The wait time for the release of Disney’s The Jungle Cruise just got a little longer.

The studio has confirmed that the live-action adaptation of their popular theme park ride starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt has been pushed back to a July 24, 2020 release. More on the report, below.

The confirmation comes to us from Johnson himself who posted the news on his social network accounts. The film, which was supposed to hit theaters on October 11, 2019, has now been pushed back nearly eight months to a more summer-friendly schedule.

IT’S OFFICIAL – JULY 24th, 2020.
Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages.
My partner in crime, Emily Blunt and I, lovingly invite you to join us for THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME.
All aboard…😈@DisneyStudios JUNGLE CRUISE
🚢 🗺🌴❤️🥃 pic.twitter.com/DNTnqSb3QD

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 19, 2018

Here’s what he said just in case you can’t read the embed.

Production wrapped a little over a month ago, so it’s unclear why there needs to be a whole two years to work on The Jungle Cruise‘s post-production. But it will give director Jaume Collet-Serra the time he needs to work out some of the issues the film may have. But giving it a summer release does signal that Disney really believes in the project.

The African Queen starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn is said to be a huge inspiration for Jungle Cruise. In it, Johnson plays Frank, a riverboat captain who takes Lily Houghton (Blunt), a scientist, and her brother (Jack Whitehall) across a jungle river to find a magical tree with healing powers. Paul Giamatti, Edgar Ramirez, and Jesse Plemons also star.

Now, this means that Jungle Cruise will be moving away from Zombieland 2, Are You Afraid of the Dark, The Addams Family and The Goldfinch. It also moves away from Todd Phillips’ The Joker, which opens one week earlier. While a summer release is generally good, it will be competing with some major films like an untitled DC film and another Sony Pictures Animation film. Additionally, a Bob’s Burgers film and a SpongeBob SquarePants movie also opens a week earlier.

It’s unclear if Jungle Cruise‘s new schedule was Disney simply trying to fill a spot that was recently left by Marvel Studios’ untitled film. There were rumors that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was scheduled to be released on that day. And there are no signs that Disney and/or Marvel are in a rush to fill that empty slot. Which is smart considering that they would release two films within a week of each other. So instead of the traditional three films a year, we will be getting two. Or Marvel could be looking for a new date.

But we will keep you posted on any new developments as they come in.

[Source: Dwayne Johnson’s Twitter]