Universal Pictures has released a new featurette for Skyscraper. Dwayne Johnson has undeniably set himself as one of the most bankable movie stars on the planet. Not only can he breath new life into franchises such as the Fast and Furious and Jumanji, but he also has a knack for getting audiences to turn up for his original works as well. Skyscraper certainly appears to be an homage to several action classics that have come before it, but it's an original movie coming out in the middle of a summer back with reboots, sequels and franchise fare. Now, we have a new look at the upcoming action flick.
The featurette showcases footage that was mostly used for the movie's second trailer, but the appeal comes from seeing The Rock discuss Skyscraper, alongside several of the producers as well as writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber. They give a window into the characters who are in play during the events that transpire in this movie as well as what they wanted to accomplish. They want Dwayne Johnson to seem vulnerable while also providing us with some ambitious action sequences.
Dwayne Johnson has said numerous times that Skyscraper serves as an homage to movies like Die Hard and The Towering Inferno. Those influences are very clear in this featurette, but it doesn't appear as though this is an expensive rip-off of sorts. This looks like a big studio putting a lot of money behind a big star in the hopes of giving moviegoers who may be fatigued with franchise-heavy summer offerings something on that scale, only a little more original. At least in the sense that it's not connected to some other franchise or recognizable brand.
Rawson Marshall Thurber previously collaborated with Dwayne Johnson on the action/comedy Central Intelligence, which was a reasonably big hit that brought in $216 million at the box office. While this movie is clearly ditching the comedic element, it's heavy on the action and proves that Thurber and Johnson enjoy collaborating with one another. The pair recently sold their original thriller Red Notice, which will co-star Gal Gadot, after the movie became subject to a major, multi-studio bidding war. That seems to bode well for Skyscraper.
Neve Campbell, Chin Han and Pablo Schreiber help round out the cast. The movie is set to arrive in theaters on July 13, positioning its release just a week after Ant-Man and the Wasp and a week before The Equalizer 2 and Mama Mia: Here We Go Again. The following week sees Mission: Impossible - Fallout arrive. Needless to say, Dwayne Johnson will be facing down some heavy competition. However, we should know by now to never underestimate the power he has on moviegoers. He's a hardworking dude and people love to watch him do his thing. Be sure to check out the new Skyscraper featurette, courtesy of Universal Pictures, for yourself below.
