Despite some initial setbacks, Baywatch became one of the most successful television series ever. While the show centered on a team of lifeguards rescuing people from the deep blue sea, the cast members’ careers stayed afloat as Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, and David Hasselhoff became huge stars after appearing mostly in slow-motion on the small screen.

Sun, sea, sand and an all-new cast line-up are set to feature in the big budget film adaptation of the hit series, which is currently in production. Unfortunately, Baywatch is slated for a summer 2017 release, meaning we have to wait a while for official trailers, photos, and all other related promo material. However, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who will be playing the lead character Mitch Buchannon, has been keeping us updated with progress and announcements via a series of Instagram posts – the latest being a first-look image of two of the most iconic Baywatch characters of all time, Mitch Buchannon (Johnson) and C.J. Parker (Kelly Rohrbach).

The leading stars invite fans to the gun show in their latest pic from set, proving they can match up to the sex appeal of the original actors (David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson) that made their characters famous. Johnson wears a form-fitting navy blue top, further enhancing the silhouette of his six-pack, and a pair of swim shorts that are decisively longer than Hoff’s little red number from the ’90s. Meanwhile, Rohrbach has stepped into the famous one-piece, which has been modernised with a front zip to showcase her svelte figure.

The two most iconic #BAYWATCH characters of all time. “Mitch Buchannon” and “CJ Parker”. Embodied by the dope and talented @kellyrohrbach and some big, brown inked up bald dude who keeps showing up in these epic shots. #OnSet # #MitchAndCJ #EverythingSheDoesIsAlwaysInSloMo #WatchYourEyesBoys #BAYWATCH SUMMER 2017 A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Mar 4, 2016 at 5:12pm PST

Production for the day has ended, all the extras are going home and the sun’s going down. Me and @zacefron refuse to quit in a tire shrugging contest that lasted for hours. Why? Because we’re #BAYWATCH, we’re bad ass and we’re a slightly dysfunctional family. ✔️ On a side discipline note juuuuuust wait til you see the insane shape my boy Efron got in for our movie. Proud of the hard work he put in. That’s the way you make a character “Iconic”. I still kicked his candy ass though in this contest. #OnSet #TwoMeatheadsActingLike12YearOlds #EpicFunThough #BAYWATCH SUMMER 2017 A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Mar 6, 2016 at 11:03am PST

 

While the pair certainly appear to have the looks, it remains to be seen exactly how they will fare up against the former cast. Admittedly, Johnson is less of a concern as he has proven himself to be quite the heavyweight in his previous comedic roles and he will also have the support of Hasselhoff, who will be passing the buoy on to him during an appearance in the movie. Whereas this will be Rohrbach’s breakout feature film role; and even though she has similar roots to Anderson as a model, comedy can be a tough genre to crack, so the question remains: Will she sink or will she swim?

But Johnson’s pic with Rohrbach wasn’t the only image the actor was interested in sharing. He also dropped an image of him and co-star Zac Efron engaging in a “tire shrugging” contest. Johnson said the challenge was because they’re a “slightly dysfunctional family.” He also commended Efron for the “insane shape” he’d gotten into for the role, which, as evidenced by the image, does appear to be rather insane.

Other featured cast members joining Johnson, Efron, and Rohrbach on the beach include Ilfenesh Hadera (Stephanie Holden), and Quantico’s Priyanka Chopra (Victoria Leeds) – the latter playing the film’s villain. In the meantime, we will be patrolling Johnson’s Instagram account regularly as we are still awaiting photos of newcomers Alexandra Daddario (Summer Quinn), Hannibal Buress, and Jon Bass (Ronnie) on set of the new film.

Baywatch opens in U.S. theaters on May 19, 2017.

Source: TheRock