Jumanji 3 was officially announced at the end of June, following the massive success of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. While the sequel is still being written, director Jake Kasdan took some time to discuss the upcoming film along with how he might be changing the game and how it will tie into the previous two movies. Dwayne Johnson is returning for Jumanji 3 along with Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan, who will star with some new characters that have yet to be announced.
When talking with Slashfilm, Kasdan explained how the third Jumanji film would connect with both of the previous movies. While he admits that Jumanji 3 is mostly a continuation of Welcome to the Jungle, Kasdan commented that, “Our hope is to keep a long continuity through the whole thing. We love the idea of keeping all of this together and connected in some way or another.” Slashfilm also reported that Kasdan is still trying to make a Christmas 2019 release date which Johnson had previously confirmed.
Jake Kasdan was also asked if Jumanji 3 will continue in the video game realm to which he said, “I believe it’ll be sort of a continuation of that idea, yeah.” Again, the director cannot say a lot about the sequel, not only because it’s so far from hitting theaters, but also because the story is currently being written.
It looks like Jumanji 3 will largely be connected to the events of Welcome to the Jungle. So while there may be another sly reference to Alan and the classic 1995 blockbuster, it seems that there’s a new story being told through the video game format and a new cast of heroes.
Jake Kasdan’s comments to Slash Film are probably the right call, despite the fandom’s eagerness for crossovers and references to the original Jumanji movie. Welcome to the Jungle did well with audiences because it distanced itself from the original.
Source: Slash Film
