Disney has been trying to create a new series of film franchises based on their slate of original rides at their theme parks. Although, that has been met with mixed results. While Pirates of the Caribbean has proven to be a huge franchise, the long-gestating Haunted Mansion ride has proven to be a little difficult to get off the ground. Luckily, Disney has other rides to work with. Their latest is Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt as they set off an adventure to find an ancient tree with mystical healing properties.
Now the film is starting production, and to commemorate, Disney has released a brand new video featuring the two fighting for some screen time. It is amusing for the most part as the two riff off of each other. Check out the charming video below.
The video was first posted on Disney Studios’ official Twitter account, where it opens with Blunt in full adventurer mode walking down a lit path. That is until, this burly man walks in and steals her moment. Wait, that’s Dwayne Johnson, dressed in jungle river boat get-up, with a tiny little hat on his head. Johnson compares the film to The African Queen starring, according to him, “Humphrey Bogart and Kathleen Hepburn.” Of course, Blunt is there to quickly correct him.
While these announcements usually come in the form of a boring press release, the video establishes a few things. One, the chemistry between the two. Both have infectious charm. Their banter is one that I could watch not only in this film but others as well.
It comes as no surprise that Disney would be looking to adapt their amusement park rides into a film. Even their success has changed the way park guests see the ride. For instance, Disneyland Shanghai has a Pirates of the Caribbean ride unlike any other. It’s so big, it is a cinematic experience. So it should be interesting to see if Jungle Cruise‘s success could do the same for that ride or new iterations of it at different locations.
Overall, it looks like this will be a lot of fun. But let’s remember, it’s only day one of shooting. There’s still a long way to go. If anything, I look forward to seeing if Jaume Collet-Serra‘s directing style can fit into Disney’s family friendly mold. Non-Stop was a fun B-level actioner, while The Shallows was a nail-biting thriller.
Although there wasn’t much else to offer, the video also had a blurb saying that we can expect to see the film in October 2019. Jack Whitehall, Edgar Ramirez, and Jesse Plemons also star.
Of course, we will keep you posted should anything come up.
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