The magic of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart movies have proven their excellent onscreen chemistry, and they don’t have a single bad film together. Thanks to their compatible styles of humor and the tension created by their “odd couple” pairing, the two actors are endlessly entertaining to watch on screen, not to mention their drastically different heights, which is always mined for comedic gold. Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart starred together in five movies so far, and from broad comedies to family-friendly animated movies to blockbuster adventures, the Kevin Hart and The Rock movies vary in success.
Both stars come from different areas of entertainment, with Johnson starting as a wrestler and Hart finding success as a comedian. Johnson’s first film role was playing The Scorpion King in 2001’s The Mummy Returns, which opened the doors for him to become a full-blown action star. Hart had appeared in comedic supporting roles in the Scary Movie franchise and The 40-Year-Old Virgin before breaking through with 2014’s Ride Along. Somewhere along the way, a savvy producer decided Kevin Hart and The Rock movies could work, and to their credit, the comedic partnership has grossed billions worldwide.
Central Intelligence (2016)
The first of the Kevin Hart and The Rock movies is 2016’s Central Intelligence, which follows two former high school classmates reuniting. However, one is a CIA agent (Johnson) and the other is an accountant (Hart), and the accountant is forced into helping the CIA agent. Central Intelligence sees Johnson in his typical tough guy role, while Hart plays a surprisingly great straight man.
Despite the fact that it’s technically the worst of the Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart movies, Central Intelligence still received solid reviews. It holds a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the movie was the first to showcase how strongly the duo works as a team. Hart’s character being strong-armed into dangerous situations by The Rock began a winning formula.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
After helping to revitalize the Fast & Furious franchise, Johnson got a spinoff alongside Jason Statham. Hobbs & Shaw is based on the macho chemistry tension between Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw (Statham), which was displayed in Fate Of The Furious. The film was a commercial hit, grossing more than $700 million (via Box Office Mojo), though it was down from other entries in the series.
Hart makes a cameo in Hobbs & Shaw where he plays an air marshal. The air marshal helps out the titular characters, and though his inclusion is by no means essential to the story, his scene is one of the funniest moments in any of The Rock and Kevin Hart movies. However, without much interaction between the two in the 2019 movie, it can’t rank higher.
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
After the Jumanji reboot became a phenomenal hit, the sequel Jumanji: The Next Level was all but guaranteed. The 2019 movie sees Johnson return as video game avatar Xander Bravestone and Hart as Franklin “Mouse” Finbar, and Danny Glover and Danny DeVito have been added to the ensemble cast. Jumanji:The Next Level is a fun adventure that follows the 2017 film’s bodyswap formula. While that familiarity also robs it of some of the freshness the first movie had, seeing Johnson and Hart play off each other while doing their best impressions of DeVito and Glover is a high point.
DC League Of Super-Pets (2022)
Black Adam received a mixed reception, but the Kevin Hart and The Rock movie DC League of Super-Pets made up for it. The film focuses on the DC super-powered animals, including Johnson’s Krypto, who is Superman’s pet, and Hart’s Ace, Batman’s pet. They’re forced to save the day when the Justice League is kidnapped by Lex Luthor. The cast includes Keanu Reeves as Batman and John Krasinski as Superman. Though the movie lacks Johnson and Hart’s physical comedy, it’s a testament to how well they work together that the movie still oozes charisma and chemistry with just their vocal performances.
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2017)
Of all the Kevin Hart and The Rock movies, the most successful is Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which managed to kickstart a franchise for the duo. Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is the belated sequel to the 1995 adventure movie starring Robin Williams, and against all odds, the film turned out to be one of 2017’s most enjoyable blockbusters. The movie swaps out the Jumanji board game for a video game, with the story riffing on gaming mechanics and playing up the intentional one-note avatars of the teens trapped in the game.
Karen Gillan and Jack Black round out Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle’s cast, and while the film — like most Kevin Hart and The Rock movies — rides on cast chemistry over the story, there’s a genuine warmth to it. The 2017 release also grossed more than $995 million, which made it the duo’s biggest commercial hit together (via Box Office Mojo).
Upcoming The Rock & Kevin Hart Movies
The next Dwayne “The Rock Johnson and Kevin Hart movie together is unclear at this point, but there are a few sequels that could happen. Similar to the tease of Johnson and Henry Cavill going head-to-head in Black Adam, DC League of Super-Pets featured Black Adam and his dog in the post-credit scene. While Johnson’s live-action DC plans fell through, it’s possible he could return in an animated sequel alongside Hart. There is also a possibility of Johnson and Hart reteaming for a sequel to their first movie together with Central Intelligence 2.
What We Know About Jumanji 4
As Jumanji was the biggest hit out of the Kevin Hart and The Rock movies, fans can expect the franchise to continue. Jumanji producers confirmed that the sequel will move forward after Johnson and director Jake Kasdan wrap production on the movie Red One, a Christmas-themed action comedy. Johnson and Hart are expected to return alongside other main cast members Jack Black and Karen Gillan. The Jumanji 4 story hasn’t been revealed, but it will likely riff off of Jumanji: The Next Level‘s mid-credits scene, in which some of Jumanji’s animals escape into the real world.
This marks the first time in the reboot movies that anything from the game has crossed over into real life and signals a more direct return to the original Robin Williams movie. This also opens the possibility that Jumanji 4 will see the video game avatars (played by Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Johnson, and Hart) interact with the teenage kids who have been playing them. As for when Jumanji 4 could release, it’s likely not to happen for a while, as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart have several individual projects in development.