Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” movie reportedly includes not only a gay character but a scene in which the person is fairly candid about their personal experiences.
Sources who reportedly attended a test screening of the upcoming blockbuster last week told TMZ Thursday that the movie avoids the word “gay” in a scene that features Jack Whitehall’s character, McGregor, coming out of the closet. He opens up about his relationships struggles with women to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s character. (RELATED: ‘Black Panther’ Is A Quasi-Religious Atonement For White Guilt)
The Disney logo is displayed outside the Disney Store in Times Square, December 14, 2017 in New York City. The Walt Disney Company announced on Thursday morning that it had reached a deal to purchase most of the assets of 21st Century Fox. The deal has a total value of around $66 billion, with Disney assuming $13.7 billion of Fox’s net debt. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Insiders shared that Whitehall’s character revealed his dating history and makes it very clear to Johnson that he’s not interested in being with women. His character explained how his family tried “arranged” marriages, but he didn’t want to be with any of them or any woman. (RELATED: Disney Announces Full Cast Of Live-Action ‘Lion King’ Reboot)
At one point, Whitehall’s character shared that Emily Blunt’s character (his sister in the film) is the only one who accepts him and loves him no matter who the “person” is that he loves.
This all on the heels of Disney getting pushback from the LGBTQ community on the casting of Whitehall due to the fact that he’s a straight man playing a gay character. (RELATED: Disney Celebrates Gay Pride Month With Rainbow Mickey Ears)
“Based on Disneyland’s theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles, but with a supernatural element,” description about the film reads on IMDb. (RELATED: Disney cuts funding for Boy Scouts due to policy on gay adult leaders)
This is not the first time the studio has pushed a gay storyline in its feature films. In 2017, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” character Gaston and his side-kick LeFou, played by actor Josh Gad, share what was described as a “a nice, exclusively gay moment” in the movie.
“LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston,” film director Bill Condon explained at the time. “He’s confused about what he wants. It’s somebody who’s just realizing that he has these feelings.”
“Jungle Cruise” is set to hit theaters Summer 2020.