As film studios shuffle their movies’ release dates, Dwayne Johnson isn’t ruling out a change for his upcoming film Jungle Cruise. Currently set to arrive in July, Jungle Cruise is a live-action re-imagining of the beloved Disneyland ride, similar to how the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was inspired by the theme park attraction of the same name. Johnson stars as Frank, the captain of a riverboat who is hired by Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her brother McGregor (Jack Whitehall) to venture into the Amazon in search of a mystical tree with healing powers.
It may seem strange to debate the possible delay of a film that isn’t going to be released until July, but current events suggest it’s not as outlandish as it appears. As a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, numerous films have been delayed and movie theaters have been shut down. The latest film to be postponed is Disney’s own Black Widow, which joins the ranks of other films such as The New Mutants, Mulan, and No Time to Die. With the future currently uncertain, there’s no telling when things will get back to normal for the moviegoing industry.
To keep fans entertained and in good spirits while coping with the outbreak, Johnson has started answering fans’ questions daily on Instagram. In his most recent video, posted earlier today, Johnson referenced Jungle Cruise‘s potential delay when mentioning the film’s director, Jaume Collet-Serra. Johnson and Collet-Serra will be joining forces again for DC’s Black Adam. In the meantime, however, they have to get Jungle Cruise off the ground. Johnson couldn’t definitively say if the film will be delayed, instead merely saying, “Maybe. Hopefully! We’ll see if we’re gonna come out this summer. It all depends, we will continue to gauge our global situation, and we’ll see.”
It’s worth mentioning that no films beyond May have been delayed, with F9 being the one farthest out to lose its spot. In delaying its big spring films like Mulan and Black Widow, Disney’s next big release is Artemis Fowl on May 29 (though it’s debatable if that could actually be considered a big release, or if it will actually hold that date). Beyond that, Disney has Soul in June, Free Guy on July 3 (through Fox), and then Jungle Cruise at the end of July. If they can’t reschedule Mulan or Black Widow within that time frame, Disney might not want to risk moving any of those three films.
Of course, this is all speculation at this point, especially since the future is so unclear. Johnson seems hopeful Jungle Cruise could arrive on time, but that’s dependent on if the state of the moviegoing industry (and the world at large) improves by then. There’s a chance Disney won’t have much of a choice when it comes to delaying its films. For now though, the Jungle Cruise is set to depart on schedule.
Key Release Dates
Jungle Cruise
Release Date:2021-07-30
