Jungle Cruise

[Sotiris]

New video of The Rock showcasing the set pieces and location for the movie. Lots of very early promotion for this movie. Disney must really be expecting it to be a big hit and spawn a franchise. Personally, I have my reservations whether this will become the next Pirates of the Caribbean.

[Clindor]

Nice set..

I hope at the end it will turn out to be a success because there are so many Disneyland attractions’ movies that would be interessing to make like a new ‘Tower of Terror’ movie (I know this project has been shelved so far) or a ‘Haunted Mansion’ franchise ..

[estefan]

I think Disney hopes the massive success of "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" will rub off on this movie. The Rock even says in the announcement video, "Welcome to...Jungle Cruise."

And the next "Jumanji" movie even opens two months after "Jungle Cruise", so I wonder if there will be some confusion to seeing Dwayne Johnson appear in two jungle-set movies so close to each other.

[Sotiris]

Well, this was unexpected.

Jack Whitehall is to play Disney’s first ever gay character. The British comic’s role is being hailed as a “turning point” in film history. Jack, 30, plays a “fun, effete” young man in forthcoming blockbuster The Jungle Cruise, co-starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, 46, and Emily Blunt, 35. The Walt Disney Pictures movie — due for release next year — is set in the 19th century. In it the Bad Education star makes clear he has no interest in women.

A source said: “This is a huge gig for Jack and has landed him his biggest ever pay cheque. But, more excitingly, he is playing a gay man - one who is hugely effete, very camp and very funny. It’s a dream role. Disney’s always been incredibly supportive of the LGBTQ community. This latest script, set at a time when it wasn’t socially acceptable to be gay, is another significant turning point.”

Currently filming in Los Angeles, the movie is set to be one of the biggest productions of 2019. Disney plans to develop it as a franchise following its billion-dollar Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/6 ... character/

[blackcauldron85]

^ There is some backlash against the casting choice, and the fear of this groundbreaking role being just a stereotype:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/a ... P=ema_861a

[Kyle]

Oh cry me a river. It's their job to act.

[JeanGreyForever]

Yeah, I'm not feeling the backlash on this one. We're lucky Disney is even giving a gay character proper screentime in one of their movies after they freaked out over BATB.

[Jules]

Oh cry me a river. It's their job to act.

Bullseye.

[Sotiris]

While I don't agree with the belief that only gay actors should be allowed to portray gay characters, I understand where the skeptics are coming from. Openly gay actors face discrimination in Hollywood and have a much harder time gaining employment than their straight counterparts so when the few gay roles out there go to straight actors there's naturally a lot of frustration and resentment. What we should be focusing instead though is the normalization of hiring gay actors for any type of roles and characters and fight against their pigeonholing and typecasting because that's the root of the problem.

There's also another issue at hand. The character in question is specifically a flamboyant gay man so there's the concern of a potentially offensive portrayal. Straight actors usually have trouble portraying such characters without resorting to stereotypes or making a mockery out of feminine, gay men. The best theatrical, gay characters in recent memory have been Jack McFarland from Will & Grace, Marcus St. James from Ugly Betty, and Titus Andromedon from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, all of whom are played by gay actors.

[Mooky]

Have you guys ever seen Jack Whitehall? He *is* effete and campy and flamboyant, so I don't really see the issue with him being cast, especially because he's funny and a huge Disney nerd. I do however mind that the character description calls for a stereotype and I thought by now we'd have moved away from such portrayals in mainstream media. It feels like something out of the 1990s.

As for Jack Whitehall, watch this:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y19GacsF-CY[/youtube]

EDIT: It looks like YouTube embedding doesn't work, here's the link to the video.

[Sotiris]

I do however mind that the character description calls for a stereotype and I thought by now we'd have moved away from such portrayals in mainstream media.

It depends on how the portrayal is handled. Being flamboyant/campy/theatrical/effeminate/whatever-you-wanna-call-it is not a stereotype in and of itself. Feminine or gender non-conforming gay men exist and deserve to be represented in media just like everyone else.

[Jules]

EDIT: It looks like YouTube embedding doesn't work, here's the link to the video.

He’s adorable! I wanna meet him!

[Mooky]

I do however mind that the character description calls for a stereotype and I thought by now we'd have moved away from such portrayals in mainstream media.

It depends on how the portrayal is handled. Being flamboyant/campy/theatrical/effeminate/whatever-you-wanna-call-it is not a stereotype in and of itself. Feminine or gender non-conforming gay men exist and deserve to be represented in media just like everyone else.

I agree, but Hollywood seems to operate on two principles when portraying gay men -- either flamboyant, loud and comic relief, or sad, quiet and destined for a tragic ending. I'm pretty sure the majority of gay men are in-between these two extremes, and I would appreciate if they were portrayed realistically. Even LeFou, Disney's previous hyped-up gay character was just a funny, campy sidekick. The only recent example I can think of where gay people were portrayed like actual people, flaws and all, was Love, Simon.

EDIT: It looks like YouTube embedding doesn't work, here's the link to the video.

He’s adorable! I wanna meet him!

I know, right?

[Nandor]

I like Jack, he seems like a genuinely nice guy and indeed, quite stereotypically gay.
He won't have t act much in order to appear effeminate, hyper or weak (sorry, it's true!).
However, if Jack is the character you want, why make him gay? Why not go against the 'straight guys are tough and built like the Rock'-idea by having an effeminate straight male character?
This looks like a case of 'he's not manly enough. Must be gay'. I thought we'd moved beyond that.

[D82]

Dwayne Johnson Shares First Image of Jack Whitehall in Disney’s Jungle Cruise
https://www.empireonline.com/movies/new ... le-cruise/

[Sotiris]

This looks like a case of 'he's not manly enough. Must be gay'. I thought we'd moved beyond that.

You have a point there. If they really wanted to do this right they would have made Dwayne's character gay and Jack's character straight. That way you both get gay representation and subvert gender preconceptions and stereotypes.

[D82]

Disney’s Jungle Cruise Wraps Filming with Cast & Crew Video
http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/traile ... crew-video

[disneyprincess11]

It has been bumped for another year: July 24, 2020

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpHtshTh82G ... by=therock

[Sotiris]

We have confirmation Disney's planning to turn this into their next big franchise.

Q: What is your live-action strategy otherwise?

Sean Bailey: There are projects like [2020's] Jungle Cruise. We tip our hat to the [Disneyland] ride in a couple of places, but it's a wholly invented new story and a hoped-for series of movies.

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... ng-1169170

[Barbossa]

When will Autopia get a movie? Probably the only Disneyland attraction not based on a movie. Oh wait, there's also the Disneyland Railroad, the main street vehicles, the petrified tree...