If you remember the abysmal JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D with Brendan Fraser, chances are you skipped JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND with Dwayne Johnson. If you did skip it, you missed out on a fun family movie and a vast improvement over the original. Much of that was due to the inclusion of star Dwayne Johnson and director Brad Peyton.
Peyton and Johnson have been linked to a third JOURNEY film for a couple of years after JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND grossed over $300 million worldwide on a $79 million budget. Screenwriters Mark Gunn and Brian Gunn have been replaced by Chad and Carey Hayes who now appear to be working on two sequels which may be shot back to back.
The Hayes brothers are best known for writing THE CONJURING but have also been working on SAN ANDREAS 3D for director Peyton and star Dwayne Johnson. They also had a hand in developing action horror movie SEAL TEAM 666 which is being groomed for, you guessed it, Dwayne Johnson. Johnson is set for both sequels while star of the first two JOURNEY films, Josh Hutcherson, is not locked in but would presumably come back.
JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ended with a tease indicating the third film could follow the plot of Jules Verne’s FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, but it remains to be seen where the fourth film could go. The JOURNEY franchise is never going to excite adult audiences but there are worse movies you could go see. The films don’t take themselves too seriously and the second featured some pretty decent 3D effects.
Neither JOURNEY sequel has a set production or release date, but when they are announced we will let you know. I just hope they work in the Pec Pop of Love again.