Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle quietly became the biggest box office surprise of 2017. Not only did the film win audiences over with its unpretentious charm and terrific performances, but it ended up becoming a Star Wars-stopping juggernaut, spending more weekends that winter at #1 than The Last Jedi. The sequel also earned the title of Sony Pictures’ top-earning domestic film, with its final domestic tally of $404.5 million overtaking the former title holder in director Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man ($403.7 million).
Since Welcome to the Jungle earned a worldwide total of $962.1 million, another sequel was inevitable, and Jumanji: The Next Level isn’t pulling any punches, going up against Star Wars once again.
Jumanji 2 Release Date
Jumanji: The Next Level will open on December 13.
That’s just one week before Disney drops Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Jumanji 2 Trailer
In an intriguing marketing twist, Sony has re-released the original Jumanji: The Next Level trailer with remixed audio, repurposed as an ASMR video. For those who have never ventured to this sleepy side of YouTube, ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, manifesting as videos that showcase stimuli from relaxing, (often-perfunctory) tasks, embellished by pleasant sounds and whispery speaking, designed induce relaxation. – Check it out… and try to stay awake!
Here’s the designated final trailer.
The first trailer, seen just below, reveals how the team of game characters get a bit of a shake up.
Jumanji 2 Cast
The double quartets of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, both the stars and their teenage counterparts, are returning in Jumanji: The Next Level. Here was the first official photo from the movie…
The returning gang consists of Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black. Additionally, we have back in the proverbial game chairs Alex Wolff (Spencer), Ser’Darius Blain (Fridge), Morgan Turner (Martha), and Madison Iseman (Bethany).
Yes, you’re favorite band is back ~ lookin’ lean (ish) and mean. Even though things may not be as they seem 🤔 So buckle up world because soon we’ll all play When a brand NEW JUMANJI drops this Holiday! Oh the fun you’re gonna have. Love, The Smoldering Dr. Bravestone #NewAdventuresAwait #TheGameThatPlaysYou #JUMANJI THIS CHRISTMAS🎄🎅🏾 📸 @hhgarcia41
A post shared by therock (@therock) on Mar 12, 2019 at 12:38pm PDT
However, who is switching into who is changing, as only Gillan as Martha is continuing in the sequel. Black will be playing Fridge in the new movie, and Johnson and Hart, well…
Danny DeVito and Danny Glover are also both joining the cast. DeVito and Glover will, respectively, be playing Spencer’s grandfather Eddie and his friend Milo Walker. Yes, Johnson and Hart will be portraying old men archetypes as defined by Danny DeVito and Danny Glover. Somewhere Arnold Schwarzenegger is feeling left out.
Awkwafina is also joining the cast in an unspecified role while Nick Jonas is back as the daring pilot avatar. If we had to guess Bethany and Spencer went into these characters (but in what order?).
Colin Hanks is also returning after playing Alex all-grown up at the end of the last movie. Ashley Scott has also been cast in an unspecified role.
Jumanji 2 Story Details
The film picks up several years after Welcome to the Jungle where, despite forming a psuedo-Breakfast Club pact, the fabulous four heroes have drifted apart. It is for that reason Spencer (Alex Wolff) starts fiddling with the Jumanji game console again. Uh-oh. Sure enough he has vanished when his friends Martha, Fridge, and Bethany find him. They thus enter the game again to find him, unwittingly drawing in Spencer’s Grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito) and Eddie’s good friend Milo Walker (Danny Glover). This leads to all sorts of new body-swapping possibiities…
read more: Must See Movies of 2019
Jumanji 2 Poster
A poster has just arrived, showcasing our avatar-bound heroes in a Bohemian Rhapsody-style diamond-shaped arrangement, with this proverbial Queen joined onstage by an audience of mandrill.
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Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.
