extraterrestrial meteor ends up transforming Mallory and Edgar into the superhero duo Chain Lightning and Thunderball. Having newfound superpowers is the least of their problems, as they also have to deal with some otherworldly creatures who have found their way to planet Earth. Can they work together long enough to save humanity? That's the question.

Deadline, which first broke the story, reports that Emily Gordon (The Big Sick) is writing, and teaming up with Kevin Misher (Carrie) to produce the project along with Seven Bucks. Netflix and several other studios are reportedly bidding on the deal. News of the adaptation has been confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, which added that Netflix studios is looking like the ultimate home for the film, though nothing is official yet.

This won't be the first time Blunt and Johnson appear alongside one another. The pair are also headlining the 2021 Disney adventure film Jungle Cruise, based on the popular Disney theme park attraction. Jungle Cruise was originally slated for a July 24, 2020, release but was pushed back a year due to COVID-19. 

The comic Ball and Chain was first published in 1999 by writer Scott Lobdell and illustrators Alé Garza and Richard Bennett. The series ran for four volumes and was originally published by Homage Comics/Wildstorm until it was acquired by DC in 1998, where it remained an imprint of the comics publisher. 

SYFY WIRE has reached out to the attached parties for comment, and will keep you updated as this story develops.