Credit: ABCDwayne The Rock Johnson is a versatile entertainer who has achieved significant success in both his movie career and his collaborations with Disney. Johnson initially gained fame as a professional wrestler in the WWE before making a successful transition to acting and becoming one of Hollywood’s most recognizable and bankable stars.
The former WWE champion saw his movie career take off with his breakthrough role in The Mummy Returns (2001), where he portrayed the Scorpion King alongside Brendan Fraser. His charismatic presence and physical prowess caught the attention of audiences and industry insiders alike, leading to a series of high-profile roles across various genres. His filmography spans action-packed blockbusters, family-friendly comedies, and dramatic performances, showcasing his versatility as an actor.
One of Johnson’s notable relationships within the entertainment industry is his collaboration with Disney. His association with Disney has resulted in several successful and beloved projects. In 2016, he starred in the Disney-animated film Moana, lending his voice to the demigod character Maui. His performance was well-received, and the film’s themes of cultural representation and empowerment resonated with audiences of all ages.
In recent years, Dwayne Johnson has continued to have a working relationship with Disney. He starred in Jungle Cruise (2021), a film inspired by the beloved Disney theme park attraction of the same name. In the movie, he played the lead role of Skipper Frank Wolff alongside Emily Blunt, combining elements of action, adventure, and humor that align with Disney’s storytelling tradition.
While the hope was that Jungle Cruise would be a box-office hit, it was an abysmal failure in terms of money. The movie served as a $151 million loss for the company, but there were still reports, even after the failure, that Disney might decide to move forward with a sequel. However, that seems very unlikely now.
In Disney’s latest earnings report, the company was down 2% in terms of projected revenue. Reports from Deadline indicate that Disney has lost $172 billion in market cap since 2020, and the company has laid off thousands of employees to make up for some of the losses that it is experiencing.
With these losses and the everchanging landscape happening in the business sector– which includes the ongoing strikes happening in Hollywood– it’s looking more and more likely that Disney will not make a Jungle Cruise sequel. After already losing more than $150 million, Disney would be climbing out on a flimsy limb to bring back Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for a sequel and, at this point, it would seem that the company is heading in a different direction when the strikes come to an end and filming can begin again.
Disney CEO Bob Iger and Dwayne Johnson announced that they’d be moving forward with a live-action version of Moana earlier this year. While filming and production have been halted for the time being, the expectation is that they will begin working on the movie as soon as the strikes come to an end. For now, though, we’ll have to wait.
What do you think the future holds for Dwayne Johnson and Disney? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!