Like many Hollywood superstars before him, Dwayne Johnson has crafted an inner circle of regular collaborators that he works with on multiple projects, and Jake Kasdan has proven to be one of the most fruitful creative partnerships the A-lister has struck up.
The filmmaker directed Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and sequel The Next Level, both of which earned strong reviews from critics and massive approval from audiences after delivering back-to-back blockbuster smash hits packed to the gills with action, adventure, heart, and humor, as well as a cumulative box office haul north of $1.7 billion.
That’s a lot better than The Rock’s two-film stint with Jaume Collet-Serra, which saw Jungle Cruise underperform in theaters due to the pandemic, before Black Adam turned out to be such a colossal disappointment that it saw Johnson kicked out of the DCU to leave his dreams of changing the hierarchy of power in tatters.
The 50 year-old’s next team-up with Kasdan won’t have to worry about selling tickets, though, but his presence as the person behind the camera on Prime Video’s festive frolic Red One is generating as much enthusiasm among fans as it is the leading man.
Kasdan hasn’t helmed a feature since The Next Level, but if Red One can match the sheer entertainment value of Johnson’s two rainforest romps, then subscribers are in for a treat. Screenwriter Chris Morgan also delivered some of the star’s greatest successes through his contributions to the Fast & Furious franchise, so the early prognosis is that there’s more than enough potential to deliver a crowd-pleaser of the highest quality.