Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt must have had a blast working together on Disney’s upcoming adventure Jungle Cruise, because they’ve signed up to collaborate again. This time, they’ll play superpowered spouses in a new project titled Ball And Chain that’s reportedly garnering plenty of studio interest already.
Several studios have already made bids on the project, though Netflix is reportedly the current frontrunner.
Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick) has adapted the four-part comic of the same name from writer Scott Lobdell and artists Ale Garza and Richard Bennett. Kevin Misher (Fighting With My Family) will produce alongside Johnson and his Seven Bucks partners Dany and Hiram Garcia, while Blunt will produce as well.
Johnson and Blunt will play Edgar and Mallory Bulson, who have decided to throw in the towel and split up once and for all, until a mysterious meteor ends up giving them superpowers. The unfortunate twist from their point of view is that the powers only work in tandem together. The Bulsons have to learn to put their differences aside and work together to save their marriage, and other people too.
The appeal for studios is easy to see. It’s two big stars combined with a great concept that also has a superhero component. No wonder a bidding war has broken out. Unfortunately, if you want to see the appeal of Johnson and Blunt in Jungle Cruise, you’ll have to wait an extra year.
The film was originally scheduled to open in July, but has been pushed back to 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Disney has now moved its live-action Mulan into the Friday, July 24 release date. Blunt also saw her sequel A Quiet Place Part II pushed, while Johnson’s Netflix movie Red Notice was forced to suspend production.
We’ll wait and see how long it takes for Hollywood to re-open, but studios are already putting together projects like Ball And Chain knowing how quickly stars’ schedules will fill up. We’ll also see if Netflix comes out on top in the Ball And Chain bidding war, or if another studio or streaming platform puts together a better offer.
#Peace.Love.BallAndChain
