Jungle Cruise (2021)
- The original script for Jungle Cruise was written over a decade before production finally began in 2021.
- Jaume Collet-Serra originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Before Dwayne Johnson was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
Jungle Cruise is a 2021 American adventure comedy directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, based on the Disneyland theme park attraction. Dwayne Johnson stars as Frank Wolff, a riverboat captain in 1916 who is hired by Dr. Lily Houghton, played by Emily Blunt, a spirited British botanist, and her brother MacGregor, played by Jack Whitehall, to navigate the Amazon River in search of the Tears of the Moon — a legendary tree whose petals possess miraculous healing properties.
Their journey pits them against a German prince played by Jesse Plemons and a group of cursed Spanish conquistadors, led by Édgar Ramírez, who have been trapped in the jungle for 400 years. The film deliberately channeled the spirit of The African Queen and the Indiana Jones films, with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt's bickering chemistry providing the entertainment. Jungle Cruise earned $220 million worldwide during a simultaneous theatrical and Disney+ Premier Access release.
