Sony is moving ahead with a sequel toJumanji: Welcome to the Jungleand they’re bringing back the core creative team to make it happen. There’s no release date set forJumanji 3just yet, but it’s said that the studio is hoping to have it ready to go for December 2019, where it will go up againstStar Wars: Episode IX. That might scare off most competition, butJumanji 2has been a massive success since opening in December and just regained the top spot at the box office over the weekend. With that in mind, it’s no surprise Sony is moving quickly to make a sequel happen.
According to a new report, writers Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner are in negotiations to writeJumanji 3for the studio. The deal isn’t done just yet, but it’s expected that they’ll sign on the dotted line. They were two of the four writers credited for the screenplay onJumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, alongside Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Generally, having that many writers credited on a script can be a bad sign, but it’s worked out just fine in this case. Though, it seems like the contributions that Rosenberg and Pinkner made were what the studio believes helped make the movie the success it’s become.
It’s also said that directorJake Kasdanwillreturn for the sequeltoJumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. It’s being reported that the story forJumanji 3was put together by Kasdan, Rosenberg and Pinkner. At the current time, there are no specific plot details for the sequel, but the idea is to bring back the ensemble of Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan. The thinking at this time seems to be, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The originalJumanji, which starred the late Robin Williams, was a modest success but a beloved movie for those who grew up in the 90s. As such, it was expected thatJumanji: Welcome to the Junglewould do well, but the degree to which the movie has succeeded has surpassed anyone’s wildest expectations. To date, themovie has grossed$857.6 million worldwide, including $352.5 million domestically. The sequel also holds a 76 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but a very impressive 90 percent audience rating. Thatexcellent word of mouthhas certainly helped give the movie such long legs at the box office.
One issue could be working around The Rock’s schedule. He’s gearing up to filmThe Jungle Cruisefor Disney and also has another season ofBallersto film for HBO. There’s also theFast and Furiousspin-off with Jason Statham that Universal is hoping to film in the not-too-distant future.Deadlinenotes that there’s no current start date for filming, so that could allow them to work around the rest of his other projects. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date as more details onJumanji 3are made available.
