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Casting News: Dwayne Johnson to Star in Disney's Jungle Cruise Film

Plus, Lauren London and Jill Scott will star in a series from John Singleton.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has an exciting new gig lined up. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor is teaming up with Disney to translate a theme park ride, Jungle Cruise, to the silver screen.

The script for the new film is being written by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, the people behind Will Smith's recent blockbuster hit, Focus. Meanwhile, John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment are set to produce.

Jungle Cruise is one of Disneyland's original rides and takes park-goers on a one-of-a-kind journey into a variety of African settings including the Nile and Congo rivers. While on the ride, park-goers encounter wild animals like rhinos and hippos and even come across headhunters along the way. There's even a section where they visit the Amazon River and are greeted by a group of piranhas.

The studio tried to develop a film based on the popular ride in early 2011 involving Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, but the plans fell through. While that version was supposed to be given a modern twist, Johnson's take will take things back to the ride's period roots, including inspiration from movies such as 1951's The African Queen.

Speaking on the role, Johnson said, "[Disney production president] Sean Bailey and Disney have been awesome partners and now the fun part begins. We're starting to put in the work with Requa and Ficarra and our creative team. Fired up about this one. Here we go."
Meanwhile, Lauren London and Jill Scott will join John Singleton's television drama Snowfall, set during the beginnings of the crack-cocaine epidemic of the 1980s in Los Angeles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scott will play a mother who gave up her dreams to provide a better life for her son, while London will portray her hard-partying sister. 

Watch The Rock talk about starring in another Disney favorite, Hercules, in the BET.com original video below:

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(Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

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