Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, having recently wrapped Disney’s Jungle Cruise are teaming up again for a new superhero rom-com, Ball and Chain, which is headed to Netflix.
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt will also produce, with Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions running the pic with Dany Garcia (Johnson’s ex-wife and manager) and her brother, Hiram, also pitching in.
The script for the project is being penned by Emily V. Gordon, an Oscar Nominee for The Big Sick. The story is being adapted from the 1990’s comic, Ball and Chain, following a married couple with super powers. The tale is complicated by the couple’s marital problems which unfortunately cause their super powers to malfunction. Dwayne Johnson had this to say about the project.
“One of our main initiatives at Seven Bucks is to continue to find the best platforms to tell stories that entertain and inspire on a global scale. Netflix is the perfect partner to deliver this epic superhero/romantic comedy experience alongside us, and we’re excited to be back in business with the Netflix team.I’m also excited to not only reunite with dear friend Emily Blunt in front of the camera, but to also collaborate as producing partners as we bring Emily V. Gordon’s script to life.”
Jungle Cruise was the first project for Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, working together, and was anticipated to release this summer. The pic has been officially delayed, though, to July 30, 2021.
Blunt’s next-up, A Quiet Place II is also still awaiting release, having been postponed from March 18 to September 4th as a result of the health crisis. Fans are eagerly awaiting this sequel, also directed by Blunt’s husband, John Krasinski.
Johnson’s other major project for Netflix is his upcoming Red Notice, with Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot, although work on the pic has also been delayed due to the pandemic. Since Johnson announced the production delay on Instagram in March, there has been no firm update on the project restarting, so it is unclear when the movie be finished, let alone setting a date for its debut on Netflix.
Netflix has been gaining solid traction, of late, with major movies debuting to its streaming audiences. Extraction has been its top performer, which is perhaps no surprise given its headliner, Chris Hemsworth, and producers/writers Anthony and Joe Russo, all fresh off the massive success of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Other notable Netflix originals have included 6 Underground, with Ryan Reynolds; Triple Frontier, with Ben Affleck and Charlie Hunam; and critical favorites Roma, The Irishman and Marriage Story.
To bolster its award options, Netflix is also making moves to acquire certain cinemas which will help its Oscar-worth films contend by meeting their exhibition minimum requirements. When Amazon, earlier this week was mentioned as a possible acquirer for AMC Theatres, Netflix was also mentioned. Could the streamer make a major play for global big-screen distribution? That would certainly give Johnson’s newest projects, Ball and Chain and Red Notice, a massive platform – but would also open the game for all of Netflix’ other impressive original efforts.