Paul Giamatti Boards Disney’s Jungle Cruise

Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti (Best Supporting Actor for Cinderella Man) has joined the cast of Disney’s forthcoming Jungle Cruise. The film already stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jesse Plemons, Jack Whitehall and Edgar Ramirez, making for one of the most interesting call sheets Hollywood has seen. This is quite a group of actors here, so the final product should be even more interesting, especially since the film is based on a Disneyland attraction of the same name. (Pirates, anyone?)

According to THR, Giamatti will play a crusty old harbormaster. The story follows Johnson’s character, Frank the boat captain, who takes Blunt’s Lily Houghton and her brother (Whitehall) on a mission into the Amazonian jungle to find a mysterious tree with healing powers. Of course, like all great expedition films, they must face wild animals, nature’s hardest elements and obviously a competing German group. This literally couldn’t sound more like a Disney film.

The Shallows director Jaume Collet-Serra helms the Amazonian adventure project, set in the early 20th century. Beau Flynn, John Davis and John Fox are producing along with Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia.

Giamatti reunites with Johnson after the pair co-starred in 2015’s San Andreas. The multiple Golden Globe winner (John Adams, Barney’s Version) currently stars in the third season of the Showtime drama Billions with Damien Lewis and Malin Akerman, which was recently renewed for a fourth.

Jungle Cruise starts shooting later in May, with production continuing throughout the summer.