Jungle Cruise 2 Derailed?! The Rock & Blunt Drop SHOCKING News!

Well, folks, it looks like that river cruise might be over. Despite whispers and even some initial plans, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt have pretty much sunk any hopes for a "Jungle Cruise" sequel. And honestly, as much as I enjoyed the first one, maybe that's okay.

Jungle Cruise 2 Derailed?! The Rock & Blunt Drop S...

The duo, promoting other projects, pretty bluntly (pun intended, I guess) addressed the sequel question on EW's The Awardist podcast. "I don't think so," was the rather definitive answer from both Johnson and Blunt when asked about revisiting the jungle. Ouch.

Johnson, never one to shy away from speaking his mind, hinted that the changing of the guard at Disney post-COVID likely played a significant role. "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.”

And Blunt, equally direct, simply stated, "They did not want to set sail again, and that's fine." There's a certain finality to that, isn't there? It’s easy to read between the lines here. The movie did alright at the box office, grossing over $220 million against a hefty $200 million budget, but perhaps it didn't quite hit the "must-have-a-sequel" jackpot Disney was hoping for.

For those who need a refresher, "Jungle Cruise," directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, took us on a wild ride inspired by the classic Disneyland attraction. You know, the one with the pun-tastic skipper and the ridiculously animatronic animals? The film also starred Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti, adding layers to the adventure. It was released both in theaters and on streaming platforms in July 2021, a move that was still relatively common during the pandemic era. It was a fun movie, with good chemistry between the leads and a decent adventure story, but perhaps it just wasn't compelling enough to warrant further investment, especially considering Disney's current content slate and strategic shifts.

Of course, the actual Jungle Cruise ride lives on at various Disney parks around the world, including Florida's Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland. So, you can still get your fill of corny jokes and questionable wildlife encounters. Maybe that's enough. Sometimes, a single, fun adventure is all you need, and forcing a sequel just because... well, because seems unwise. So, while I might have enjoyed another "Jungle Cruise" adventure, I'm also okay with leaving it at that. Some rivers are best left unexplored a second time.