You know what didn’t need to get remade? Most things that’ve gotten remade. You know what’s getting remade? Seemingly most things that’ve ever been made. And so, alas, we now have the first trailer for the new Jumanji, because, sure. It looks…expensive and silly! Surprise!
Dwayne Johnson stars in the film, and he is, like the original film’s Robin Williams was, one of the more likable celebrity personalities out there — so it’s at least got that going for it. His character is completely different than Williams’, as this is not based on the original film, but rather the source material of that film: the children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg. Except that book was pretty much like the original movie, and this film’s premise is entirely different than either of those. Rather, it looks more like Freaky Friday set in a fantasy jungle.
This version, titled Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, envisions the magical, dangerous jungle-themed game as a retro video game, where players get to select their avatars — then are plunged into the world of Jumanji, having transformed into live action versions of those avatars. The first adaptation of the children’s book took place in our world, and saw the board game violently breaking through into suburban reality. This version, as the title suggests, mostly takes place within the game itself. So, one nerdy kid becomes the Rock, another becomes Kevin Hart, another becomes Karen Gillan, and one blond teenage girl becomes a professorial Jack Black. (Nick Jonas is there too, but it doesn’t seem like his character is host to some teenager another realm.)
Watch the trailer: