The Rock backs Portia Woodman-Wickliffe documentary

Black Ferns

1 hour agoBy: Alan Brown

The Seven Bucks Productions documentary will tell the Olympic and World Cup winner's story to the world.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Portia Woodman-Wickliffe will have her story told on the global stage, with Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions announcing a feature documentary on one of the best to ever play the game.

Undeniable: Portia Woodman will be directed by New Zealand filmmaker Zoë McIntosh and made alongside Pango Productions.

The film follows Woodman-Wickliffe "as she balances fame and injuries… carrying the weight of her culture on her back and rising to the occasion in a way only a true warrior could."

Her record speaks for itself. Woodman-Wickliffe has won two Olympic gold medals, two Rugby World Cups and two Rugby World Cup Sevens titles, and she is the only player to win World Rugby Player of the Year in both sevens and 15s. She was named World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Decade (2010-2020) and is the top try scorer in Rugby World Cup history across both men and women.

WATCH: The Rock meets Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, Julian Savea and Eroni Clarke

For Dwayne Johnson, who lived in New Zealand when he was young, the project is personal.

"She's the greatest women's rugby player of all time and a true pioneering female athlete," Johnson said.

"Having lived in New Zealand and playing rugby as a kid, I've admired Portia for years, and I'm pumped and proud that we at Seven Bucks have the honour of telling her story."

Johnson said what stood out most was the person behind the accolades.

"To achieve superstardom and greatness at anything is very rare, but to achieve them, all while remaining a good human being, who leads with kindness, respect and mana, that's even rarer and that's the magic of life," he said.

To

me,

the

kindness,

respect

and

mana

part

is

the

stuff

that

matters

most.

What

a

story.

Can't

wait

to

tell

it.
Dwayne Johnson

Garcia, co-founder and co-CEO of Seven Bucks Productions, said Woodman-Wickliffe's story fit exactly what the company wants to share with audiences.

"Rugby is built on legacy, identity, resilience and pride, which are exactly the kinds of stories we want to bring to audiences at Seven Bucks Productions," Garcia said.

"Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is simply one of the greatest rugby players of all time and has fundamentally changed the trajectory of women's rugby, representing the strength, discipline and cultural reverence that make her story so powerful, and we are honoured to showcase her in Undeniable: Portia Woodman."

The production also brings together a shared Polynesian heritage, with Johnson, Woodman-Wickliffe and Pango Productions all connected through their roots.

Release details for Undeniable: Portia Woodman are yet to be confirmed.