Baywatch movie: Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron welcome David Hasslehoff to cast

It is the news that Baywatch fans have been waiting for: David Hasselhoff has joined the cast of Paramount's upcoming big-screen adaptation of the hit 90s television series. The 63-year-old star, who played played L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the hit show, will make an appearance in the big screen version, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has confirmed.

Taking to social media Johnson, who will play the lead, broke the news of the Hoff's involvement in the new project. He wrote in a Facebook post: "Pleasure to officially welcome the original ‪#‎BAYWATCH gangsta himself David Hasselhoff to our movie!"

The Furious 7 star also shared a video on Instagram of himself Facetiming the TV legend. The caption read: "#BAYWATCH is the most successful TV show of all time and from the day we announced we were turning it into a movie, "The Hoff" has been our greatest supporter. Especially once he knew our RATED R movie was going to be a combination of AVENGERS meets ANCHORMAN....

He continued: "Hoff's a cool dude who's down to have fun and here's the best part.. He's been training his ass off and gotten in the best shape he's been in in years! (cue slo-mo running and glistening chest hair.. wait, why the f*ck am I even thinking about Hoff's chest hair!?) World get ready.. ‪#‎RockAndHoff ‪#‎ThereAintNoBay ‪#‎WithoutTheHoff

Stars including Yasmine Bleeth and Pamela Anderson appeared in the original series which started in 1989. Hasselhoff produced it from the 1990s until 2001, when the show ended.

The Baywatch film, which has been in the pipeline since 2004, will centre around Johnson's character, a by-the-book lifeguard, forced to team up with a young hothead with a blatant disregard for authority in order to save their local beach from environmental destruction brought about by a ruthless oil tycoon.

Friday The 13th's Damian Shannon and Mark Swift wrote the last draft of the script the film-makers will be working with. Beau Flynn (San Andreas) and Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) have been enlisted to producing alongside Johnson's company, Seven Bucks Productions. The movie, which also star's Zac Efron and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra is expected to hit cinemas in summer 2017.