They must have had so much fun together filming “Central Intelligence” (which was released in June), as well as co-hosting the 2016 MTV Movie Awards earlier this year, because Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart are teaming up again to co-star (along with Jack Black and Karen Gillan) in Sony’s “Jumanji” reboot.
Jake Kasdan is directing from a script written by Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, based on a draft by the original writers, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Principal photography kicked off yesterday in Honolulu, HI, with a July 28, 2017 release eyed.
Sony Pictures announced their plans to film a remake of the film last summer – news that was met with much ire from fans, in part because the news came just one year after the death of Robin Williams who starred in the 1995 movie which was directed by Joe Johnston.
Like the first film, the upcoming reboot/remake will be an adaptation of the 1981 children’s book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg.
The story centers on 12-year-old Alan Parrish, who becomes trapped in a board game while playing with his best friend Sarah Whittle in 1969. Twenty-six years later, siblings Judy and Peter Shepherd find the game and begin playing, unwittingly releasing the now-adult Alan. After tracking down Sarah, the quartet resolve to finish the game in order to reverse all of the destruction it has caused.
Although this new film based on the book will not be a direct adaptation, or a remake of the first film; As The Rock made clear earlier this year, the film will be a “continuation” of Williams’ work in the 1995 movie: “As a producer on this movie and someone who loves the original, you have my word we’ll honor the legend of Alan Parrish and properly introduce a whole new generation to the fun and crazy Jumanji universe that so many of us loved and grew up on.”
Still no word yet on how the new film’s story will unfold and what each of the starring actors will play in it.
Hart released the below first look at the main cast, in character/costume, as filming begins on the upcoming movie. Check out the photo below.
The first “Jumanji” was a box office success, grossing $262.8 million worldwide on a budget of approximately $65 million, and was the 10th highest-grossing movie of 1995.
