The SAG-AFTRA actors strike might be stalling any new acting deals with studios for the moment, but Jungle Cruise stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson are reportedly working behind the scenes as producers to bring together their next collaboration, Kate Warne. For some time, the movie based on the United States’ first female detective has been in the works with both Blunt and Johnson, but now yet another member of the Jungle Cruise crew has joined the movie.
Jaume Collet-Serra directed 2021’s Jungle Cruise, and is now reportedly on board to helm the Kate Warne movie for Amazon Studios, per Deadline. Collet-Serra, who was also the director behind Black Adam, The Shallows, Non-Stop, and Orphan, will work alongside both Blunt and Johnson’s production companies, which are respectively called Ledburry Productions and Seven Bucks, to bring the detective biopic to life on screen.
Blunt is expected to star as Kate Warne, but the report claims that conversations around casting will not kick off until the SAG-AFTRA actors strike concludes. Kate Warne reportedly walked into the Pinkerton Detective Agency at the age of 23 and requested a job as a detective back in 1856. After convincing the agency of her talents, she became part of the agency and solved numerous cases, including uncovering the 1861 Baltimore Plot against President-elect Abraham Lincoln and providing intelligence during the American Civil War.
Considering how amazing Kate Warne sounds like she was, it’s no wonder Emily Blunt may play her and her Jungle Cruise collaborators are on board. Blunt recently worked with Amazon Studios on her mini series The English along with starring in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Blunt is also set to star in another of 2023 new movie releases, Netflix’s Pain Hustlers with Chris Evans. She has also completed production on the action movie The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling and is expected to star in a second Jungle Cruise movie with Dwayne Johnson.
The Jungle Cruise team must have really enjoyed each other’s company in between Kate Warne, Jungle Cruise 2, and another movie called Ball And Chain. Blunt and Johnson are also reportedly expected to star together in Ball And Chain, which would have them playing a married couple who are contemplating divorce when a mysterious force gives them both super powers.
Jaume Collet-Serra has certainly been a go-to director for Johnson. The filmmaker helmed his long-awaited debut in the DCEU with Black Adam along with Jungle Cruise. While Black Adam doesn’t have a future in light of Warner Bros.’ plans to reboot the cinematic universe, the superhero movie did debut at No.1 in its opening weekend. Jungle Cruise also had a modest box office performance, but came out at a time when Disney also released it on Disney+ for a price at the same time it went theatrical.
You can stay up to date on upcoming films starring Dwayne Johnson and check out our interviews with Johnson and Blunt here on CinemaBlend.