Jesse Plemons to menace Dwayne Johnson in Disney’s Jungle Cruise

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Look out, Jesse Plemons! It would seem that your face is destined to meet Dwayne Johnson's fist as Variety reports that the actor has signed on to join the cast of Disney's upcoming JUNGLE CRUISE as one of the villains.

Based upon the Disney theme-park attraction of the same name, JUNGLE CRUISE will be set in the early 20th century in the Amazon jungle and stars Dwayne Johnson as a boat captain who takes a sister (Emily Blunt) and her brother (Jack Whitehall) on a mission to locate a tree which is believed to posses healing powers. A competing German expedition is also seeking the same treasure. Edgar Ramirez signed on yesterday to play one of the film's villains, a man with a "conquistador background." Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (THE COMMUTER) and penned by Michael Green (LOGAN), who rewrote the screenplay from J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, production on JUNGLE CRUISE is looking to get underway next month and Disney is hoping that the film will turn into a possible franchise much like PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN.

Dwayne Johnson has previously teased JUNGLE CRUISE is a "full on adventure. Think Indiana Jones — those kinds of adventures. I’m very, very excited about it," adding "This is where I really started to understand the power of Disney, just in terms of the deep dives that they do with their projects — with all of their projects, because obviously they’re a studio and publicly traded, but specifically with projects like this where it’s based off a ride and based off an beloved attraction, like Pirates [of the Caribbean], so, so much goes into the work. And it’s so exciting."

Jesse Plemons has been quite busy over the past year, with roles in Doug Liman's AMERICAN MADE, Scott Cooper's HOSTILES, Steven Spielberg's THE POST, John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein's GAME NIGHT, and the memorable USS Callister episode of Black Mirror. Plemons will next be seen in Martin Scorsese's THE IRISHMAN which is expected to debut on Netflix in 2019.