Yes, ‘Jumanji 4’ is still very much happening! Here’s everything you need to know about the fourth installment of the franchise.
The inimitable Robin Williams first introduced us to the curious world of Jumanji, a magical board game that unleashes a world of adventure and chaos, in the 1995 film Jumanji, culminating in several successful continuations ever since. The sequel 2017 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and the 2019 third installment Jumanji: The Next Level expanded on that world, introducing new (but familiar) faces in the form of Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black.
The franchise has been a success in the box office, so it’s no surprise that Jumanji 4, has, in fact, already been confirmed. Hiram Garcia, president of production at Seven Bucks Productions — the studio behind the latest installments — confirmed in March that a fourth was “100 percent” happening, revealing the team has “been discussing it.”
“We’re in the process of moving that along,” Hiram told ComicBook.com. “I can’t tell you anything, but we do have big plans for it and that’s one of our favorite projects to work on and that’s cooking away.” With that in mind, here’s what you should know about Jumanji 4.
Where ‘Jumanji’ 3 Left Off
The original Jumanji followed Robin’s Alan Parrish, a man who has been stuck in the world of the magical board game for decades. It’s up to siblings Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) to win the game in order to free him after they stumble upon it when they move into the Parrish mansion. Director Jake Kasdan gave the sequel a modern flare, turning Jumanji into a video game. Four high schoolers — Alex Wolff as Spencer, Ser’Darius Blain as “Fridge,” Morgan Turner as Martha, and Madison Iseman as Bethany — get sucked into the game, assuming the role of different avatars (played by Dwayne, Karen, Kevin, and Jack star as the core avatars).
They’re then tasked with breaking a curse in order to be freed from the game. Nick Jonas also stars as avatar Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough in the second installment. Danny DeVito and Danny Glover joined the third film as Spencer’s grandfather and his friend — both of whom get sucked into the game. Fellow newcomer Awkwafina played the role of a new avatar named Ming Fleetfoot. In the most recent installment, Fridge, Martha, and Bethany must re-enter the game fo bring Spencer home — but the game is now malfunctioning, resulting in more obstacles to get home. In the mid-credits scene, Spencer’s mom and a mechanic are unwittingly sucked into the game, causing some of the jungle animals to escape into the real world.
What’s In Store For ‘Jumanji’ 4
Given the way the third installment ended, Jumanji 4 will in all likelihood explore the aftermath of Spencer’s mom (Marin Hinkle) and the unassuming mechanic getting sucked into the video game world of Jumanji. With the jungle animals escaped into the real world, too, havoc is to be expected. This also leaves room for the possibility of avatars entering the real world.
While the official plot is still being kept under wraps, Dwayne has teased that the fourth film’s big villain could have ties to avatar Jurgen the Brutal. “Cool plot twist about JURGAN (for those who caught it) is he’s an actual avatar in the game,” he wrote on Instagram in December 2019. “Meaning – SOMEONE is playing him. But who? That’s the big mystery. In the next JUMANJI we’ll find out just who’s been playing the JURGAN THE BRUTE.” A release date has not been confirmed or teased yet.
‘Jumanji’ Cast And Crew
Fans have not received much updates given that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted filming schedules, thus, returning cast and crew for Jumanji 4 have not been publicly announced just yet. It would not be far off to presume that the core cast would reprise their avatar roles, though: Dwayne as Bravestone, Karen as Ruby, Kevin as Mouse, and Jack as Oberon. With Dwayne’s previous tease, one would presume that Jurgen actor Rory McCann will also reprise his role. Alex, Madison, Ser’Darius, and Morgan would also likely reprise their roles as the human counterparts to their respective avatars.
In an interview with Collider in June, Kevin also gave no indication that the existing cast and crew would not return. “For us to recreate the Jumanji world and have that success, it’s monumental,” the comedian said. “You don’t walk away from that. We have no interest in walking away. It’s about the timing.” He added, “We’ve all kind of taken on some other projects, so I think when things slow down for us and our commitments are out the way, we’re definitely going to revisit another one because there’s no reason not to.”