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Dwayne Johnson wasn’t afraid to hand over the compass on this one. When the Jungle Cruise sequel got the green light, The Rock proudly called himself Emily Blunt’s “sidekick” — and fans were all in. The news broke on August 30, 2021: Jungle Cruise officially leveled up to franchise status. Disney locked in a sequel after the film crossed the $100 million mark at the domestic box office.
For Johnson, that milestone wasn’t just about numbers. It was a celebration. “MAHALO for making Jungle Cruise cross that $100M mark at the US box office,” he shared in a post, adding, “Jungle Cruise is only the 4th movie of 2021 to achieve that milestone. Not an easy accomplishment these days, so thank you guys so much.”
Dwayne Johnson took to Instagram again on September 2, confirming what fans had hoped for — director Jaume Collet-Serra and writer Michael Green were back. Emily Blunt was also set to return as the fearless Dr. Lily Houghton. Johnson made it clear who’d be running the ship this time (via THR). “Let’s get this sequel on the road. Jaume Collet-Serra back to direct. Michael Green back to write. And I get to tag along as Emily Blunt’s sidekick.”
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That quote hit home with fans, who loved the idea of Frank Wolff taking a back seat. Johnson, always ready with a wink and a joke, proudly owned the role reversal. But their offscreen dynamic was just as entertaining. Johnson once admitted that getting Blunt on board for the first film took some serious effort.
In the interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he shared, “I must have shot it about five or six times because I had not communicated with Emily yet… I wanted to let her know via this video just how important she was to this movie and how I only wanted her in this movie… And I… I actually never heard again from Emily. Didn’t respond at all. Just ghosted me.”
Thankfully, she eventually said yes, and their on-screen chemistry became a highlight of Jungle Cruise. With that kind of energy, it was no surprise Disney wanted more. Plot details for the sequel hadn’t been revealed at the time, but Johnson promised it would be a worthy follow-up. “We wanted to create the adventure of a lifetime and also understood the responsibility of creating something I think that had some real legacy based off the iconic and beloved Disney ride,” he said in an August 2021 video.
With the pieces in place and Emily Blunt clearly at the helm, Dwayne Johnson was more than ready to sail again — even if it meant being the trusty sidekick this time around. And the fans? They were already buckled in for the ride.
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News!
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