As these nostalgic projects tend to do, Sony’s Jumanji sequel spent years simmering on the studio’s back-burner only to spring into life with the casting of Central Intelligence co-stars Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson. Toss in the additions of Nick Jonas, Jack Black and Guardians of the Galaxy star Karen Gillan and you have all the makings of a crowd-pleasing hit, one that has now officially entered production in Honolulu.
To commemorate the occasion, Hart took to Instagram yesterday evening to share the first set photo of Jake Kasdan’s explorers – sans Nick Jonas – suited and booted, with Gillan sporting a very Lara Croft-esque outfit. The Instagram caption reads: “We had an amazing first day. The chemistry & energy of our cast & crew was beyond amazing!!!! This movie is going to be dope as hell.”
In this “dope as hell” rendition of Chris Van Allsburg’s cherished 1985 children’s story, Jumanji seems to revolve around a group of players who become drawn into the titular board game – or perhaps a modernized version of it – only to assume different avatars altogether. While unconfirmed, it would go some way to explaining why the first concept art from Kasdan’s continuation had Dwayne Johnson’s “smoldering” explorer go by the dual names of Dr. Bravestone/Spencer. That, or Dr. Bravestone is about to become one of looniest movie names on the 2017 slate.
“You think that mosquitos, monkeys, and lions are bad? That is just the beginning.” Sony will roll the dice on its high-profile Jumanji sequel when Jake Kasdan’s starry adventure film roars into theaters on July 28, 2017.
