Back in April, The Wrap wrote a report about the upcoming film “Red One.” In the report, it was theorized that the reason the budget for the film went to astronomical heights is because of Dwayne Johnson’s tardiness on set. The report stated that he would delay production all the time by just being extremely late. Well, to that, Johnson is now saying, “Bullshit.”

According to a new interview with GQ, Dwayne Johnson took exception to the report from The Wrap that stated that him being late to set somehow caused all these problems during the production of his new Christmas action film, “Red One.” He called the report “bullshit” and went on to admit that he was sometimes late to set, but it was never an issue.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Calls Report Of On-Set Issues During ‘Red One’ Production “Bullsh*t” at The Playlist.

Over the course of his career, filmmaker J.J. Abrams has only directed one feature that wasn’t already attached to a franchise. That film is 2011’s “Super 8.” And it would appear he might have another one coming soon, as was teased by none other than Dwayne Johnson.

READ MORE: 2024 Fall Film Preview: 50 Movies To Watch

In a post on Instagram, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shared an image of himself sitting with J.J.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Teaming Up With J.J. Abrams For A New Mystery Film at The Playlist.

It’s hard to believe, but the original “Moana” was released eight years ago. That’s a long time for a film that feels like it’s still relatively “new.” Alas, it’s been quite a while, which makes it the perfect time for Disney to release a sequel.

READ MORE: 2024 Fall Film Preview: 50 Movies To Watch

As seen in the trailer, “Moana 2” tells the story of the title character as she goes on another sea-faring adventure to go battle an evil entity to help bring her people together again.

Continue reading ‘Moana 2’ Trailer: Auli‘i Cravalho & Dwayne Johnson Reunite In Disney’s Upcoming Animated Sequel at The Playlist.

After first starting out as a series for Disney+, “Moana 2” is now a real full-blown feature-length film. This is thanks in part to Disney chief Bob Iger’s recommendation to turn the once Disney+ “Moana” series into a movie. Iger’s decision can be seen partly due to Disney’s recent pivot from Disney+ content to more theatrical releases.

Continue reading ‘Moana 2’ Trailer: Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho Return In The Anticipated Sequel Disney’s Beloved Animated Film at The Playlist.

Everyone needs their broad four-quadrant offering, even streamers. If Netflix had the mega budgeted “Red Notice” with Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds, now Amazon MGM has its analogous version with “Red One.” Also starring Dwayne Johnson opposite Chris Evans, “Red One” centers on two mismatched men—a bounty hunter and a lead security detail—who are assigned to retrieve a kidnapped target.

Continue reading ‘Red One’ Trailer:  Chris Evans & Dwayne Johnson Team Up To Save Santa Claus at The Playlist.

If it’s not evident from announcements made earlier this winter, Disney really tried to dazzle Wall Street and its investors on its fiscal first-quarter earnings call for 2024 (the stock spiked, so the gambit seemed to work). Disney CEO Bob Iger announced “Toy Story 5,” “Frozen 3,” and, of course, the surprise declaration of “Moana 2,” which is ready and coming out in the fall.

Continue reading ‘Moana 2’ Trailer: Dwayne Johnson & Auli’i Cravalho Return To Voice Disney’s Animated Sequel On November 27 [D23] at The Playlist.

I’ve been staring at the edge of the water…The story of “Moana 2” is indicative of where the movie industry is headed, and the short version is: back in theaters. Effectively, “Moana 2” was initially scheduled to be an animated series for Disney+. However, a few years after the pandemic, Disney realized the economics of streaming had changed in the eyes of Wall Street, and the company had to pivot back to theatrical releases as its core business.

Continue reading ‘Moana 2’ Trailer: Dwayne Johnson & Auliʻi Cravalho Return For Disney’s Animated Sequel In November at The Playlist.

Late last year, we were all surprised to hear that Benny Safdie was teaming up with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for a new film, “The Smashing Machine.” This marks the first time Benny Safdie directed a film without his brother, and a rare instance that The Rock was starring in a movie that doesn’t have a $200 million budget. And now, less than six months later, we have our first look at the film.

Continue reading ‘The Smashing Machine’ First Look: Dwayne Johnson Is Unrecognizable In Benny Safdie’s Upcoming Sports Drama at The Playlist.

For most of his career, Dwayne Johnson / The Rock has forged a reputation as a hardworking, dependable, likable actor with a boatload of charisma, leading superhero movies, actioners, and 4-quadrant friendly comedies. During his “Fast And Furious” days, Johnson butted heads with the franchise star Vin Diesel, reportedly over the latter’s lackadaisical schedule and unprofessional reputation. Yet, in an exclusive report from TheWrap, Johnson’s supposed sterling work ethic is being put into a different light.

Continue reading ‘Red One’: New Report Alleges Dwayne Johnson’s Tardy Behavior & Many Delays Led To Ballooning $250 Million Budget at The Playlist.

A “Jungle Cruise” reunion is in the works, and, no, it’s not “Jungle Cruise 2.” Instead, Variety reports that the co-leads of the Disney film may reunite for Benny Safdie‘s MMA biopic “The Smashing Machine,” with Emily Blunt in final talks to join the picture.  Dwayne Johnson was already aboard the project, Safdie’s solo directorial debut about MMA and UFC champion Mark Kerr.

Continue reading ‘The Smashing Machine’: Emily Blunt In Talks To Join Dwayne Johnson For Benny Safdie’s MMA Biopic at The Playlist.

It’s time to update our 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024 list because Amazon Studios has unveiled some of its release dates for next year on Prime Video. Whether some of these films will get theatrical releases is currently unknown, but the rule of thumb is: the bigger the picture and bigger the stars, the more likely it is (usually anyhow, next year may prove to be the exception; see below).

Continue reading Amazon Dates Jake Gyllenhaal’s ‘Roadhouse’ For March, ‘Red One’ With Chris Evans & The Rock For November & More at The Playlist.

Sometimes there’s a sentence you didn’t think you’d ever have to actually write. Something so strange, the thought of it never crossed your mind. However, when you hear it, it makes sense and suddenly gets you really, really excited. With that preamble out of the way, here you go—Benny Safdie is going to write and direct a new A24 sports drama starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Let that sink in for a second.

Continue reading ‘The Smashing Machine’: Dwayne Johnson To Star In Benny Safdie’s New Film From A24 at The Playlist.

When it was released, though it did have a big opening weekend, it was clear “Black Adam” wasn’t going to be the hit Warner Bros. Discovery hoped it would be. Sure, in retrospect, the box office gross for the film eclipsed that of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “The Flash,” but $393 million globally isn’t nearly enough to justify its oversized budget and marketing spend.

Continue reading ‘Black Adam’: Dwayne Johnson Says It’s “One Of The Biggest Mysteries” Why Film Isn’t Getting A Sequel at The Playlist.

The tease at the end of “Fast X” hinted at it, but now it’s official: THR reports that Dwayne Johnson will return to the “Fast And Furious” franchise for another installment. So does that mean Luke Hobbs will return for “Fast 11“? Not so fast: this new film isn’t that one, “Fast 12,” or even a spinoff like 2019’s “Hobbs and Shaw.” Instead, the movie will serve as a bridge between “Fast X” and its sequel, with other “Fast And Furious” also involved.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson To Return As Luke Hobbs For A New ‘Fast And Furious’ Movie at The Playlist.

If you caught “Fast X” in the theaters this weekend, you might have seen the return of a few familiar faces from the broader “Fast and the Furious” franchise. But one particular sequence may have surprised even the most optimistic franchise fans. In that scene — and spoiler alerts for those who treat mid-credit sequences with the gravitas of the preceding film — it is revealed that Luke Hobbs, the one-person army played by Dwayne Johnson, was back in the fold.

Continue reading How Director Louis Leterrier Orchestrated An Unlikely ‘Fast X’ Reunion at The Playlist.

Sure, “Black Adam” bombed at the box office. But that isn’t keeping Dwayne Johnson away from tentpole filmmaking anytime soon. Now, he’s reloaded and ready to bring “Moana” to life, again, but this time in live-action.

According to Disney and Johnson (who released a video talking about the project, seen below), the studio is in the early stages of bringing a live-action “Moana” to the big screen.

Continue reading ‘Moana’: Dwayne Johnson To Reprise His Role In Live-Action Remake Of Disney’s 2016 Hit at The Playlist.

At this point, it’s safe to call David F. Sandberg‘s “Shazam! Fury Of The Gods” a flop. It’s not a huge flop, but the movie’s opening weekend box-office numbers were, in a word, dismal. And it’s a mixed critical reception for the sequel to Sandberg’s 2019 film: a consensus shoulder shrug to its existence. Obviously, that’s not what Sanberg and star Zachary Levi wanted out of “Fury Of The Gods,” but it leaves the movie’s makers to wonder what they could have done differently.

Continue reading Zachary Levi Confirms ‘Shazam 2’ Post-Credits Scene With JSA Was “Thwarted” (By Dwayne Johnson) at The Playlist.

The highs and lows Zachary Levi must be experiencing have to be exhausting. In a matter of months, he went from having a highly-anticipated sequel to a breakout superhero film with “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” Then, it was revealed that his franchise has an unknown future thanks to DC Studios going with a soft reboot of the superhero universe. And then, the exciting release of his film eventually led to middling reviews and an abysmal box office opening (which he blamed on marketing, in a now-deleted tweet).

Continue reading Zachary Levi Seemingly Confirms News About Dwayne Johnson Killing ‘Black Adam’ & ‘Shazam 2’ Post-Credits Scenes at The Playlist.

Even though it’s only been in theaters for a week, it’s clear from the box office receipts, thus far, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is not going to be a massive hit during its theatrical run. That marks two DC films in a row that have greatly underperformed at the box office (the other being “Black Adam” back in October of last year). Interestingly, a new report offers a claim that perhaps Dwayne Johnson might have been a deciding factor in a number of things not only related to “Black Adam” but also the new ‘Shazam’ sequel. 

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Reportedly Nixed Post-Credits Scenes In ‘Black Adam’ & ‘Shazam 2’ That Would Have Linked The Franchises at The Playlist.

Even though “Black Adam” wasn’t the biggest bomb of 2022, it might be the most embarrassing, in hindsight. Not only was it a superhero film that did poorly with critics and underperformed at the box office, but it also was quickly dismissed by the new co-CEOs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, effectively erasing the best part about the film—the reintroduction of Henry Cavill as Superman.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Talks Negative ‘Black Adam’ Reviews & Not Being Part Of The New DCU: “That’s Just The Business Of It” at The Playlist.

Earlier this week, a piece in Variety had some insider info about Dwayne Johnson‘s rejected plans for the future of the DCU. Not long after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger in April, Johnson pitched a multiyear plan to new CEO David Zaslav directly that would lead to a showdown between Black Adam and Henry Cavill‘s Superman. Johnson’s move reportedly ruffled feathers internally.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Talks “Desire To Succeed, & Guts To Fail” While Hitting Back At DC Rejection Piece at The Playlist.

Gossip, rumor, melodrama, and more. DC Studios, formerly DC Films, did not have a good 2022. First, as Warner Bros. merged into Warner Bros. Discovery, there was a ton of disruption. The nearly complete “Batgirl” film was scrapped in August, signaling great change coming ahead, and a few months later, James Gunn and Peter Safran were then hired as the new co-executives of DC Films, and change became drastic.

Continue reading WB’s Toby Emmerich Wanted To Replace Henry Cavill As Superman In 2018, & More From Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Black Adam’ Bust at The Playlist.

Often, people (myself included) like to lump in all of the former wrestlers who have become actors into one category. It’s easy to write them off as muscly meatheads who star in terrible action films and give cringey performances. While that sort of sweeping generalization might be accurate for most of them, it’s not the case for all of them. You would probably agree with me when I put Dave Bautista in a separate category from the large majority of wrestlers-turned-actors.

Continue reading Dave Bautista Says He Doesn’t Want To Be Like Dwayne Johnson: “I Want To Be A Good F*cking Actor” at The Playlist.

As James Gunn and Peter Safran build a new path forward for DC Studios, they leave lots of upheaval in their wake.  Patty Jenkins‘ “Wonder Woman 3“? No more.  Henry Cavill? No longer Superman. A sequel to “Black Adam“? Not gonna happen, and Dwayne Johnson‘s tenure as the superhero is likely over, too.

Continue reading ‘Shazam!’s Zachary Levi Says Give DC Studios Chiefs A “F***ing Break” & Brushes Off Recasting Rumors at The Playlist.

Yesterday, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson decided to post an update about the “Black Adam” franchise. Keep in mind, the previous update was about how the film was profitable and things were looking good for the film, financially. Well, the new update was less optimistic, to put it lightly. Instead, Johnson thanked fans and announced that the “Black Adam” franchise was effectively dead, as it’s no longer part of the DC Studios plan moving forward.

Continue reading ‘Black Adam’: Expensive Reshoots After A Poor Test Screening Reportedly Increased Budget To $260 Million at The Playlist.