Moviefone Editorial

Tag: jumanji

  • First ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ Trailer Is a Game-Changer

    First ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ Trailer Is a Game-Changer

    Sony Pictures

    “Jumanji: The Next Level” is bringing its A-game.

    The sequel to 2017’s “Welcome to the Jungle” does indeed take the game to the next level by introducing new players to take over the avatars embodied by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan.

    The teens played by Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman, Ser’Darius Blain, and Morgan Turner all return, but this time, there’s a twist. Wolff’s character has a cranky old grandfather (Danny DeVito) who gets sucked into the game, alongside his pal (Danny Glover).

    They respectively inhabit Johnson and Hart’s avatars, so yes, we can smell what The Rock is cooking and it’s a Danny DeVito impersonation.

    The movie also brings back Nick Jonas as pilot Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough and brings in franchise newcomer Awkwafina.

    “Jumanji: The Next Level” opens in theaters December 13.

  • First ‘Jumanji’ Sequel Photo Brings the Band Back Together

    First ‘Jumanji’ Sequel Photo Brings the Band Back Together

    Sony Pictures Entertainment

    The sequel to hit Sony flick “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” is due to launch later this year, featuring returning foursome  Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black as the film’s video game avatar leads. The first photo from the new film brings that gang back together, and while on the surface it looks like not much has changed, one star suggests that there’s more than meets the eye.

    In the image — shared by both Sony and Johnson on their social media pages on Tuesday — we see Hart, Gillan, Black, and Johnson give the camera their best blue steel gazes.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu65bO5BaRX/

    But as Johnson noted on Instagram, “things may not be as they seem,” and the speakeasy-looking setting in which the characters are posing certainly appears to be worlds away from the titular jungle where the last film took place. Is this a major clue about the plot of the sequel? Or just something to throw off fans before more concrete details are revealed?

    Whatever’s going on, we’re intrigued. The reported addition of new characters played by Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, and Danny Glover doesn’t hurt, either.

    We’ll find out what’s happening when the as-yet-untitled “Jumanji” sequel hits theaters on December 13.

  • Dwayne Johnson Claims He Was ‘First Choice’ to Host Oscars

    Dwayne Johnson Claims He Was ‘First Choice’ to Host Oscars

    Sony

    Is The Rock cooking up some serious trollery for Kevin Hart?

    Dwayne Johnson and his “Jumanji” and “Central Intelligence” co-star have engaged in a playful rivalry in the last few years, but Johnson just took it to the next level.

    On Twitter, Johnson claimed he had been the first choice to host this year’s Oscars, but was forced to turn down the gig due to his schedule filming the “Jumanji” sequel.

    As everybody knows, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced in early December that Hart would host the ceremony. However,  a controversy erupted over some of his old homophobic tweets, and after apologizing, Hart stepped down. No new host was named, and the Oscars will go host-less on Feb. 24.

    Is Johnson’s tweet serious? Hard to say. The Academy hasn’t issued a confirmation or denial.

    But since Hart is Johnson’s co-star in “Jumanji,” the very thing that caused the scheduling problem, this seems more like a smart marketing move. It fuels their on-going, jokey “feud” and calls attention to their upcoming project.

    If it is true, Johnson could have been a fun host. He’s got charm and charisma to spare and can even do song-and-dance numbers.

    Alas, the Oscars will go host-less, which ABC Entertainment president Kerry Burke recently said could be very good for the show.

    “I ironically have found that the lack of clarity around the Oscars has kept it in the conversation, and the mystery has been really compelling,” the executive said.

    “People really care. I think it’s fascinating… to me that shows evidence of how relevant the Oscars still are.”

  • ‘Jumanji’ Sequel to Bring Back Nick Jonas

    ‘Jumanji’ Sequel to Bring Back Nick Jonas

    Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
    Sony Pictures

    The next “Jumanji” adventure is going to be full of familiar faces.

    Several “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” stars have agreed to reprise their roles in the next film, and the latest is Nick Jonas, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The singer-slash-actor joins the sequel’s previously announced stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan. Furthermore, the actors who played their teen characters — Ser’Darius Blain, Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman, and Morgan Turner — are also set to return.

    “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” centers on a group of four teens who play the Jumanji video game and find themselves transported into its world and into the body of avatars. Jonas’s character is Alex, a man who has been trapped in the game for years in the body of an avatar named Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough. Plot details for the sequel haven’t been revealed, so we don’t know yet how he ties into the new story from writers Jake Kasdan, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg.

    In addition to all the returning stars in the upcoming “Jumanji” sequel, there will be franchise newcomers, too. Actors Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians”), Donald Glover (“Solo: A Star Wars Story”), and Danny DeVito (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) are all joining for what Johnson has teased is “dynamite.”

    It looks like it’s the more the merrier in the jungle.

    [via: THR]

  • Dwayne Johnson to Headline Folk Hero Flick ‘John Henry and the Statesmen’

    Dwayne Johnson to Headline Folk Hero Flick ‘John Henry and the Statesmen’

    Sony

    Dwayne Johnson may be on his way to launching yet another franchise: He’s set to headline a new Netflix film about folk heroes from around the globe.

    Johnson will play the title role in “John Henry and the Statesmen,” an original concept from writer Tom Wheeler (“The LEGO Ninjago Movie“), centered around the mythic African-American steel driver. Though details about other characters are forthcoming, the film is set to feature an ensemble cast made up of numerous popular folklore characters, of both American and international origin.

    The multicultural aspect of the film is key, according to Johnson, and the feature will be specifically tailored to a global crowd.

    “These diverse characters speak to a legacy of storytelling that is more relevant than ever and span across a worldwide audience regardless of age, gender, race or geography,” the actor said in a statement.

    “John Henry and the Statesmen” will once again re-team Johnson with his “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” director, Jake Kasdan (who’s also helming the star in the upcoming sequel). Both Johnson and Kasdan are also co-producing the project, alongside Seven Bucks Productions and FlynnPictureCo., with whom Johnson just wrapped the upcoming Disney flick “Jungle Cruise.”

    If all goes according to plan with “John Henry,” it sounds like all of these folks will be working together for the foreseeable future. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter]

  • The Rock Is Making a ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ Sequel

    The Rock Is Making a ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ Sequel

    Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
    Sony Pictures Entertainment

    It’s not a remake. It’s a continuation. It’s … like “Jumanji”?

    Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is hot off the sequel/”continuation” “Jumaji: Welcome to the Jungle,” which is getting its own sequel.

    So it’s not too surprising to hear that the plan for “Big Trouble in Little China” has changed to be something sorta like that.

    It was first announced in 2015 that The Rock would produce and star in a remake of director John Carpenter‘s martial arts fantasy/comedy. According to TheWrap, Johnson was “making a deal to play Jack Burton, an all-American trucker who gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical battle in San Francisco’s Chinatown.”

    Kurt Russell played Jack Burton in the original movie. There was mass trepidation about a remake.

    Big Trouble in Little China
    20th Century Fox

    And then nothing seemed to happen on that front — other than Dwayne Johnson making nine million other movies.

    But Collider just chatted with producer Hiram Garcia, who is president of production at The Rock’s Seven Bucks Productions. Garcia gave an update, saying there’s a lot going on with the film — which is no longer a remake:

    “We are in the process of developing that, and let me tell you, the idea is not to actually remake ‘Big Trouble in Little China.’ You can’t remake a classic like that, so what we’re planning to do is we’re going to continue the story. We’re going to continue the universe of ‘Big Trouble in Little China.’ Everything that happened in the original exists and is standalone and I think there’s only one person that could ever play Jack Burton, so Dwayne would never try and play that character. So we are just having a lot of fun. We’re actually in a really great space with the story that we’ve cracked. But yeah, no remake. It is a continuation, and we are deep into development on that as well, and I think you’ll start hearing some things about that probably soon.”

    That does sound different from TheWrap’s 2015 report. But you can imagine a lot might change in three years — including the success of “Jumanji” setting a path to honor cult classics without remaking them.

    But why do they say “continuation” instead of “sequel”? Is it not technically a sequel unless more original characters are involved? If it’s just set in the same universe, with a tangential connection to the original, should we call that a “spinoff” instead? For now we’re sticking with “sequel.”

    Semantics aside, guess we just have to wait to hear more about the plan. In the meantime, Johnson has “Jumanji 2” (technically the third “Jumanji” movie, but they’re calling it “Jumanji 2” for now), the “Hobbs and Shaw” spinoff movie, and hundreds of millions of dollars.

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  • The ‘Jumanji’ Sequel’s Release Date Has Been Revealed

    The “Jumanji” sequel is on its way, and it now has a release date.

    Star Dwayne Johnson made the big “Jumanji 2” announcement Wednesday, saying in an Instagram post that they are “officially planting [the] … flag.” He specified the date, too, letting fans know that “the game is not over” and will continue Dec. 13, 2019. The actor didn’t forget to mention how well the last movie did at the box office, either, with its billion-plus performance.

    And, of course, it looks like we’ll get more funny moments between Johnson and his co-star Kevin Hart, as Johnson noted. The two are returning, and they’re not the only ones; Jack Black, Karen Gillan, and Nick Jonas are all on board for the sequel.

    A week before announcing the “Jumanji 2” release date, Johnson had another announcement about the sequel. He revealed that the project was “officially underway” and that writer-director Jake Kasdan had put together a “dynamite pitch.” That’s a lot of great “Jumanji” news in a short period of time.

    Prepare yourself now for “Jumanji 2” to hit theaters on Dec. 13, 2019.

  • ‘Jumanji’ Sequel & ‘Men in Black’ Spinoff Reveal First Promo Posters

    Are you ready for “The Next Chapter” of “Jumanji,” and a new group of MIB?

    Collider just shared some of the posters showing at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Sony is promoting early posters for the sequel to “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” and the spinoff to “Men in Black.”

    The 2017 “Jumanji” — starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black — was a sequel itself, to the 1995 Robin Williams movie. “Welcome to the Jungle” turned out to be Sony’s highest-grossing domestic release of all time. So it wasn’t too shocking when The Rock posted that they were working on a follow-up.

    Meanwhile, the “Men in Black” movie is said to be an ensemble spinoff with new characters — led by “Thor: Ragnarok” stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson — and directed by F. Gary Gray (“The Fate of the Furious”). Liam Neeson was just announced to join in a role that will reportedly help start the film.

    Here are the promo posters:

    It’s not clear yet whether the official title of “Jumanji 2” will be “Jumanji: The Next Chapter,” but it has a decent ring to it.

    More posters are sure to come closer to the release dates, probably emphasizing the cast members.

    “Jumanji 2” is currently scheduled for release on December 25th, 2019. The “Men in Black” spinoff had been scheduled for release in May 17, 2019, but was pushed back to June 14, 2019.

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  • Dwayne Johnson Reveals Sequel For ‘Jumanji,’ Now Sony’s Biggest Movie Ever

    Welcome back to the “Jumanji” jungle!

    Last night, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” hit $403.7 million at the domestic box office, making it Sony Pictures’ highest grossing film of all time domestically.

    On Instagram, star Dwayne Johnson thanked fans and noted that the movie’s producers are working on a sequel.

    He joked, “Speaking of giving the audience what they want, I’m gonna go ahead and kill Kevin Hart’s character off for good, and everybody will be happy.”

    The movie was a reboot of the 1995 classic adventure that starred the late Robin Williams. Directed by Jake Kasdan, it starred Johnson, Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black as avatars who are inhabited by teens playing a video game.

    The movie was No. 1 at the box office for four weeks after its release in December. It was also the first December wide release to get a No. 1 weekend in February since “Titanic.” With Tuesday night’s earnings, “Jumanji” surpassed 2002’s “Spider-Man” to be Sony Pictures’ highest grossing film domestically.

  • Box Office: ‘Jumanji’ Regains Top Spot for Modest Super Bowl Weekend

    LOS ANGELES, Feb 4, (Variety.com) – Sony’s resilient “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” has returned to the top of the North American box office, leading a modest Super Bowl weekend with $11 million at 3,553 sites.

    The session caps a remarkable run for the Dwayne Johnson-Kevin Hart action comedy, which also won the box office on its third, fourth and fifth weekends. “Jumanji” has become the 42nd highest domestic grosser of all time with $352.6 million, less than $500,000 behind Johnson’s “Furious 7” for the 41st spot.

    “Jumanji,” which declined just 32 percent, is only the 11th title to top $11 million in its seventh weekend. It’s the lowest total for a first-place film since the second weekend of “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” won the final frame of August.

    Fox’s “Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” which won the box office last weekend, finished second with $10.2 million from 3,793 locations. The weekend’s sole opener, Helen Mirren’s horror-thriller “Winchester,” launched in third with $9.3 million at 2,480 venues, topping modest expectations which had been in the $6 million to $8 million range.

    Overall domestic business was typically modest for a Super Bowl weekend with $92 million overall, according to comScore, as studios remain reluctant to open major titles during the frenzy surrounding the pro football championship. The lowest recent Super Bowl weekend came in at $86 million in 2014, when the third weekend of “Ride Along” led with $12 million.

    The 2018 box office has remained close to even with last year thanks to “Jumanji,” with $1.06 billion through Sunday, down 0.5 percent from last year at the same point.

    “‘Jumanji’ gets the MVP box office award for Super Bowl weekend with a stunning late run ascension to the number one spot as ‘Maze Runner’ adds to its total and ‘Winchester’ enjoys a bit of counter programming success amidst a sea of Oscar contenders over what is a typically slow moviegoing weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with comScore.

    “Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” the third and final installment of the “Maze Runner” series, stars Dylan O’Brien as a young man trying to survive in a dystopian universe. It declined by 58 percent from its $24 million opening. The film’s release was delayed for a year due to injuries that O’Brien sustained on the set in 2016.

    “Winchester” centers on a real-life house in San Jose, Calif. built by Sarah Winchester (Mirren), the heiress to the Winchester firearms fortune, over 38 years beginning in 1886. The mansion, which stands seven stories tall, contains hundreds of rooms and is meant to be an asylum for vengeful ghosts.

    Fox’s seventh weekend of “The Greatest Showman” finished fourth with $7.8 million at 2,588 sites, posting the lowest decline among the top 10 films at 18 percent. The Hugh Jackman musical has turned in an impressive $137.5 million in 45 days.

    Entertainment Studios’ Western drama “Hostiles,” starring Christian Bale, followed in fifth with $5.5 million at 2,934 locations, giving it $21.2 million after two weeks in wide release. Fox’s seventh weekend of “The Post” came in sixth with $5.2 million at 2,462 sites for a $67.2 million domestic total.