Jungle Cruise Sequel Officially In The Works At Disney, Dwayne Johnson And Emily Blunt To Return
Ready for another "Jungle Cruise"? Disney sure hopes you are, because they've gone ahead and made it official: a "Jungle Cruise" sequel is in the works. Stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are both expected to return, as is director Jaume Collet-Serra. It's too early to know what the sequel will be about, but it's safe to assume it will involve jungles and/or cruises. The first film just crossed the $100 million domestic box office line, so it makes sense that the House of Mouse wants more.
2 Jungle 2 Cruise
The first "Jungle Cruise" was aggressively fine. It was trying to invoke films like "The Mummy" and the first "Pirates of the Caribbean," and while it certainly had plenty of swashbuckling adventure, it wasn't nearly as entertaining as those two movies. It didn't help that nearly everything was bathed in a digital sheen. Say what you will about the first "Pirates" movie, but Gore Verbinski made sure to use as many real locations as possible instead of having everyone stand in front of green screens, and that made all the difference.
In any case, "Jungle Cruise" was a hit and now THR is reporting Disney has ordered a sequel. The film will bring back Dwayne Johnson as pun-happy skipper/immortal conquistador Frank Wolff and Emily Blunt as Dr. Lily Houghton. Johnson and Blunt are both charming as hell, although I had a very hard time buying their romantic subplot. No matter! They'll be back on the big screen looking great, despite their complete lack of chemistry, in no time!
Director Jaume Collet-Serra is expected to come back, along with the first film's producing team: John Davis, John Fox, Beau Flynn, Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia. Michael Green, who co-wrote the first film, is back as well. I'm a big Collet-Serra fan, and I was really hoping he would bring his art-trash styles to the first film, but that didn't happen. Perhaps the second time will be the charm. Now that Disney knows Collet-Serra can deliver, perhaps they'll let him go nuts for the sequel. Or not.
What Happens Now?
Here's the synopsis for the first "Jungle Cruise":
"Seeking an ancient tree with healing abilities, Dr. Lily Houghton and wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff team up for the adventure of a lifetime on Disney's Jungle Cruise, a rollicking ride down the Amazon. Amidst danger and supernatural forces lurking in the jungle, secrets of the lost tree unfold as their fate – and mankind's – hangs in the balance."
As for the sequel's plot, it'll probably be a while before we learn more. My only suggestion would be to go bigger, and weirder. Get crazy with this. Introduce new supernatural villains, and cursed objects, and all sorts of goofy stuff. The sky is the limit here. Have fun with it, please, I beg of you, Disney. And give Emily Blunt even more to do this time around, because she rocks.
If you haven't seen "Jungle Cruise" yet, it's hitting digital on August 31, 2021, and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on November 16, 2021.