jungle cruise
DIRECTOR Jaume Collet-Serra STARRING Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons ETA 24 July 2020 30 July 2021
“I made a movie about heroic men like me and saving the girl,” joshed Dwayne Johnson at Disney’s D23 Expo. “This is a two-hander,” came Emily Blunt’s corrective. Yes, the banter is watertight in Disney’s latest riff on a theme-park attraction, where Blunt’s explorer Lily hires The Rock’s roguish shipper Frank to sail her down the Amazon in pursuit of a magical, mythical healing tree.
Even if the trailer suggests a DNA comprised of known parts, give the crew this: they know that’s part of the film’s old-school tug. “It definitely has the spirit of those films that pull on your nostalgia and heartstrings,” Blunt says, “like Indiana Jones, Romancing The Stone and The African Queen.”
Other influences on-deck seem to include Avatar for the glowing tree and Pirates Of The Caribbean for more: the tipsy scallywag swagger, the peaky-looking baddies, the ride-based source material. For Johnson, it’s a welcome return to the jungle after his Jumanjis. For director Jaume Collet-Serra, Jungle Cruise offers a chance to complete a famous song title by adding boats to his experiences with planes (Non-Stop) and trains (The Commuter). And his form in horror (House Of Wax, Orphan) and watery peril (The Shallows) won’t hurt with other ingredients, from the villains with snakes in their cheeks to the deluges of soggy thrills.
Co-stars readying their sea-legs include Jack Whitehall (whose rumoured casting as a ‘very camp’ gay character drew some controversy) and Paul Giamatti, the latter reuniting with The Rock after 2015’s ’quake thriller San Andreas. And if the result will surely sink or swim dependent on the leads’ chemistry, the omens look promising. “I’m cool in it,” joked Johnson at D23. “I’m, like, way cool in it,” said Blunt. Sounds like just what summer 2021 calls for.
GO BIG SCREEN Huge sets, outsized star wattage, 3D, adventure – buckle up for a ride.