The Rock in Space Mountain? With New Deal, Dwayne Johnson Is a Bonafide Disney Prince
Brian Welk
Do Disneyland’s Blue Bayou patrons smell what The Rock is cooking?
Dwayne Johnson and his production banner Seven Bucks Productions have signed a multi-year, first-look film deal with Disney, IndieWire has confirmed. The unique agreement also includes a carveout that opens the door to seeing a lot more of The Rock across Disney’s brands.
Johnson and his partner Dany Garcia will develop films for theatrical and streaming, and it’s possible that Johnson could star in those movies. He’s already starring in the live-action “Moana” opening July 10, 2026, and he’ll be back for the animated “Moana 2” coming out this November.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
There is also a cross-platform element to this deal that would let Seven Bucks create content across multiple divisions with The Walt Disney Company. Think theme parks and ESPN. Heck, maybe The Rock’s face gets plastered all over Walt Disney World or his Teremana tequila becomes heavily featured on Disney’s cruise ships. Maybe Johnson is the first legit Disney prince. (Apologies to Prince Eric and all of Disney’s other very secondary male characters.)
We’ll see, but if Johnson starring in a “Jungle Cruise” movie wasn’t enough, there is now (more) opportunity for a Space Mountain movie or a Disney+ series based on It’s a Small World. Maybe Johnson will architect a future Moana ride at Disneyland. Hell, maybe he just straight-up replaces Mickey Mouse.
Disney’s ESPN already is a broadcast partner for the UFL, the alternative pro-football league Johnson co-owns with Garcia and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital Partners. Disney is always looking for more content for ESPN+, not to mention a standalone ESPN streamer launching in 2025, so having Johnson produce some UFL content for that seems like a no-brainer as well.
Johnson and Seven Bucks have bounced around both studios and franchises. He went the action-comedy route in a bunch of movies with Kevin Hart and did two “Jumanji” sequels at Sony. He tried his hand at being a superhero in “Black Adam” for DC, and he’s now heading back to the indie space for Benny Safdie and A24’s “The Smashing Machine,” portraying UFC champion Mark Kerr.
Johnson will next be seen in the holiday movie for Amazon Prime Video, “Red One,” and Johnson he’ll almost certainly make a “Red Notice” sequel for Netflix. It’s the streamer’s biggest movie ever.
Variety first reported the news of the deal.
