Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s fast-tracked sequel to a hit movie just ran aground with barely a ripple.
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Johnson, the WWE star turned potential Oscar contender for his dramatic role in The Smashing Machine, recently revealed that a follow-up to his 2021 Disney blockbuster Jungle Cruise has been cancelled. The planned sequel was also set to star his longtime friend and The Smashing Machine co-star, Emily Blunt.
Appearing on Entertainment Weekly‘s The Awardist podcast, the duo was asked if a sequel to the film—which navigated the choppy post-pandemic box office to a respectable $220 million worldwide—was still charting its course. Their response was simple and to the point.
“I don’t think so,” both stars said. Johnson, who also served as a producer on the film, explained why the Jungle Cruise sequel is unlikely to happen, at least for now.
“I think when Disney came under new leadership, they just shifted coming out of COVID,” the Rampage star speculated. “COVID shifted our business in a lot of ways. I think they looked at that property and thought, ‘we did it once, not sure if we should revisit it again.’ Despite whether or not our chemistry was great.”
“They did not want to set sail again, and that’s fine,” Blunt quipped.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s ‘Jungle Cruise’ was Long in the Making
Bob Iger, Disney’s current CEO, initially led the company from 2005 to 2020. Development on the Jungle Cruise film starring Johnson began in 2015 during Iger’s first tenure. Bob Chapek took over as CEO from 2020 to 2022, after which Iger returned to the role.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop, The Shallows), Jungle Cruise takes inspiration from Walt Disney’s iconic Jungle Cruise boat ride. The fan favorite attraction debuted in July 1955 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The film also incorporates elements from the 1951 classic The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
The film’s plot mirrors the ride, with Johnson playing Frank Wolff, a skipper hired by botanist Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt) and her brother McGregor Houghton (Jack Whitehall). They journey into the Amazon to find the Tears of the Moon, a tree with magical healing powers. The film received generally positive reviews and grossed just under $221 million worldwide.
Johnson and Blunt went on to reteam for The Smashing Machine, a biographical drama directed by Benny Safdie about the life of MMA fighter Mark Kerr.