Gears screenwriter says he pictured "The Rock" when writing lead role

Gears of War screenwriter Chris Morgan has told MTV that the film is in the budgeting phase now, and when asked who he pictured when writing the part of Marcus Fenix, he said Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

"Normally when I write, I think about the actor I’m writing for, but this one’s been difficult," said Morgan. "It is a vital casting choice. It’s counter-intuitive really, because it seems like you want to get a big character — a big tough guy who can play it stoic the whole time.

"But in my experience, dealing with macho sorts of movies and dealing with Dom [Vin Diesel's character in "Fast & Furious"] and that kind of stuff, it’s harder to play the tough guy than an emotional character who’s all over the place.”

What the casting director needs to do, he added, is find "a really f’ing good actor to pull off being a silent tough guy and put some humanity into it.

"The Rock is awesome. There’s a genuine actor. Not only can he play the tough guy, but he can also play the nuanced, sensitive funny sad moments as well. But finding that guy is incredibly difficult.

"If you just play the big tough guy, it comes off as one-note and cardboard and not a believable character. So an actor has to find little things and put emotion into them that works in a more subtle way than just being stoic."

Cliff Bleszinski, who is one of the film's producers, stated previously that he wanted a "Clive Owen type" to play the part of Fenix in the film.

Good luck.