It’s been almost 10 years since the Jumanji crew of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan escaped the jungle, and it seems they will be back in it again… but not before wreaking havoc on the real world. Sony Pictures has released the first trailer for Jumanji: Open World, reuniting the quartet for one last time as they break free of the console.
In it, Spencer Giplin (Alex Wolff) is unwinding with family and friends at a restaurant when a rhinoceros charges in. As the chaos continues to unfold, he spots Dr Xander Bravestone (Johnson), Professor Sheldon Oberone (Black), Franklin Finbar (Hart), and Ruby Roundhouse (Gillan) and explains, “We have a problem. They’re video game characters, but they are stuck in demo mode.” The tongue-in-cheek humour carries into a subsequent scene, when his friend asks, “Why are they running like that?”, culminating in body-swap shenanigans in the well, jungle.
Back at the helm is Jake Kasdan, director of the first two films, who also co-wrote the script with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. Johnson, Matt Tolmach, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Kasdan are among the producers, while other returning cast members include Danny DeVito, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Marin Hinkle, Bebe Neuwirth, Lamorne Morris and Rhys Darby. It serves as the sequel to 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level, which rebooted the franchise after Robin Williams starred in a 1995 film adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg’s 1981 children’s book.
The sophomore outing itself followed 2017’s Welcome to the Jungle, set around 20 years after the original film. With Jumanji transformed into a video game, a group of teenagers find themselves trapped inside as adult avatars, seeking to complete a treacherous quest alongside another player who has been trapped in it since recovering and playing it in 1996. Collectively, the two films grossed US$1.7 million at the global box office.
Originally scheduled for 11 December, Jumanji: Open World is now set to arrive in theatres this Christmas on 25 December. The date cuts close to the releases of Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday on 18 December, in a showdown dubbed “Dunesday”.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
