You would be hard pressed to find a movie star move busy thanDwayne “The Rock” Johnsonthese days, but he honestly may be a little too busy. His inclusion in theG.I. JoesequelG.I. Joe: Retaliationhelped make that franchise a hit, but a presumedG.I. Joe 3has been heavily delayed due toJohnson’s packed schedule. At this point, it looks like it may be quite a while before we see the movie make any progress.
In a recent interview withIRM, starByung-Hun Leewho playedStorm Shadowin both of theG.I. Joemovies, revealed that the studio would like to do a sequel, but scheduling the actors has been a big issue. Specifically, working aroundJohnson’s seemingly endless production schedule for various projects. Here is what he had to say.
“I heard from the studio that there’s a possibility to do the third one, but I think they’re waiting for the actors' schedules. They’re arranging the schedules for the actors, especially Dwayne Johnson.”
No doubt Paramount Pictures was riding high onMichael Bay’s firstTransformersmovie when they went into production onG.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which came out in 2009. The movie didn’t quite do what the studio was hoping it would, making $302 million worldwide from a very high $175 million production budget. The addition ofJohnsonto the sequel seemed to be a stroke of genius, because with a lower budget ($130 million),Retaliationmanaged to make quite a bit more, grossing $375 million worldwide. In the three years since,Johnson’s star power has only grown, so there is no doubt a third installment would do well, butThe Rock’s schedule is more ridiculous than anyone may realize.
His Disney animated featureMoanais due out later this year, which will lead right into a very busy year for 2017.Johnsonwill be starring inFast 8,BaywatchandJumanji, which is currently filming. He is also attached to star inJourney 3: From the Earth to the Moon, as well as playing Black Adam in the DC Comics-basedShazam!. Not to mention a sequel toSan Andreas,Shane Black’s upcomingDoc Savageadaptation and a supposed in-development remake ofBig Trouble in Little China. Oh, and his HBO showBallershas been renewed for a third season. So yeah, busy is a bit of an understatement, especially because many of the movies on this slate have sequel potential.
Paramount could really use some of the “franchiseViagra” thatJohnsonis known to provide. The studio has had a string of bombs this year includingTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the ShadowsandBen-Hur, and they are looking at losing $500 million dollars over the next twoThe Rockis nothing if not a bankable star. We will probably seeG.I. Joe 3at some point, just don’t expect it to be anytime in the near future.
