Warner Bros. is not going home because they are aiming big with Central Intelligence. The first teaser trailer proves there’s nothing small about teaming up the larger than life action star Dwayne Johnson (Furious 7; San Andreas; Hercules) with the widely popular comedian actor Kevin Hart (Think Like a Man Too; Grudge Match). Expectations for success should be high with this dynamic duo, but the film may flounder when they go up against Finding Dory in the same weekend next summer.

Marketing teams are becoming wise beyond their years. Using the last names of Hart and Johnson not only for the purpose of size jokes but also capitalizing on the fact that they can stand in for body parts too. Revolutionary. Genius. Beyond being blown away by this revelatory discovery, the Central Intelligence teaser is pretty funny. The story isn’t quite revealed, but the concept with these two actors has my interest.

Dwayne Johnson is a solid action star, but when you toss him into a comedy like this his performance only heightens thanks to his WWE roots. Kevin Hart, on the other hand, recently can’t seem to shed his funny man sidekick typecast i.e. Ride Along, Get Hard, The Wedding Ringer, and About Last night. His performances and comedic timing are great, but I wish he would step into more roles outside this comfort zone.

Director Rawson Marshall Thurber’s We’re the Millers is surprisingly delightful despite its faults and Dodgeball is hysterically smart. Central Intelligence definitely brings in his meta sensibility with dialogue and action that seemingly understands it’s an action-comedy. This is the first feature film screenplay from Ike Barinholtz who is known best for writing and starring in Mad TV. He penned Central Intelligence with his writing partner David Stassen – both have written episodes for The Mindy Project. So there’s a lot of funny guys behind this action comedy that should make for a good time at the cinemas.

And if Central Intelligence ends up being a flop, we can at least have this nice image to walk away with:

Here’s the official plot synopsis for Central Intelligence, courtesy of Warner Bros.:

The story follows a one-time bullied geek who grew up to be a lethal CIA agent (Johnson), coming home for his high school reunion. Claiming to be on a top-secret case, he enlists the help of the former “big man on campus” (Hart), now an accountant who misses his glory days. But before the staid numbers-cruncher realizes what he’s getting into, it’s too late to get out, as his increasingly unpredictable new friend drags him through a world of shoot-outs, double-crosses and espionage that could get them both killed in more ways than he can count.

Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, Central Intelligence stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Amy Ryan, Danielle Nicolet, Bobby Brown, and Aaron Paul. The film hits theaters on June 17, 2016.

Source: Warner Bros.