The only thing surprising here is that it took this long to get confirmed. New Line Cinema has decided to go ahead with the second sequel in the Journey saga, which started in 2008 as Journey to the Center of the Earth with Brendan Fraser as the lead and the soon-to-be-movie star Josh Hutcherson as his pesky nephew. That movie’s sequel, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, has Dwayne Johnson and his pesky step-son, still played by Hutcherson. Between these first two films, Warner Bros. (which owns New Line) has made $500 million off a combined budget around $120 million. And Mysterious Island‘s only been out for a month. You do the math.

The sequel’s director Brad Peyton and writers Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn have officially signed on for another sequel, with a hopeful 2014 fast-tracked release date in mind [THR]. No cast members have been confirmed as returning as of yet. No matter, one man’s Brendan Fraser is another man’s The Rock. What will be curious to watch is if Hutcherson will return for a third film, after the windfall his Hunger Games leading role will surely bring.

In regards to what’s next, Peyton commented, “we’re going to go to a completely different world. It’s just going to be a bigger experience and we’re going to grow the mythology.” And while the 3D in these films – not to mention the narrative – is rather stale and Dwayne Johnson will never be Kirk Douglas (who’s charm single-handedly saves Disney’s 1954 family adaptation of Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea), the constantly fresh locales and worlds (and, for that matter, cast members) allow this growing franchise to be something parents can look forward to, rather than dread.

What do you think of this Journey franchise? Is Jules Verne spinning in his literary grave?

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