With The Day After Tomorrow director Roland Emmerich now pursuing (slightly) more serious fare than his usual effects-driven blockbusters, there has been a certain deficiency of big-budget disaster thrillers at the box office lately. And unless you count the found-footage film Into the Storm, this summer won’t offer much for fans of the subgenre. The summer of 2015, however, is a different story. In June of next year, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will star in an epic disaster thriller titled San Andreas, which explores what happens when a colossal, long-dreaded earthquake devastates the West Coast.
In addition to offering plenty of jaw-dropping sequences of destruction and explosive action scenes, San Andreas may also offer some moments of genuine drama, if its strong cast is any indication. Today, Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) signed on for the film, joining Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Colton Haynes, Art Parkinson, Archie Panjabi, Morgan Griffin and Todd Williams.
Gruffudd is set to play Daniel Reddick, a “wealthy real estate developer who’s engaged to Johnson’s ex-wife” (Gugino). Based on that, it doesn’t sound like he’s playing one of the good guys, but it will be interesting to see Johnson face off with an actor better known for his dramatic depth than his physical presence.
In San Andreas, Johnson plays a rescue-chopper pilot who embarks on a dangerous journey across California in the wake of The Big One in order to find his estranged daughter (Daddario). He’s joined on the perilous trip by his ex-wife, who begins to reconnect with him as they endure numerous challenges.
Brad Peyton (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) will direct from a script by Allan Loeb (21), Carlton Cuse (Lost), Carey and Chad Hayes (The Conjuring), Jeremy Passmore (Vice) and Andre Fabrizio (The Prince). San Andreas begins shooting in Australia this June, with a release date of June 5th, 2015.
