Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Jungle Cruise.
Disney's Jungle Cruise leaves several unanswered questions and mysteries for the potential sequel to address. The film brings the popular theme park ride to the big screen, with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt leading the way as Skipper Frank Wolff/Captain Francisco Lopez de Heredia and botanist Dr. Lily Houghton respectively. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the film follows a group of travelers through an Amazon riverboat ride in search of the mysterious Tears of the Moon. Lily, alongside her brother, MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) is determined to find the mythical tree as she believes it has unparalleled healing powers that can change the world.
Plans to adapt the Jungle Cruise ride into a feature film started all the way back in 2004 after Disney saw significant success with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. However, it remained stagnant until 2011 when an entirely different version with either Tom Hanks or Tim Allen fell through. It wouldn't be until 2015/2016 that Johnson and Blunt were officially hired for the project, while the rest of Jungle Cruise's cast was finalized in 2018. Filming started the same year, with the intention of releasing the film in theaters in 2020. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, Disney was forced to push it back a year and opted for a hybrid release instead, dropping it on cinemas and Disney+ with Premier Access on the same day.
Overall, Jungle Cruise presented a more or less complet story. Frank was finally able to break out of the curse, Aguirre (Édgar Ramírez) and his men were neutralized when they turned into stone, and Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons) was killed in his quest for the Tears of the Moon. Lily officially became a professor in Cambridge, and together with MacGregor, Frank, and Proxima, they all lived in London. That being said, there are several loose plot ends that the film left, some of them could ultimately be answered in Jungle Cruise 2's story.
How Exactly Did The Arrowhead Get to London?
At the beginning of Jungle Cruise, the Houghton siblings came up with a plan to acquire the arrowhead — the key in locating the Tears of the Moon by asking permission from the Royal Anthropological and Diverse Adventures Society. Once that fell through, Lily took it into her own hands and opted to steal it instead from the secured chambers where she's not allowed in. The film revealed that the artifact was recovered by Dr. Albert Falls, but it never revealed how and where exactly he acquired it.
Why Does Lily Fear Water So Much?
Throughout Jungle Cruise, Lily was established as a risk-taker who cannot be dissuaded once she decides on doing something. Despite the dangers of pursuing the Tears of the Moon as repeatedly pointed out by MacGregor, Blunt's heroine was nothing but keen on finishing her self-imposed mission. One thing, however, that she's extremely afraid of is water. Her brother revealed that it's because she cannot swim, but considering her courageous nature, it's unclear why she's never learned the skill. Perhaps it's due to a traumatic experience in the past — something that the sequel could further explore.
What Happened to Aguirre’s Daughter?
Jungle Cruise had two villains. Prince Joachim, who's outright evil and wanted to use the Tears of the Moon to win World War I and amass more power, and Aguirre, whose motivation to seek the mythical tree came from a good place. As revealed by Frank to Lily, the conquistador was originally seeking the Tree to save her ailing daughter. But since he's been cursed by the natives' chief for forcefully demanding the arrowhead, he and his men had been trapped in the forest for all of eternity. Jungle Cruise, however, never revealed what happened to Aguirre's daughter in the years that followed after his tragedy.
What Happened to The Tribe Leader’s Daughter?
After Aguirre stabbed the tribe chief for refusing to give up the secret to the Tears of the Moon, his daughter kept the arrowhead safe by running away from the commotion. This was the last sighting of the artifact before it popped up in London centuries later. With Dr. Falls' experience recovering the arrowhead unknown, Jungle Cruise did not also reveal any additional information as to what happened to the chief's daughter.
How Come Frank Doesn’t Have Money?
Despite his seemingly thriving business as a skipper in Jungle Cruise, Frank was still strapped for cash, owing money to the town's big businessman, Nilo Nemolatto (Paul Giamatti). He was in such debt that his boat's engine was even briefly confiscated. However, according to his story, he pretty much built the settlement; surely, then, he could've earned money to at least live a comfortable life. If anything, he should've been able to save enough funds since he'd already been working for at least a couple of centuries.
What Does Frank Do In London?
The end of Jungle Cruise saw Frank move to London. As Lily promised, she would show him and Proxima all the sights in the city. It's the feel-good ending that one would expect from a Disney movie, but what does Frank do in London after hitting up all the must-see places? He is centuries old and has mostly dedicated his life to be a skipper after he was cursed, how can he have a normal life in London separate from Lily?
Can Aguirre Still Come Back?
Frank willingly sacrificed himself by crashing his boat and blocking the river which resulted in him, Aguirre, and his men turning into stone. Lily using the petal on him, however, not only revived but also effectively broke the curse on him. The heroes then left the rest of the conquistadors in their hardened state, but who's to say that they, too, won't be saved, whether accidentally or intentionally in the future? If the petal was able to resurrect Frank, chances are that it could also work on his fellow Spaniards.
What Did Lily Do To The Last Tears of The Moon Petal?
The whole story of Jungle Cruise was kicked off with Lily's motivation to find the Tears of the Moon. After countless hurdles and near-death experiences, she was finally able to find it, and while she used the first petal to save Frank, the tree bloomed again one last time so she can get another leaf. Based on MacGregor's speech in front of the Society, it sounds like Lily did announce that she successfully acquired the mythical petal, but it's uncertain what exactly she did to it. This particular question could very well be the jumping point for the sequel, with Lily, Frank, and MacGregor further discovering the secrets of the Tree.
Will They Return To The Amazon For Jungle Cruise 2?
Johnson has revealed that discussions for Jungle Cruise 2 have started at Disney and based on the aforementioned lingering mysteries, they don't have a scarcity of narratives to explore in the potential sequel. The question is if they'll find their back to the Amazon in the proposed follow-up or their new adventure takes them somewhere else. Assuming it's the former, then it would be easy for the next Jungle Cruise film to incorporate Aguirre and his conquistadors back into the narrative.