Jack Black Will Play JUMANJI with Dwayne Johnson
The Jumanji reboot continues to add to its cast, as Dwayne Johnson took to Instagram to announce that Jack Black has joined the project. Johnson also confirmed the inclusion of his Central Intelligence co-star Kevin Hart.
As noted here, Johnson also shared that the remake/reboot will honor the original and will feature some kind of recognition of Robin Williams’ character, Alan Parrish: “You have my word, we will honor his name and the character of ‘Alan Parrish’ will stand alone and be forever immortalized in the world of Jumanji in an earnest and cool way. I have an idea of what to do and I think his family will be proud.”
The Williams movie, which co-starred a very young Kirsten Dunst, was released in 1995. Directed by Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger), it told the story of two kids who play a magic game, releasing a man who had been trapped inside for decades (Williams) along with wild animals and dangers of all sorts. The only way to set everything back to rights is to finish the game.
The reboot (or sequel?) will be directed by Jake Kasdan, with Matt Tolmach producing. Both films are based on the children’s book by Caldecott Medal recipient Chris van Allsburg, who also wrote The Polar Express and Zathura, both of which were adapted for film as well.
