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What is the story about?
Sony Pictures has officially dropped the first trailer for Jumanji: Open World, the third and final chapter in its blockbuster reboot franchise. The new
trailer brings together Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan and reveals the biggest twist the franchise has ever attempted - the video game heroes are no longer trapped inside the game. Rather, they escaped into the real world! The movie is the latest in the modern Jumanji trilogy, which has become one of Sony's most successful franchises, grossing more than $1.7 billion at the worldwide box office.
Game has changed again
Unlike previous films where teens are sucked into the world of Jumanji, thanks to a magical video game, Open World reverses the script. The trailer shows the game's legendary avatars, Dr. Smolder Bravestone, Franklin 'Mouse' Finbar, Professor Shelly Oberon and Ruby Roundhouse, have crossed over into reality. But there is a catch.
The trailer shows that the characters are in "demo mode", meaning they only have a limited understanding of how the real world works, as chaos unfolds around them. It takes a new twist on the franchise's usual body-swap comedy by making the heroic avatars adapt to everyday life outside the game. The trailer plays heavily on the franchise's trademark mix of action, comedy and fish-out-of-water humour but raises the stakes by bringing the fantasy into the real world.
Cast of original reboot is back
Jumanji: Open World also sees the core cast that helped redefine the franchise return. Dwayne Johnson returns as Dr. Smolder Bravestone, Kevin Hart returns as Franklin 'Mouse' Finbar, Jack Black returns as Professor Shelly Oberon and Karen Gillan returns as Ruby Roundhouse.
The supporting cast from previous films, including Nick Jonas, Danny DeVito, Rhys Darby, Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner and Ser'Darius Blain, return. The film also features new faces including Dan Hildebrand and Jack Jewkes.
Jumanji: Open World concludes the trilogy
Director Jake Kasdan, who helmed Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level, is back to direct the third instalment. He co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The creative team behind the two previous films is largely intact, with producers including Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Matt Tolmach and Kasdan returning to oversee the final chapter.
Franchise that brought back Jumanji
The reboot series successfully reimagined the classic Jumanji story, which originated in Chris Van Allsburg's children's book and was adapted into the 1995 film starring the late Robin Williams. In the new trilogy, Jumanji is a video game, not a magical board game, where players are transformed into adventurous avatars within a dangerous digital world.
Welcome to the Jungle was an unexpected worldwide hit in 2017, taking in more than $950 million globally. The Next Level followed, taking in more than $800 million globally.
Christmas release after Sony changed schedule
Sony has moved Jumanji: Open World from its original December 11 release date to December 25. The move places the movie in one of the busiest holiday windows of the year, arriving just after the releases of Dune: Part Three and Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday.
Despite strong competition, Sony appears to be betting that the Jumanji brand and the return of its stars will bring crowds in at Christmas.
