Actor Dwayne Johnson is out of a popular Disney franchise, recent reports indicate.
Dwayne The Rock Johnson has become one of the most recognizable figures in all of Hollywood. He has starred in countless blockbusters, including Disney’s Jungle Cruise (2021), the Fast & Furious franchise, Jumanji (2017), San Andreas (2015), Gridiron Gang (2006), and The Scorpion King (2002).
Recently, The Rock was pegged to return to his role as Maui in a live-action adaptation of the movie Moana (2016), in which he’d star alongside the original voice of the Disney princess, Auli’i Cravalho. The announcement of the movie was met with mixed reviews, as many fans said they were tired of live-action remakes and that Disney had “become lazy” in its quest for storytelling, relying on remakes of its same films instead of coming up with new ones. Nevertheless, Dwayne Johnson made the announcement alongside The Walt Disney Company CEO, Bob Iger, during the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting last month.
However, things have not necessarily been going Johnson’s way as of late.
Dwayne Johnson starred in the Warner Bros. DC Universe film Black Adam (2022) last fall. The movie, which was hyped for months, was a colossal failure at the box office, and as James Gunn moved into the role as the new headman of DC Universe, The Rock’s big sequel was subsequently canceled.
If that weren’t enough, Dwayne Johnson was named a defendant in a $3 billion lawsuit alleging kidnapping that just moved forward in the judicial system. The Rock, alongside many other defendants, is being sued by Trenesha Biggers, also known as Rhaka Khan, during her former TNA and WWE days, alleging that she and her kids were kidnapped.
With all of this surrounding Dwayne Johnson, a new report has now indicated that the actor will not be joining the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after all. Essentially Sports reports that Johnson will not replace Johnny Depp in the next installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Though this has yet to be confirmed by Disney or Dwayne Johnson, it would make sense, and neither party has indicated if this is a result of the lawsuit.
Of course, this brings many fans to wonder: Is Johnny Depp set to return to Disney after all?
While nothing has been confirmed, there still seems to be not much enthusiasm about Johnny Depp and Disney reuniting. It’s not to say that the two parties couldn’t put aside their differences to make another installment of the franchise, but unfortunately, it seems that they are at a wide impasse– at least for the time being– and might be quite a while before Johnny Depp is welcomed back to Hollywood.
Other defendants in the Dwayne Johnson lawsuit include The State of Texas, The El Paso Child Protective Services, The Las Cruces, New Mexico Police Department, The NYPD, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, New York ACS, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Shirley Police Department, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Suffolk County NY, Bank of America, Home Depot, and even the FBI.
Most likely, this is not a result of the lawsuit and more a byproduct of Dwayne Johnson already starring in many other Disney projects already. With Johnson still set to star in the live-action Moana and Disney likely calling his number again for a Jungle Cruise sequel— if that movie is ever made– it would make sense not to utilize the actor in another movie, especially with a role that will be so volatile and could result in major fan backlash.
As far as wrestling is concerned, Johnson has been rumored to make a return to the ring, much like John Cena. He has teased a potential match against his cousin– and also WWE Champion– Roman Reigns. For now, however, we’ll have to wait and see what might happen with the celebrity.
