Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson must have enjoyed his time at Disney’s D23 convention this weekend that he wanted to find another reason to work with the studio and they have found one for him. He will star in a film version of the Jungle Cruise ride.
In addition to Johnson in front of the camera, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that John Requa and Glenn Ficarra have been hired to write the script. The duo is best known for writing and directing Crazy Stupid Love and Focus, but they haven’t been hired to direct Jungle Cruise.
Disney has been trying to make a Jungle Cruise movie since 2004, as The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise became an international hit. However, Disney has never been able to replicate the success of Pirates with other ride-based films. A 2011 version written by Roger S.H. Schulman (Shrek) would have starred Tim Allen and Tom Hanks, but it didn’t happen.
The Jungle Cruise ride is a major part of Disney Parks history, since it was an original Disneyland ride and is also at Walt Disney World. It takes riders down a river, where they meet various animatronic animals. The new film will be a period piece inspired by adventure movies of the ‘50s.
Johnson has an incredibly packed schedule, so it’s not clear when he’s supposed to make this. He’s currently working on New Line’s Central Intelligence and will make Baywatch right after that. The actor also has Rampage with San Andreas’ Brad Peyton directing, Fast & Furious 8 and Warner Bros.’ Shazam!.
Johnson was at D23 last weekend to promote Moana, which will feature his voice. That film comes out in November 2016.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com