The Rock Movies: A List Of Upcoming Films Starring Dwayne Johnson
A step above “movie star” is where we might need to classify Dwayne Johnson, who has come a long way since making his acting debut as his own father, Rocky Johnson, on That ’70s Show before originating the role of the Scorpion King in his first movie, The Mummy Returns. For years, he was not just blowing up at the multiplex, but capturing the explosion in a headlock, pile-driving it into the ground while cracking a joke, and finishing us off with his trademark,1,000-watt smile. If we are lucky, he will even arch an eyebrow, just to remind us that this is The Rock’s world and we’re only renting space.
Given his status, it should come as no surprise that there are numerous Dwayne Johnson movies heading to theaters or streaming in the near future, all of which sound like they will keep the one-time wrestler and Black Adam star in the blockbuster business for years. While some of The Rock’s upcoming movies might take a while to come out due to various circumstances, this guide will help you keep track of all we have to look forward to.
Red One (November 15, 2024)
Appearing on our 2024 movies schedule with a November release is Red One, which — being The Rock’s upcoming Christmas action movie — has no connection to Red Notice. However, it is another action-comedy pairing the actor with a Marvel star (Chris Evans) and some fellow DC movie actors (Academy Award winner and Justice League star J.K. Simmons donning a beard as Old St. Nick and Shazam! Fury of the Gods‘ Lucy Liu).
The Red One cast also includes Kiernan Shipka, Nick Kroll, and Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. Claus. Johnson’s Jumanji movies director Jake Kasdan is helming the project, which was penned by Chris Morgan (known for writing many of the Fast and Furious movies) from a story by Johnson’s producing partner, Hiram Garcia.
Moana 2 (November 27, 2024
In February 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger made waves with the surprise announcement that a direct, animated sequel to Moana is on its way, and is closer than you’d expect. Originally developed as a TV show, the story was reworked as a feature that will be released later this year on November 27.
One detail that Iger left out of his announcement was whether or not Dwayne Johnson is returning to voice of Maui. However, a teaser trailer for the film posted to his X account and a report by Deadline suggests that we can also expect the Demigod’s return in Moana 2.
Fast X: Part 2 (April 4, 2025)
For years, it looked like the 2019 spin-off, Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, was the last we would see of Johnson in the role of Luke Hobbs, considering the actor’s beef with Vin Diesel from behind-the-scenes. However, it looks like that is all about to change.
Following his surprise Fast X cameo in the post-credits tag, Johnson confirmed in an X post (then called a “tweet”) with an included video he filmed himself from Hawaii that he is returning to the long-running, action-packed franchise. “Put your funderwear on” and prepare to see of more of Hobbs in the forthcoming eleventh installment of the Fast and Furious movies, Fast X: Part 2, which — according to an Instagram post by Diesel — will come out in April 2025.
Moana (June 27, 2025)
In addition to the upcoming Moana 2, Dwayne Johnson is also producing a live-action update of the animated film about a young Polynesian woman seeking to absolve her island of a terrible curse. The remake is set to come out on June 27, 2025.
The actor is also, reportedly, reprising the role of Maui, which is a relief because we cannot imagine him allowing anyone else to play a role as personal to him as this. However, Auliʻi Cravalho will not be returning in the title role, but has signed on as an executive producer. Johnson confirmed with Entertainment Tonight that an actor to play the new, live-action Moana has been found, but her name has yet to be revealed.
The Smashing Machine (TBA)
Dwayne Johnson’s career outside of wrestling has touched on professional athleticism a few times before — including leading the football drama Gridiron Gang, playing himself in Fighting with my Family, and portraying his father in an aforementioned That ’70s Show episode. His next sports movie will see him take on one of his darkest roles yet.
Johnson is set to star in The Smashing Machine, which will chronicle the career of MMA legend Mark Kerr and his struggles with addiction. The upcoming A24 movie will be the solo directorial debut of Benny Safdie — who previously wrote and helmed acclaimed thrillers like Good Time and Uncut Gems with his brother, Josh — and currently has no set release date.
Red Notice 2 (TBA)
The record-breaking success of 2021’s Netflix original movie Red Notice is not too surprising when you consider the star power behind it: Deadpool‘s Ryan Reynolds, fellow DCEU movies star Gal Gadot, and Dwayne Johnson. It was also no surprise when the platform announced it was planning a sequel or two to Rawson Marshall Thurber’s action-comedy began brewing in 2022.
In case there was any uncertainty regarding the fate of Red Notice 2, in 2023, Gadot claimed to Collider that the sequel is still very much in active development with all three lead Red Notice cast members leads game to return. There is no word on when the film will hit theaters or becoming available with a Netflix subscription, but a 2024 release on Netflix is not out of the question.
Jungle Cruise 2 (TBA)
Johnson’s strong, long-standing relationship with Disney included a starring role in a movie based on a theme park attraction — namely Jungle Cruise. Well, it appears that the 2021 adventure film was just the beginning of his time as Captain Frank Wolff.
Jungle Cruise 2 was announced as in development shortly after the release of the first one, which also starred Emily Blunt as Lily Houghton, but with few updates since. While on the 2024 Oscars red carpet, The Rock told Variety that the sequel could “possibly” happen “down the line,” meaning that nothing is set in stone just yet.
Jumanji 3 (TBA)
Years after Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, and others played a mystical board game in Joe Johnston’s adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg’s children’s book, Dwayne Johnson and others revived the property in a whole new way in 2017 with director Jake Kadan’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Two years later, Johnson returned as Dr. Smolder Bravestone in Jumanji: The Next Level, and it looks like we have not seen the last of him and his fellow video game avatars.
In October 2022, Hiram Garcia told Collider that a third (technically fourth) Jumanji movie is “definitely going to happen,” which Kevin Hart reflected in an Oscars red carpet conversation with Variety the following March. So, the return to the jungle appears imminent, but when remains a mystery for now.
San Andreas 2 (TBA)
In 2015, Johnson teamed up with Carla Gugino to rescue their very resilient onscreen daughter, played by Alexandra Daddario, in the aftermath of a devastating Los Angeles earthquake in San Andreas. After earning $473 million worldwide, a sequel was soon greenlit, but the last major update we heard was in late 2021.
Hiram Garcia then told ScreenRant they were “working hard” on cracking a new story (no pun intended). Daddario has also expressed interest in reprising her role, but the possibility of San Andreas 2 happening at all seems to rely on Johnson’s availability, who is quite busy these days, as you can surely see.
Big Trouble in Little China (TBA)
Back in 2015, Johnson confirmed plans to make a new version of Big Trouble in Little China, promised to be a continuation of one of the best John Carpenter movies that won’t feature the actor as Kurt Russell’s iconic protagonist: unlikely hero, Jack Burton. The actor has been saying all the right things about respecting the source material and honoring the work of both Carpenter and Russell, though neither of those guys are totally cool with the idea of the film being revisited.
The last we heard about the project was in mid-2021, when Hiram Garcia told Collider that, like the San Andreas sequel, they are still trying to figure out the proper way to continue the story of the original cult classic. More recently, however, James Wan told EW that he and his frequent collaborator, Patrick Wilson, are interested in making their own BTLC reboot, so we’ll just have to see who crosses the finish line first.
The King (TBA)
One of the coolest things about Johnson’s career is the work that he has done to bring more attention to Samoan culture — honoring his own roots and teaching audiences about a people who don’t get a lot of focus in pop culture. Titles that stand out in this regard are the aforementioned Moana and 2019’s Fast and Furious spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw. However, he will soon have the opportunity to bring a real piece of history to the big screen.
In 2018, The Rock made a deal to team up with directors Husain El-Minbawi and Academy Award winner Robert Zemeckis to make The King — a biopic that will star Johnson as King Kamehameha and follow his mission in the late 18th century to unite the islands of Hawaii. This is the kind of project that we expect Johnson will work hard to get made, but exactly when he will have time to do it is currently unknown.
Johnson is also busy just from behind the camera — producing the John Cena-led The Janson Directive, the Yahya Abdul-Mateen II-led Emergency Contact, a Son of Shaolin adaptation, a documentary called Four Down, a Ric Flair biopic, and Teddy and the Guardians of the Night — which is based on a viral illustration of a stuffed animal defending a child from a vicious monster. He has gotten into the skincare business with his new line of products for men called Papatui, which is sold exclusively at Target. Be sure to check back here in the future for more updates and, in the words of Maui in Moana, you’re welcome.
