When you have Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in your movie, you always want to have him on stage at events such as Disney's D23 Expo to help launch it for audiences. Which is exactly what Disney did this weekend, also bringing in co-star Emily Blunt to trade good-natured banter around Jungle Cruise.
The Mouse House's latest attempt to convert one of its classic theme park rides into an adventure film takes the basic cruise narrative of the original attraction and boosts it with a new story. Johnson plays cruise skipper Frank, who is caught in a financial bind. He sees an opportunity when Blunt's explorer Lily Houghton offers to pay him to take her on a dangerous expedition. They’re initially butting heads, trading insults and pulling off a slew of stunts, but then join together to face off against a mysterious snake-covered entity.
Johnson arrived on stage first, riding a mock-up of the boat he captains in the film, La Quila. "Sometimes you just need me to save the day!" he crowed. He went on to showcase a trailer for the film which was suspiciously skewed towards his character. That then led to Blunt showing up in a classic car model to protest and launch her own trailer, one that put Lily first.
"We were just so moved, so honored to be in a movie like this because we both grew up just madly in love with Indiana Jones and obsessed with those kinds of movies," Blunt said. "To be part of something like this, with this same spirit, makes my heart race." The feeling of the footage was certainly Raiders Of The Lost Ark with a blend of Romancing The Stone and The African Queen. It also reminded us of the Brendan Fraser-era Mummy movies.
"We wanted to make a movie that was big, that was epic, that had romance, big comedy, big action," said Johnson. "But most important... It’s got me." That's how the Rock rolls.
Jungle Cruise, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, will sailing in on 24 July next year.
