Dwayne Johnson Confirms His Other Disney Franchise Is Officially Dead

Dwayne Johnson established himself as one of his era’s biggest action stars by becoming involved with high-profile franchises that produced multiple hits. Some of the highest-grossing movies of his career are Fast & Furious and Jumanji installments, illustrating that Johnson’s charisma and recognizable IP makes for a potent combination at the box office. After Disney experienced its own success with Johnson with Moana, the Mouse House gave the actor a live-action vehicle to headline, pairing him with Emily Blunt for Jungle Cruise, based on the popular Disney parks ride. There was hope the action-adventure movie could launch another franchise for Johnson, but it’s dead in the water.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Johnson shared an update on Jungle Cruise 2, revealing any plans for a follow-up have been scrapped. “I think when Disney came under new leadership, they just shifted coming out of COVID,” he said. “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.”

Why Disney Cancelled Jungle Cruise 2

Jungle Cruise hit theaters in the summer of 2021, just as Hollywood was only beginning to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also simultaneously released on Disney+ as part of the streamer’s Premier Access program (allowing viewers to watch it at home for a fee). Jungle Cruise grossed $220.8 million worldwide, a figure that doesn’t sound too bad considering the situation. However, the number pales in comparison to the totals posted by other genre films, such as Dune ($402.1 million), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($432.2 million), and Godzilla vs. Kong ($470.1 million). While the box office was still hampered by the lingering effects of the pandemic, it was possible for blockbusters to post robust numbers.

Disney might have looked at Jungle Cruise‘s performance and determined it wasn’t worth producing another installment (Jungle Cruise had a production budget of $200 million). Jungle Cruise was another attempt by the studio to replicate the Pirates of the Caribbean formula, turning a popular theme park attraction into a blockbuster franchise. Outside of Pirates, these endeavors have not been very successful. Tomorrowland was a box office bomb, as was Haunted Mansion. Disney seemingly remains interested in making more theme park adaptations (Scarlett Johansson’s Tower of Terror), but there’s enough evidence out there to suggest this trend should be put to rest — save for the impending Pirates of the Caribbean reboot.

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It would have been interesting to see how things might have turned out if Jungle Cruise released under normal circumstances. Of all the non-Pirates theme park adaptations, it was arguably the one that had the most franchise potential, as Johnson and Blunt could have continued to team up for a series of Indiana Jones-esque adventure films. And unlike Tomorrowland and Haunted Mansion, which were widely panned, Jungle Cruise received generally positive reviews. Many felt it was a fun time even though it didn’t quite reach the heights of its influences, so there was at least a sturdy enough foundation to improve upon. Instead, Johnson and Co. won’t get that chance. Unless there was a way to significantly trim production costs, Jungle Cruise 2 would be too much of a risk — especially after Disney’s rough year at the box office.

Though Jungle Cruise is no more, Johnson maintains a strong working relationship with Disney thanks to the Moana franchise. Last year’s Moana 2 set box office records and grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making a threequel all the more likely. Johnson is also set to reprise his role of Maui in the live-action remake of the first Moana, which releases in theaters next summer and will likely be a sizable draw itself. Lilo & Stitch proved there’s still an audience for Disney’s live-action remakes, so there will probably be interest in seeing the new take on Moana.

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