The Journey franchise began with Journey to the Centre of the Earth, and continued with its sequel Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Both films were hugely successful, and with the introduction of Dwayne Johnson in the second film, they fast became box office successes, picked up legions of fans, and looked on track to follow the classic film franchise formula for continued success.
Shortly after the success of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, a following sequel was announced which promised to be even bigger and better: Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon. Unfortunately, this project was paused shortly after, and then the announcement came that the film was no more. Here’s everything we know about the sequel and why it didn't happen.
Script Difficulties and Actor Commitment Issues
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One of the first problems that was encountered by the Journey franchise was the curse of a lack of script for developing the project further. Johnson revealed in 2018 that the lack of a solid script was a large reason for his not being involved in the project. There was initial speculation that writers Chad and Carey W. Hayes would be tied to the film. This could have been exciting, given their previous work in films such as The Conjuring and House of Wax, representing the possibility for the script to change to be more mature or have horror themes which were not fully explored before. This creative direction was eventually scrapped for reasons unclear. Naturally, difficulties such as these meant that actors were hesitant to be tied to the project since it didn’t seem to be fully coming into fruition. It would have been interesting, however, to see what direction the Hayes Brothers could have taken the film in.
Dwayne Johnson’s Popularity Surged
Dwayne Johnson first gained huge popularity under his stage name The Rock. He initially appeared as a wrestler for WWE, where he wrestled for eight years and became one of the most famous wrestlers to ever be on the show, developing a huge following and growing in popularity year after year. This led to a continued career in film, beginning in 2002 when he starred in The Scorpion King, which then led to further success, allowing him to leave WWE altogether and act in Hollywood full time.
When Johnson joined the franchise in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, his career was only just beginning to gain the momentum that it has today. The years following Journey 2 saw Johnson take on several huge projects, like Fast & Furious 6, Hercules, San Andreas, and Moana, to name a few. It’s clear that his schedule was becoming more and more packed, and without a script for Journey 3, the possibility of a sequel was put to the back of his to-do list. Despite director Peyton frequently stating in interviews that he did not have any plans for the franchise to end, the lack of Johnson’s presence would have likely thrown a wrench in the plans. Johnson eventually confirmed on Twitter that he would not be returning, which present the ultimate challenge for the film since he was an integral part to its success and general appeal. While responding to his fans, the actor stated that the reason behind the cancelation was the script and his busy work schedule.
There’s an Online Petition for the Project to be Resurrected
Understandably, fans were not happy with the decision for the film to be shelved, and Johnson’s announcement that he would not be returning in 2018 caused even further disappointment. The original director for the film was supposed to be Brad Peyton, and after having huge successes like San Andreas and Rampage, we can understand why fans were sad about missing out on this opportunity. In today’s world, fans have access to the internet and can be very vocal about their upset for these kinds of things. This has resulted in the setting up of a petition, which call for Dwayne Johnson and Brad Peyton to be attached to the film again, which you can find here.