The 90s family classic Jumanji is about to get a reboot, bringing the board game adventure up-to-date with the introduction of computer game avatars as the framework for the plot. With the fantastical and wild nature of the original film, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle was always going to be pretty outlandish and with the arrival of the full trailer below we can see just how far-fetched the new film has turned out.
While the film looks set to reboot the series for a new generation of young cinemagoers, it’s actually sort of a sequel to the 1995 film, so if you missed it the first time around you can find out more here. Following in the footsteps of greats Robin Williams and Joe Johnston isn’t going to be easy, but with Dwayne Johnson (Baywatch (2017)), Kevin Hart (Get Hard), Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda 3) and Karen Gillan (Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2) leading the cast, it’s got some big hitting stars behind it to compensate a little.
Release date
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle has been slated for a UK release date of Tuesday the 26th December 2017, following on from its slightly earlier US release on the 20th. Coming out on Boxing Day in the UK puts it firmly in contention for holiday box office domination with its family fun setup and adventure storyline, but it’ll have a little competition from Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman, which will be in cinemas a week later.
Story
This time around, the story focuses on four high school kids that all manage to land detention on the same day with the punishment being to clear out the school junkyard basement. Spencer is the quiet kid, Fridge is the jock football player, Bethany is the school it-girl wannabe and Martha is pretty sloth like in her outlook on life, so they make for a slightly random group to come together.
Things start to get a bit weird when they stumble on an old computer game edition of the board game Jumanji. No sooner have they created their avatars for the game do they get sucked into the screen to find themselves changed into their characters in a giant jungle of mayhem. Spencer becomes a hulking explorer, Fridge turns into a shorter than most genius, Bethany becomes a middle-aged and slightly podgy professor and Martha turns into an Amazonian warrior, so it’s pretty much a role reversal situation for them all.
Cast
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black lead the avatar side of the cast when the teenagers get sucked into the Jumanji computer game. Their detention originals are played by Alex Wolff as Spencer, Ser’Darius Blain as Fridge, Madison Iseman as Bethany and Morgan Turner as Martha.
The film also stars one half of the Jonas brothers, Nick, along with Bobby Cannovale (Ant-Man) and the inimitable, but easily mimicked Rhys Darby (The Flight Of The Conchords, Arthur Christmas).
Production
The reboot/sequel has Jake Kasdan in the director’s chair, who’s looking to build on the comedies like Bad Teacher and Sex Tape with a big box office contender. The screenplay has been written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jake Kasdan, Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, from a story written by Chriss McKenna based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg.
The film has been poduced by Matt Tolmach and William Teitler with executive producers David Householter, Jake Kasdan, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Ted Field and Mike Weber. Sony Pictures Releasing will be distributing the film for general release and you can keep up with the latest from the production with the official Twitter page.
First impressions
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle sounds a bit like Pleasantville meets another Dwayne Johnson adventure, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, with a little of the original film’s magic and nostalgia thrown in for good measure. It should be good family friendly fun, especially with the Christmas 2017 release date, so we’re expecting it to be a big hit at the box office both in the US and here in the UK.
Dwayne Johnson did quite well in Baywatch, helping to deliver the pseudo spoof that made it work as well as it did and Karen Gillan is always epic, whether she’s dressed like Lara Croft, sporting the blue makeup in Guardians Of The Galaxy or flying around in a police phone box. Jack Black and Kevin Hart with throw in a few good laughs, hopefully with a little restrain, so all in all it should be a relatively decent light-hearted adventure flick.
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle trailer:
Sequel
A sequel to the film entitled Jumanji 2 The Next Level gets its release in 2019 over the Holiday period. It introduces Danny DeVito and Danny Glover to cast as well as switching around the avatars to the 2nd outing in the game for Spencer and friends.
