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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Dan Marsh

The Rock set to follow Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham lead amid non-league takeover plot

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's production company are interested in launching a documentary on Southend United - if a takeover for the National League outfit is completed.

After falling out of the English Football League for the first time in over a century back in 2021, Southend have been plagued by off-field issues, including a number of winding-up petitions. Ron Martin, the Blues' current owner, announced back in March that he was looking to sell the club.

Southend confirmed on Friday that they are currently negotiating with three interested parties over a potential deal - including one group who are eager to follow the lead of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney by producing a fly-on-the-wall documentary of the process.

According to The Southend Echo, one of the parties interested in acquiring the club is a group of local businessman which includes members of the sports agency Integral Sports Management: a company co-founded by British actor Ray Winstone.

The report goes on to outline that the group have already made contact with Johnson's production company, Seven Bucks Production, over the possibility of make a documentary similar to the one Reynolds and McElhenney have created since purchasing Wrexham. The production company have indicated they would be interested in doing so.

Johnson has become one of the most famous people on the planet since swapping professional wrestling for Hollywood. The multi-time former WWE champion has starred in a host of global blockbusters, including the Fast & Furious franchise, and also owns the XFL.

Join the debate! Would you like to see more fly-on-the-wall football documentaries? Let us know here.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney starred in a documentary after purchasing Wrexham (Getty)

His involvement in any potential project has the scope to generate global interest in Southend; he currently boasts over 380 million followers on Instagram alone.

Southend finished eighth in the National League this season and narrowly missed out on a play-off place. The club are currently the subject of another winding-up petition which has been adjourned until 12 July.

Martin has owned the club since 2008 and has been the subject of numerous fan protests in the wake of the club's off-field issues. Despite their financial difficulties, the club are pressing ahead with plans to vacate their current Roots Hall home and build a brand new stadium at Fossetts Farm.

The club issued a statement confirming that discussions are currently being held with three different parties on Friday. However, it was reiterated that nobody has been granted the opportunity to enter into a period of exclusivity.

The statement read: "Following recent speculation surrounding the sale, we can confirm that Non Disclosure Agreements with three interested parties and Heads of Terms have been issued.

"However, at this time, none of the interested parties have been granted a period of exclusivity."

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