Because the company clearly can't let Johnny Depp and the Pirates gang have all the adapted-from-a-ride watery larks, Disney has been quietly developing a Jungle Cruise movie since at least 2006. It got a kick up the engine room back in 2015 when Dwayne Johnson leapt aboard, and now the studio has officially scheduled a shoot for next year.
The reason for the delay? The usual development currents. This take on a Jungle Cruise film was re-envisioned in 2011 as a live-action reunion for Toy Story's Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. But that never quite left the harbour and Johnson was announced in August 2015 alongside Focus team John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, who would re-write the script for more of a period setting than the original modern-day plan.
Since then, the screenplay has been through any number of re-writes, with J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay working on the most recent draft and no idea of what the movie might hold in store beyond the obvious concept of a cruise going badly for our hero. And it has also had to wait for Johnson's busy schedule to open up. He'll next work on Rampage and then segues to Skyscraper later in the year. A spring 2018 start for Jungle Cruise gives the studio and Johnson – who produces alongside regular partner Dany Garcia – time to find a director.
As for Johnson's next actual on-screen role, he'll be in the waves for Baywatch, opening 2 June.