Jungle Cruise is a 2021 American fantasy adventure film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from screenplay written by Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, and Michael Green, based on Walt Disney's theme park attraction of the same name. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti, and follows the captain of a small riverboat who takes a group of travelers through a jungle in search of the Tree of Life.
Plans for a feature film based on the Jungle Cruise ride began in 2004 following the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl the year prior. The project laid dormant until 2011, when Tom Hanks or Tim Allen were set to star, though that version fell through and Johnson was cast in August 2015 and Blunt the following January. The rest of the cast joined in spring 2018, with filming taking place in Hawaii and Atlanta, Georgia from May through September that year.
In the 16th century, Don Aguirre leads Spanish conquistadors to South America in search of the Tears of the Moon, a mythical tree whose petals can cure any illness, heal any injury, and lift any curse. After most of his men died in the jungle, the survivors are nursed back to health by a local tribe using the tree petals. When the village chief refuse to reveal the location of the tree, Aguirre stabs him and his men start attacking the villagers and destroy their village. As punishment, the dying chief curses the conquistadors so they can never leave sight of the Amazon River or else the Amazon jungle will take them back to it for all eternity.
In 1916 London, Dr. Lily Houghton and her brother, MacGregor, present Lily’s Tears of the Moon research to an association of Royal Society explorers, explaining that the tree's petals could revolutionize medicine and aid the British war effort. The Houghtons request access to an arrowhead recovered by Dr. Albert Falls that Lily believes is key to locating the tree. When the association denies their request, believing the tree is a myth and a female scientist is unqualified to join their ranks, Lily steals the arrowhead. She narrowly avoids Prince Joachim, a German aristocrat who also wants the arrowhead to find the tree.
In South America, Frank Wolff takes tourists on jungle river cruises which are embellished with fake dangers and corny jokes. When his boat engine is repossessed by businessman Nilo, Frank attempts to steal it back. Caught in the act by Lily, Frank pretends to be Nilo and claims the Tears of the Moon is a myth and says she could not withstand the dangerous jungle; he then backtracks after noticing Lily possesses the arrowhead. Frank’s deception is revealed when the real Nilo shows up, but Lily hires Frank anyway after he underbids Nilo and bravely fights a jaguar.
Frank, Lily, and MacGregor depart on Frank’s boat, but they are nearly intercepted by Nilo attempting to confiscate his engine, by mercenaries hired by Joachim to retrieve the arrowhead from Lily, and by Joachim himself attacking in a German submarine. After making their escape, it is revealed that the attacking jaguar is actually Frank’s pet, Proxima. Lily wonders if Frank can be trusted.
Joachim locates the cursed conquistadors, who were turned to stone when they traveled too far from the river. Over the centuries, their bodies have been infested by tree roots, snakes, and insects. Joachim frees them by diverting the river, then offers to help break the curse if they help him retrieve the arrowhead.
As Frank, Lily, and MacGregor continue down the river, they grow closer. MacGregor tells Frank he was nearly disowned by his family due to being gay, but Lily stood by him. Breaking into Frank’s cabin, Lily finds photos and sketches of inventions such as the automobile, but also discovers drawings of the arrowhead and research on the Tears of the Moon. Lily accuses Frank of wanting the tree for himself, but he explains he stopped searching for it long ago and believes it can never be found. A tribe of "cannibals" attack them and demand the arrowhead, but this is exposed as another of Frank's faked dangers; they are a friendly tribe he has an arrangement with. Frank apologizes and claims he was unable to call off the plan, but Lily rebuffs him.
Trader Sam, the tribe’s female leader, translates the writing on the arrowhead, revealing the tree's location and that it only blooms under a blood moon. The conquistadors attack and take the arrowhead; Frank recovers the arrowhead and returns it to Lily, but he is fatally stabbed through the chest with a sword. Lily runs away from the river so the Spaniards are unable to follow beyond the curse's boundary.
The next morning, Lily discovers that Frank has miraculously survived. He reveals that his real name is Francisco, and he is one of the cursed conquistadors, unable to die or leave the river. The expedition to find the tree was originally a noble one to save Aguirre's sick daughter, but when the natives were attacked by the Spaniards, Frank switched his allegiance to help the villagers. After years of fighting, Frank trapped Aguirre and the others in a cave where the river could not reclaim them and they became petrified for 300 years. He then spent centuries searching for the tree to lift his own curse. Unable to find it without the arrowhead, he finally gave up.
An injured MacGregor stays behind with Trader Sam while Lily and Frank make the final journey to the tree. MacGregor is captured by Joachim and forced to reveal the tree's location. Joachim breaks his arrangement with the cursed brigands, in order to keep the petals for himself, but Frank, Lily, the Germans, and the Spaniards all converge on the tree. While solving the puzzle, the arrowhead is discovered to be a heart piece having a gem, which after placing blooms the tree under the blood moon. The moon passes as they fight, and Lily is only able to recover one petal. MacGregor fights Joachim, who dies, while Frank crashes his boat to block the river, which turns himself, Aguirre and the other Spaniards into stone. Lily expends the petal to revive Frank and break his curse. The moon breaks out one last ray of light and one final petal blooms - Lily’s research can proceed.
Returning to England, the society offers full membership to Lily, which she rejects via MacGregor, who uses the opportunity to insult the society, saying that they are unworthy of the research, or the tale of the trip, or anything learned by it, primarily stories, due to their chauvinism and insular nature. Lily fulfills her promise to show Frank all of London and the movie ends as she gives him his first driving lesson in her automobile; she delivers a corny joke, worthy of Frank's admiration.
Casting
- Dwayne Johnson as Skipper Frank Wolff / Cpt. Francisco Lopez de Heredia, a shrewd and cynical but noble steamboat captain who reluctantly agrees to guide two explorers on their quest for the Tree of Life. He eventually reveals his original name and his true identity as the adopted brother of Aguirre. Frank is a trained cartographer who has spent centuries trying to find the Tree, to break the curse.
- Emily Blunt as Dr. Lily Houghton, an eccentric, adventurous, and virtuous botanist searching for the Tree of Life, which she hopes to study for its healing properties.
- Jack Whitehall as MacGregor Houghton, Lily's younger brother and reluctant assistant.
- Édgar RamÃrez as Aguirre, a ruthless and power hungry conquistador who once sought the Tree's power, only to be cursed with immortality for his cold heart.
- Jesse Plemons as Prince Joachim, a deranged and ambitious German aristocrat who finances and leads a military expedition to claim the Tree of Life for himself.
- Paul Giamatti as Nilo Nemolato, a crusty harbormaster who manages the port where Frank docks his boat.
- Veronica Falcón as Trader Sam, a female version of the character from the ride and one of Frank's allies.
- Dani Rovira as Sancho, one of Aguirre's men who is covered in honey and bees.
- Quim Gutiérrez as Melchor, one of Aguirre's men who is composed of tree branches.
- Dan Dargan Carter as Gonzalo, one of Aguirre's men who is made out of mud.
- Andy Nyman as Sir James Hobbs-Coddington, the society's artifact handler who briefly helps Prince Joachim.
- Raphael Alejandro as Zaqueu, a young boy who assists Frank at work.
Additionally, the cast also includes a jaguar named Proxima, who was portrayed on set by stunt actor Ben Jenkin.
In September 2004, it was announced that Jungle Cruise would be developed for Mandeville Films, with a script by Josh Goldstein & John Norville. The film was loosely inspired by the theme park attraction of the same name. The film was announced to take place within the twentieth century. In February 2011, it was announced that Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, who had previously worked together in the Toy Story franchise, would star in the long-gestating film, with a script to be written by Roger S. H. Schulman.
In August 2015, it was announced that Walt Disney Pictures was redeveloping its film adaptation based on Jungle Cruise, to star Dwayne Johnson. The previous script originally written by John Norville and Josh Goldstein, would be rewritten by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, and the film produced by John Davis and John Fox, with the intention to harken back to its period roots. In April 2017, Johnson expressed his interest in having Patty Jenkins helm the project, but in July 2017, Jaume Collet-Serra was announced as the director of the film.
In January 2018, Emily Blunt was announced as a leading cast member. The same month, Michael Green was reported to have rewritten the script, previously worked on by Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne. In March 2018, Jack Whitehall was cast as the brother of Blunt's character. In April 2018, Édgar RamÃrez and Jesse Plemons were added to the cast as villains with the former being "a man with a conquistador background". The following month, Paul Giamatti was cast to portray a "crusty harbormaster." In June 2018, Quim Gutiérrez joined the cast to portray one of the villains. On July 2018 it was announced that Dani Rovira had joined the cast.
Six months later, it was reported that Whitehall's character would be gay and would have a coming out scene in the film with Johnson. This would be the second incidence of a gay character in a live-action Disney film, the first being Le Fou, portrayed by Josh Gad, in the 2017 adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. There was some backlash over the report, with some online expressing anger over a straight man being cast as a "camp" gay character.
As of August 1, 2021, Jungle Cruise has grossed $35 million in the United States and Canada, and $27.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $62.5 million. With an estimated combined production and promotional cost of $362 million, the film needs to gross around $500 million worldwide in order to break-even.
In the United States and Canada, Jungle Cruise was released alongside Stillwater and The Green Knight, and was projected to gross around $25 million from 4,310 theaters. The film made $13.4 million on its first day, including $2.7 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to slightly over-perform, debuting to $35 million to top the box office, with an additional $30 million from Disney Plus digital sales. The opening was met with a polarized response from industry insiders, with some blaming the pandemic and simultaneous digital release for eating into possible grosses, while others noted the film managed to finish above projections.
