Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson said on Friday that he will make a reboot of the popular movie Jumanji, being both the director and the star in the remake. He made the statement on Instagram, saying that he is officially on board with Sony Pictures to make something special out of the movie.
The Rock posted a picture on his Istagram page, posing a bright smile with the script and his dog, Shang. On which he wrote that, besides producing, creating and delivering original programs like HBO’s Central Intelligence, he is excited to remake one of his favorite’s movies. In addition, the Rock is also redoing beloved worldwide shows like Baywatch and Rampage in new ways for a new generation.
Not much new information was said, except that the shooting will start this fall in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also said that the script is being written with the collaboration of Seven Bucks Productions, a company he founded. Matt Tolmach will be producing and Jake Kasdan will be directing, according to Johnson. Towards the end of the post, he said that casting has yet to happen. According to some rumors, Kevin Heart was going to be part of the film, but there is not confirmation of it, yet.
Sony Pictures first announced the “Jumanji” remake in 2015, facing serious criticism with regards to the original film, since many fans of the film felt that the decision was made too close to the death of the original film’s star, Robin Williams, who passed away in August 2014.
The movie was supposed to be originally released on Christmas Day 2016 release, but in January, Sony Pictures announced that it had been pushed back to July 2017.
The original Jumanji production
The original movie was based on Chris Van Allsburg children’s book of the same name, and it was released 20 years ago. Along with late Robin Williams, the original cast included Bonnie Hunt, Bradley Pierce and a young Kirsten Dunst.
The movie was about a magical board game that unleashed crazy adventures for two siblings, which included jungle plants and creatures to invade a quiet American suburb. At the time of its release, Jumanji was a blockbuster movie and was described as an instant classic. The 1995 film was praised due to the fact that it featured some computer-animated animal moves and stampedes, which was a big deal back then. This will probably receive a massive update in the new version.
Anything related to Robin Williams is considered a classic and it requires a lot of courage and determination to remake movies of the late actor. Still, Dwayne Johnson will surely be up to the task, in order to keep up the standard of the great movie starring the beloved Robin Williams.
Source:E! Online