Last December, Deadline claimed that Dwayne Johnson’s Amazon movie “Red One,” dated for November 15, 2024, had tested twice and that scores were “through the roof.”
I automatically stamped a red flag on this report given that it was the opposite of what I’d been hearing and that, more than likely, Amazon was leaking to the press ahead of some kind of inevitable crisis that was about to hit the film.
Well, lo and behold, that crisis has arrived. A bombshell report from The Wrap is saying that the budget on “Red One” ballooned to $250 million in recent months. The claim is that Johnson is to blame for this. Apparently, the actor was frequently late to the set, 7-8 hours on average, and sometimes he just wouldn’t show up, which caused costs of around $50M.
Insiders told TheWrap that Johnson showed up as much as eight hours late to set on the movie — forcing the crew to shoot around him on some days. On previous films, Johnson has made a habit of peeing in a water bottle to save time, upsetting crew members.
“Dwayne truly doesn’t give a f–k,” one insider bluntly said.
In fact, The Wrap says Johnson has developed a reputation in the industry for his lateness and lack of professionalism on set, according to multiple insiders they spoke to. Past productions rattled by Johnson’s sudden on-set absence include “Baller” “Rampage,” and “Red Notice.” in the latter his tardiness led to a “huge fight” with co-star Ryan Reynolds.
Said one “Red One” insider: “The only thing Dwayne was consistent at was being chronically late.” Oh, and, not joking here, he was also prone to peeing in water bottles during the shoot, to refrain from going to the bathroom, and asking crew to get rid of it.
The examples of Johnson’s tardiness are numerous and well-documented, from showing up late to fan events to leaving entire sets idle while he was off doing three-hour workouts.
Last winter, Jeff Sneider sounded the alarm on this one, reporting he’d heard that the film was “an unmitigated disaster,” comparing it to M. Night Shyamalan’s “Lady in the Water” and describing it as “what ChatGPT’s idea of what a commercial, four-quadrant film should be.”
They’re trying to create a new Lord of the Rings-type mythology, just like Lady in the Water attempted a new mythology, but it just doesn’t work […] lack of chemistry between the two leads. […] I’m totally shocked at how bad this film is, and the damage is too deep to do reshoots.
Sneider’s source added that the film was all but done and that Amazon wanted it ready in time for this Christmas, but it turned out to be “a big lump of coal” instead.
“Red One” is directed by Jake Kasdan, he directed Johnson’s two ‘Jumanji’ movies, “Bad Teacher,” “Sex Tape,” and “Walk Hard.”
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.