Trivia

> After the success of the first film, Walden Media and New Line Cinema purchased Richard Outten’s spec script, Mysterious Travels, in March 2009 to serve as the basis for the film. Outten has rewritten his original screenplay, transforming it into a second adventure in the franchise.
> Brendan Fraser and Anita Briem will not return due to scheduling issues, but Josh Hutcherson will reprise his role. Dwayne Johnson will play the boyfriend of Sean’s mother and is forced to come along on a trip with Sean to find his missing grandfather, played by Michael Caine, on a mythical and monstrous island. In October 2010, it was announced that Vanessa Hudgens will play Hutcherson’s love interest.
> The film was filmed at eight locations on Oahu, Hawaii, but predominantly in various parts of Waimea Valley and Kualoa Ranch. Filming also took place in Wilmington, North Carolina from January 10 to February 10, 2011.

Josh Says

I think, for me, the villain in the first one was almost that we had to get out of there in time before the lava rose up. I’m not sure Mother Nature was the villain at that time, but kind of. This time I think we’re going to go to a mysterious island, and there’s not going to be a specific villain again, but there is going to be that essence of needing to get out of there before something happens.

We were doing a scene at this place called Eternity Beach which is a beautiful location and there’s this little cave that we kind of go in and check out. We got into the cave and did that scene and cut and coming back out they were like, ‘Watch your heads?’ I was like, ‘Oh, I’m not that tall. I’m not going to hit on anything,’ but I stepped on a little bump, I guess and then I hit the top of my head so hard I fell straight to the ground. I didn’t remember the fall and stuff. I just remember hitting my head and then being on the ground. Then Dwayne was like, ‘Oh, my God, are you okay?’

We’ve been covered in mud now for most of the entire movie, which sounds like fun at the beginning, but then after about day thirty of being in mud it’s like, ‘I’m sort of over it.’ But we’ve been all these beautiful places and it’s usually really nice out.

I’m really proud to be the returning one, but the cast that we have now is such a cool hodgepodge of different cultures coming together with Michael Caine, Dwayne and Luis Guzman, this kind of whole weird, like, ‘What? HE’s in it and HE’s in it?’ So, it’s this cool mix and I’m really proud of it, for sure.

My suitcase coming here was five board shorts and five T-shirts and just mix and max the entire time. That’s all I wear. I have a house on the beach and it’s really nice everyday to come home from work and go swim in the ocean. I get up early and go for a surf in the morning. So, it’s really nice.