GOING OFF TRACK

Filming has just recently wrapped up for Disney’s movie “Jungle Cruise,” which was inspired by the classic Disney World ride of the same name. A movie based on an amusement park ride may sound bonkers, but fortunately for our sanity, they kept that as a loose basis. The story is set during the Great Depression and revolves around two people: a riverboat captain played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and a scientist played by Emily Blunt. The two go on an expedition to a jungle with Blunt’s character’s brother (played by Jack Whitehall) who later gets lost. The purpose of that trip is to find a magical tree that has the ability to heal people. Their path is a tricky one, and they face problems such as nature and competing expeditioners. That’s all that has been revealed concerning the story so far, but considering the circumstances, that might be all of the story.

Jaume Collet-Serra, the head of “Shallows,” “Non Stop,” and “Orphan,” will be directing the movie with a script written by Michael Green (“Logan,” “Blade Runner 2049”). Johnson and Blunt, the stars, reportedly have amazing on-screen chemistry, and that’s a good indicator of a movie’s worth. “Jungle Cruise” has already made headlines for being Disney’s very first movie to feature an openly gay character (Jack Whitehall). The movie will be the first step in a franchise similar to that of “Pirates Of The Caribbean.” That line may provoke an eye roll, but there’s still hope that they’ll push the story in an effective and fresh way. Hopefully The Rock is able to grow as an actor from this because some people are starting to get sick of seeing the same character over and over again, either because of his lack of versatility or the lack of creativity from Hollywood writers. “Jungle Cruise” also includes undisclosed characters played by Veronica Falcon, Dani Rovira, Andy Nyman, Jesse Plemons, and Edgar Ramirez. No trailers have surfaced so far, but a production teaser focused on Johnson and Blunt is out. The actual movie is set for an October 2019 release date.