Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt Tease What’s Next for Jungle Cruise 2
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt reignited Jungle Cruise 2 buzz on the Variety red carpet at The Smashing Machine premiere, teasing where the franchise could head next and hinting the adventure isn’t over yet.
Frankly, Jungle Cruise 2 has sounded like one of those maybe-someday things. Then Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt hit a red carpet together and decided to poke the bear.
So, what did they actually say?
On September 30, 2025, at the premiere of their new movie The Smashing Machine, both stars were asked about hopping back on Disney's pun-filled riverboat. Blunt kept it simple and very Blunt: she thinks it might be time to try something new with it, and if anyone really wants it to happen, well, pick up the phone.
"Call Disney, get us back on that boat."
Johnson, never one to miss a bit, joked that if The Smashing Machine does well, that could grease the wheels for a Jungle Cruise follow-up. He also cracked that he and Blunt would be dialing Disney themselves. Variety posted clips from the carpet, and yeah, the tone was mostly playful. But there is some smoke behind the banter.
The behind-the-scenes heat
Earlier this year, industry watcher Daniel Richtman said a sequel is in the works at Disney with Johnson set to return. The script is reportedly in the hands of Matthew Robinson, who wrote Love and Monsters. Nothing official from the studio yet, but that combo lines up with what has been floating around for a while.
Quick refresher on the first ride
- Released in 2021 and based on the long-running Disney theme park attraction
- Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti
- Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
- Plot: a riverboat captain ferries a scientist and her brother through the jungle to find the Tree of Life
- Release strategy: theaters and at-home via Disney+ Premier Access thanks to the COVID-19 situation
- Reception: mostly mixed reviews
- Money: $220.9 million worldwide on a reported $200 million budget, plus reportedly close to $100 million from Premier Access
Reading between the lines
Is a sequel guaranteed? No. But the combination of a built-in Disney IP, Johnson openly game to return, and a writer attached suggests wheels are at least turning. The first movie landed in that awkward pandemic window where the box office looked soft on paper but the Premier Access pull helped. Inside baseball, sure, but that kind of split revenue is exactly the thing that makes Disney run the numbers twice.
Bottom line: Johnson and Blunt are clearly up for another cruise, they are comfortable publicly nudging the studio, and there is a script in play. Until Disney actually says go, it is still a tease—but it is a tease with momentum.