It does not look like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be going on another Jungle Cruise. Johnson and his The Smashing Machine co-star Emily Blunt recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly and shared a disappointing update on a potential sequel to their 2021 movie.
The film earned $220 million at the box office despite opening right after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was considered a box office disappointment given its reported $200 million budget. Because of that financial performance and internal changes, Johnson and Blunt are doubtful that a sequel will materialize.
When asked by EW’s The Awardist podcast host Gerrad Hall about a follow-up, both stars were candid. Johnson said: “I don’t think so.” He went on to explain the reasoning behind the studio’s decision.
Johnson stated: “I think when Disney came under new leadership, they just shifted coming out of COVID. 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.” Blunt added: “They did not want to set sail again, and that’s fine.”
While the riverboat adventure may be over, the pair are continuing their creative partnership. Johnson and Blunt will team up again in an untitled drama directed by Martin Scorsese, which Blunt has described as “the last great American mob story.” Additionally, Johnson has a busy slate; he recently started filming Jumanji 3 and has another film with Benny Safdie titled Lizard Music in the works.