Edgar Ramirez has joined the cast of Dwayne Johnson’s Jungle Cruise movie.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story actor will reportedly play a man “with a conquistador background” who is one of the film’s main villains, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
He will star alongside Dwayne, who portrays a boat captain who takes a sister and her brother, played by Emily Blunt and British comedian Jack Whitehall respectively, on a mission through the Amazon jungle to find a tree which is thought to possess healing powers.
Dwayne, who is currently at the top of the U.S. box office with Rampage, shared the casting news on social media and added, “What a talented cast we’re putting together! Welcome @edgarramirez25 to our JUNGLE CRUISE family.”
Edgar replied, “Thank you so much Dwayne! So happy to be ‘on board’ (anchor emoji) It’s gonna (be) wild!” followed by a fist bump emoji.
The film, which will be set in the early 20th century, is a Disney movie adaptation of its own theme park attraction, a water ride in which riders float down various rivers on a boat and encounter wild animals and natives.
The project will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, best known for films such as The Shallows and Non-Stop, and will be produced by Dwayne, Dany Gracia and Hiram Garcia through Seven Bucks Productions; John Davis and John Fox will produce via Davis Entertainment; and Beau Flynn with his FlynnPictureCo. banner.
A screenplay by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay has most recently been rewritten by Michael Green, whose credits also include Wolverine outing Logan, Blade Runner 2049, and the Murder on the Orient Express remake.
Jungle Cruise will reportedly begin pre-production in May ahead of a summer shoot. No release date has been announced as yet.
