Dwayne Johnson Reveals ‘Jungle Cruise’ Sequel Is Dead at Disney

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Despite the fact that Disney and Dwayne Johnson are working together again on a live-action Moana movie, they won’t be collaborating on a sequel to Jungle Cruise. Disney first announced plans for Jungle Cruise 2 four years ago, following the success of the 2021 action film starring Johnson and Emily Blunt, which was inspired by the popular theme park ride. Although development began in 2022, the sequel has stalled and is currently not moving forward.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt addressed the status of a potential Jungle Cruise sequel. Both actors indicated that it’s unlikely to happen, with Blunt explaining that Disney has decided not to move forward with it. Johnson added that a lot has changed within Disney and the broader entertainment industry since the first movie was filmed in 2019 and the sequel was initially announced in 2021.

When Disney got new leadership, they seemed to change direction after the challenges of COVID-19. The pandemic significantly impacted our business, and I believe they reconsidered a previous project, wondering if it was worth trying again, regardless of how well we worked together.

Disney Is Rethinking Its Approach to Sequels


Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Disney began developing a Jungle Cruise movie in 2004, inspired by the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. The film went through many changes over the years, and Dwayne Johnson joined the cast in 2015. Filming finally started in 2018. Originally planned for release in October 2019, the movie was then pushed to July 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its release was delayed even further, finally debuting in theaters and on Disney+ in July 2021.

The movie Jungle Cruise earned $117 million in the United States and $221 million globally. It also generated $66 million in revenue during its first month on Disney+ with Premier Access. However, despite opening as theaters were recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and audiences were gradually returning, the film was considered a financial letdown. With a total production and marketing cost of $362 million, it needed to earn $500 million just to cover its expenses, which made Disney’s decision to make a sequel seem uncertain.

Disney is clearly re-evaluating its approach to making movies, and isn’t just automatically approving sequels. Recent disappointments with films like Lightyear, Haunted Mansion, and Tron: Ares have probably made the company more cautious about where it spends money, especially on projects like Jungle Cruise, which wasn’t a huge success with critics or audiences. While Disney cancelled the planned Star Wars movie The Hunt for Ben Solo after fan backlash, it’s unlikely anyone would publicly campaign for a sequel to Jungle Cruise.

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2025-11-21 21:35