The numerous Kevin Hart and The Rock movies have proven their excellent onscreen chemistry, thanks to their compatible styles of humor and the inherent tension created by their “odd couple” pairing. Often, their differences in size are mined for comedic gold. Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart starred together in five movies thus far, from board comedies to family-friendly animated movies to blockbuster adventures, with each Kevin Hart and The Rock movie varying in success.
Both stars come from different areas of entertainment, with Johnson starting out 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 in movies like Fast Five and San Andreas. Hart had appeared in comedic supporting roles in the Scary Movie franchise and The 40-Year-Old Virgin before breaking through as a leading man 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 works very well.
5. Central Intelligence (2016)
The first of Kevin Hart and The Rock’s movies is 2016’s Central Intelligence, where two former high school classmates reunite when one is a CIA agent (Johnson) while the other is an accountant (Hart). Central Intelligence coasts off its casting as Johnson’s career of tough guy roles makes his teddy bear character so much funnier while Hart works surprisingly well as the straight man. This smart choice helped Central Intelligence get a strong 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating. The issue is the film around them is a generic buddy comedy featuring a plot so forgettable it’s easy to imagine the filmmakers didn’t really care about it either.
4. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
After helping to reinvigorate the Fast & Furious franchise, Johnson got his own spinoff alongside Jason Statham. Hobbs & Shaw is based on the macho chemistry tension between Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw, which was displayed in Fate Of The Furious. The film was a commercial hit, grossing more than $700 million (via Box Office Mojo) and Hart makes a cameo in Hobbs & Shaw, where he plays an Air Marshall who helps out the titular characters. His inclusion is by no means essential to the story, but he appears in one of the funnier scenes in Kevin Hart and The Rock movies.
3. Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
After the Jumanji reboot was an unexpected smash hit, the sequel Jumanji: The Next Level was all but guaranteed. It sees Johnson return as video game avatar Xander Bravestone and Hart is Franklin “Mouse” Finbar, while Danny Glover and Danny DeVito are new additions to the cast line-up. The Next Level is a fun adventure that follows the basic template of the 2017 film. However, that familiarity also robs it of some of the freshness the first movie had, leading to a lower 71% Rotten Tomatoes score. However, seeing Johnson and Hart play off each other while doing their best impressions of DeVito and Glover was a high point.
2. DC League Of Super-Pets (2022)
The Rock’s Black Adam movie wasn’t quite as big a success as the DC animated Johnson and Hart film. DC League of Super-Pets focuses on the super-powered animals in the world of DC, including Johnson’s Krypto and Hart’s Ace. These pets are forced to save the day when the Justice League is kidnapped by Lex Luthor. The voice cast also includes Keanu Reeves as Batman and John Krasinski as Superman. Even if the movie lacks the fun of seeing Johnson and Hart’s physical comedy chemistry, it is a testament to how well they work together that the movie is still a hit with just their vocal performances.
1. Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2017)
The most successful Kevin Hart and The Rock movie managed to kick off 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, it turned out to be one of 2017’s most purely enjoyable blockbusters. It swapped out the Jumanji board game for a video game instead, with the story having a lot of fun with 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 story, there’s a genuine warmth to it too. It 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. However, the most likely project where the actors will meet again is Jumanji 4.
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 go on into the future. Jumanji producers confirmed that the sequel will move forward after Johnson and director Jake Kasdan wrap production on their movie Red One. Johnson and Hart are expected to return alongside the other main cast members. The story for Jumanji 4 hasn’t been revealed yet, but it would likely riff off of Jumanji: The Next Level‘s mid-credits scene, in which Spencer’s mom and a mechanic get sucked into the game, and 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 little while yet, as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart have other projects they are currently working on.