Is San Andreas 2 With The Rock Still Happening, Or Is The West Coast Safe For Now?
Back in 2015, just as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was cementing his status as one of the world's biggest movie stars, the wrestler-turned-actor starred in the highly successful disaster flick "San Andreas." This was actually one of the movies that proved Johnson could help open a big blockbuster outside of a major franchise. He had earned the reputation of being "franchise Viagra" given what he was able to do for "Fast & Furious," "G.I. Joe," and other established properties.
"San Andreas" sees the infamous San Andreas Fault finally give, which triggers a massive magnitude 9 earthquake in California. Rescue helicopter pilot Raymond Gaines (Johnson) and his estranged wife must then make their way from Los Angeles to San Francisco to save their daughter. It was a huge success, taking in $474 million worldwide against a $110 million budget. That being the case, Warner Bros. was very quick to announce a squeal back in early 2016. But all these years later, official updates have been few and far between.
So, is "San Andreas 2" still happening? What have the filmmakers said about it? What's kept it from getting off the ground for seven years? We're here to answer these questions and more with all of the information we have regarding the proposed disaster movie sequel. Let's get into it.
Why hasn't San Andreas 2 happened yet?
Warner Bros. has not officially given a reason as to why "San Andreas 2" hasn't happened yet, but it's not a big mystery. In the years since the first movie came out, The Rock has been shockingly busy as one of the biggest stars in the world. Since 2015, he's starred in "Central Intelligence," "Moana," "The Fate of the Furious," "Baywatch," "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," "Rampage," "Skyscraper," "Fighting with My Family," "Hobbs & Shaw," "Jumanji: The Next Level," "Jungle Cruise," "Free Guy," "Red Notice," and "Black Adam," as well as his HBO TV show "Ballers" and his NBC show "Young Rock." That's a lot in seven years. Not to mention projects he's produced.
In 2017, Alexandra Daddario, who played Johnson's daughter in "San Andreas," addressed the status of the sequel. She very much made it sound like Johnson's schedule was a hurdle that needed to be cleared.
"It's still in the pre-production stage of putting it together. You never know with Dwayne Johnson's schedule. He's a very busy man. But that movie did very well, and it did very well overseas, so I can see them trying to find a slot for it."
The studio never set a release date. Part of the problem is that, in that seven-year stretch, Time Warner was absorbed by AT&T, only for AT&T to turn around and sell WarnerMedia to Discovery last year. So there have been two gigantic corporate shake-ups to contend with along the way, which always complicates matters. Amidst all of this, there was a global pandemic that shut down Hollywood for well over a year, something the industry is still recovering from in many ways.
Everything that has been said about San Andreas 2
Brad Peyton directed "San Andreas" and later re-teamed with The Rock on their video game adaptation "Rampage." The filmmaker addressed the status of "San Andreas 2" while promoting "Rampage" in 2018. "I don't know what I'm going to do next. I would happily do 'San Andreas 2,' or 'Rampage 2,' or anything with Dwayne," Peyton said to CinemaBlend at the time. Unfortunately, more recent updates from others who would be involved have been far less optimistic. Daddario, speaking to Collider in July of 2021, cast doubt on the sequel happening at all at this point. Here's what she had to say when asked about it:
"It was mentioned to me several years ago when I went in to New Line. I don't think that the exec that I was speaking to is there anymore. But they had a draft written. As far as I know, it's not happening. It's been a long time. I don't think so. I think it was in development at one point, I should say. But that happens in Hollywood all the time."
Even more recently, Johnson's longtime producing partner Hiram Garcia addressed "San Andreas 2" and other sequels that various studios want him to star in. Speaking to Collider in December 2021, Garcia made it sound like this is not a priority for them.
"We're very calculating in what we want to tell, but, look, if our studio partners had their ways, they want a 'Journey 2: Mysterious Island' sequel, they want a 'San Andreas' sequel, they want a 'Rampage' sequel. It's like all of those movies, the studio was clamoring for a sequel, but we felt collectively, 'Look, we told a great version of the story. Now, we want to go to tell another story somewhere else.'"
Garcia added that "availability has always been the thing that made it a challenge," again suggesting that Johnson being so in-demand is the real issue here.
What could happen in San Andreas 2?
Official plot details for the sequel were never revealed. However, in 2016 when it was revealed that "San Andreas 2" was in development, it was reported that the sequel would see Raymond Gaines heading to the infamous Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean where around 90% of the world's earthquakes occur. No further information was ever reported, but a pair of up-and-coming screenwriters, Neil Widener and Gavin James, were tapped to pen the screenplay. As Daddario mentioned in 2021, a draft of the screenplay had been written. Whether or not it expanded on this premise or went in an entirely different direction is unclear.
Who will the stars of San Andreas 2 be?
Since nothing has been confirmed by the studio regarding "San Andreas 2," there is no word on who would star in the sequel. That said, it's hard to imagine it happening without Dwayne Johnson on board. With all due respect, everyone else in the cast could conceivably sit it out if needed. Though Daddario, Carla Gugino, or Paul Giamatti feel like strong bets to return as well if the sequel ever truly gets moving.
The only other option — and perhaps a more likely option seven years removed — would be a much lower-budget, direct-to-video sequel with a new cast. Something like "R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned," which was released nearly a decade after the original flopped in theaters. That's speculative but given Johnson's still busy schedule and the long wait, this may be the most viable path forward.