Netflix has confirmed that it has acquired Ball and Chain, the new superhero film that stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson.
The streaming giant formally made the announcement through its official website, while also sharing the news through its official Twitter page.
.@TheRock + Emily Blunt = the duo you need
BALL AND CHAIN — a film about married superheroes whose powers only work when they're together — is coming to Netflix! Starring Johnson & Blunt, the comic book adaptation will be written by Oscar-nominee @emilyvgordon
📸Hiram Garcia pic.twitter.com/3KxbkfQZ53
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) May 14, 2020
According to the press release, Ball and Chain will have Dwyane Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia as its producers for Seven Bucks Productions, as well as Kevin Misher for Misher Films and Emily Blunt for Ledbury Productions. Andy Berman for Misher Films and Scott Lobdell are set to be the films’ executive producer.
As for the screenplay, Oscar-nominated scribe Emily V. Gordon, of Little America fame, will do the honor of adapting the story from the original 1990s comics written by Scott Lobdell.
From comics to big screen
As mentioned earlier, the live-action superhero film will be adapted from Ball and Chain, the four-part comic book series created and written by Scott Lobdell, and illustrated by Ale Garza and Richard Bennett.
The plot of the original comics revolves around married couple Edgar and Mallory Bulson whose marriage is on the rocks.
Just when they were about to get a divorce, a meteor strike unexpectedly gives them superpowers. The catch is, however, that their superpowers will only work if they are together.
Netflix and the movie’s stars and production crew will now try to translate that intriguing dynamic—to say the least—from the comic pages to streaming screens everywhere.
In #BallAndChain, Emily Blunt and I will play a married couple on the verge of divorce, who become blessed with superpowers that only work when we’re together.
Written by Oscar nominee @emilyvgordon, who’s also a licensed couples therapist 👀@netflix 🌎https://t.co/l6yiAYkGsy— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) May 14, 2020
Two stars reunited
The unique premise of the film should give another opportunity for the stars Emily Blunt and Dwyane Johnson to work together again.
The two are already starring together in Disney’s Jungle Cruise, which is slated for release next year after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Jungle Cruise, Blunt plays a doctor who partners up reluctantly with a boat captain portrayed by Johnson to cruise through the Amazon river in order to find a tree that possesses healing properties.
As seen on the trailer, the two stars look to be having fun playing characters with a love and hate relationship.
With Ball and Chain, both should get another chance next year at entertaining audiences with this sort of dynamic.
The movie’s cast will also include Jesse Plemons, Edgar Ramirez from The Last Days of American Crime, Jack Whitehall, and the great Paul Giamatti from Billions.
Despite the pandemic, both Blunt and Johnson have been keeping busy. Blunt has already finished filming A Quiet Place Part II and is now in post-production with Wild Mountain Thyme. As for Johnson, his recent Jumanji: The Next Level is a certified worldwide hit, and he is now shooting Red Notice for Netflix with Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman 1984) and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool).
Featured image courtesy of Netflix