Samoan American actor Dwayne Johnson (“Fast Five,” “Tooth Fairy”) and Filipina-Chinese American actress Vanessa Hudgens (“Beastly,” Disney’s “High School Musical” series) star in the highly anticipated 3D family adventure film JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. Filmed on location in Oahu, Hawaii, the film is the follow-up to the 2008 worldwide hit “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and also stars Josh Hutcherson (“The Kids are All Right”), Michael Caine (“The Dark Knight,”), Luis Guzmán (“Traffic”) and Kristin Davis (“Sex and the City”). “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” will be released in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX® on February 10. For more information about the film, visit http://www.themysteriousisland.com.
About “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island”
The new adventure begins when 17-year-old Sean Anderson (Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist. It’s a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean’s new stepfather, Hank (Johnson), joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Guzmán) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever. Shot in 3D, the film is directed by Brad Peyton from a screenplay by Brian Gunn & Mark Gunn, story by Richard Outten and Brian Gunn & Mark Gunn. It is produced by Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson, and Charlotte Huggins, who previously collaborated on “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Richard Brener, Michael Disco, Samuel J. Brown, Marcus Viscidi, Michael Bostick and Evan Turner serve as executive producers. The behind-the-scenes creative filmmaking team includes director of photography David Tattersall, production designer Bill Boes, editor David Rennie, costume designer Denise Wingate and Academy Award®-nominated visual effects supervisor Boyd Shermis. The music is composed by Andrew Lockington. “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” is a New Line Cinema presentation of a Contrafilm production and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Filming in Hawaii
“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” was filmed on location in Oahu, Hawaii and features such sites as Waimea Valley, Heeia Kea, China Walls, Kualoa Ranch and Halona Beach Cove. Though born in San Francisco, local hero Dwayne Johnson says, “I did a good part of my growing up in Hawaii, about an hour from where we were shooting, and it was wonderful to be back. In those days, when I was about 13 or 14, I loved watching movies and I had big dreams. So to come back to Hawaii and shoot a great adventure was really a blessing.”
About Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson has solidified himself as a global box office success with gross film revenues in excess of 2.1 billion dollars worldwide.
Born into a family of unique entertainers, Johnson had the opportunity to develop a grass roots understanding of the nuances of live performance as he watched his father and grandfather achieve success in the world of professional wrestling. Johnson later focused his natural athletic abilities on football and received a full scholarship to the University of Miami. He won his first National Championship with the team in 1991 and played again for the National Championship in 1992, closing out his illustrious football career by competing for a third National Championship in 1995 against the University of Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.
Upon graduation, Johnson turned his passion for entertainment into a life-changing career. Following in the footsteps of his World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame grandfather and father, he developed the iconic character ‘The Rock’ and performed to over 10 million fans a week on television, plus domestic and international live audiences that reached in excess of 70,000. Johnson consistently sold out venues such as the Houston Astrodome, Madison Square Garden and Toronto Sky Dome. He achieved unprecedented success, becoming a New York Times bestselling author for his autobiography, The Rock Says, as well as a platinum recording artist for his WWE compilation CD, performing with such artists as Wyclef Jean. In 2011, Johnson renewed his relationship with the WWE, bringing ‘The Rock’ persona to a new generation of wrestling fans. He was the host of WrestleMania XXVII and the main event for WWE’s November 2011 “Survivor Series” at Madison Square Garden. In April 2012, Johnson will be the star attraction at WrestleMania XXVIII, in his hometown of Miami, Florida. Johnson transitioned to film as the Scorpion King in the 2001 blockbuster “The Mummy Returns,” leading to his first starring role in “The Scorpion King” in 2002. That success led to subsequent leading roles in “The Rundown,” “Walking Tall” and “Gridiron Gang,” as well as an acclaimed standout performance in the ensemble hit “Be Cool.” He lent his voice to the animated feature “Planet 51,” returned to family comedy in “The Tooth Fairy,” and made his highly anticipated return to action in November 2010 with George Tillman’s feature “Faster.” Johnson most recently starred in “Fast Five,” the fifth and highest-grossing installment of the “Fast and Furious” franchise. He will reprise his role as U.S. Special Agent Luke Hobbs later this year on the franchise’s sixth and seventh installments, and in June 2012, will also be seen starring in Jon Chu’s “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” He recently wrapped production on Ric Roman Waugh’s action thriller “Snitch,” and is set to star in the adventure “Monster Hunters’ Survival Guide,” based on the popular comic book miniseries by John Paul Russ. Additionally, he will produce and star in a biopic of country music star Charlie Pride. A Celebrity Cabinet Member for The American Red Cross, Johnson has served on the National Advisory Board for The Make-A-Wish Foundation and the National Spokesperson for After School All-Stars (formerly The Arnold Schwarzenegger Youth Foundation). The Giving Back Fund recognized him in 2006 as one of the top 30 celebrities who made the largest public charitable donations and, in 2008, the United States Congress, the Joint Leadership Commission and the United States Congressional Award Foundation recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, given to an individual in the private sector who has contributed to expanding opportunities for all Americans through their own contributions, and has set exceptional examples for young people through their successes in life.
About Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens began her career in the world of musical theatre at the age of eight, with roles in such productions as “Evita,” “Carousel,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The King & I,” “The Music Man,” “Cinderella” and “Damn Yankees,” and most recently appeared as Mimi in a stage production of “Rent” at The Hollywood Bowl, directed by Neil Patrick Harris. The recognition Hudgens received for her early work quickly brought her to the screen, and she made her feature film debut in Catherine Hardwicke’s “Thirteen,” starring Holly Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood. Soon thereafter, she co-starred in the action-adventure film “Thunderbirds,” and was a recurring guest star on Disney Channel’s “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.” Her other television credits include appearances on “Quintuplets,” “The Brothers Garcia,” “Still Standing” and “Robbery Homicide Division.” It was Hudgens’ role in Disney Channel’s breakaway sensation “High School Musical” that garnered the most praise and attention. She played Gabrielle Montez, the sweet girl torn between her attraction to both basketball jock Troy Bolton and the school musical auditions. With critics and fans clamoring for more, Hudgens reprised her role in the highly successful follow ups, “High School Musical 2” and the feature film “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.” She then followed up those hits by starring in “Bandslam,” a film which centers around a high school misfit and a popular girl who form an unlikely bond through their love for music. Hudgens most recently starred in Zack Snyder’s “Sucker Punch” and in “Beastly,” a modern-day take on Beauty & the Beast. Her upcoming film projects include the Ron Krauss drama “Gimme Shelter,” Scott Walker’s thriller “The Frozen Ground,” with Nicolas Cage and John Cusack, and the crime drama “Spring Breakers.”