Can you hear that? The tribal drums, the sound of jungle life…Sony Pictures and The Rock’s Seven Buck Productions are about to roll the dice on Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, a sequel 20 years in the making.
Set against the iconic strum of the Guns N’ Roses rock classic, the first full trailer for Jumanji has finally stomped online, teeing up a zany adventure involving four mismatched friends, an otherworldly jungle, and one strange little video game. Yes, Welcome to the Jungle opens up a new, slightly more modern side to Chris Van Allsburg’s adventure classic, and we’re curious to know how it’ll fare with audiences later this year.
Headed up by director Jake Kasdan, Sony’s star-studded continuation was originally slated for a release in July, before the studio decided to reshuffle its slate and push Kasdan’s family-friendly adventure all the way back to December, where it’ll seemingly fare better with its target demographic. Whether it can carve out an audience and compete with Star Wars: The Last Jedi (December 15th), though, is another question entirely.
Pitched as a sequel to the original classic, one in which Dwayne Johnson leads a crew of intrepid explorers comprised of Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), and Jack Black, Welcome To The Jungle has been relatively camera-shy up until now, but that all changes as in an effort to drum up excitement – no pun intended – Sony Pictures has now unleashed the first full trailer for the film. Seen above, along with an alternate version below, it teases a wild and thrilling adventure, one that looks like it could strike a chord with audiences both old and young.
“A game for those who seek to find, a way to leave their world behind.” It’s the magical board game (or video game, in this instance) with bite, and on December 20th, Jake Kasdan’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle will hope to honor a legacy spanning all the way back to Chris Van Allsburg’s novel of 1981. The jury’s still out on whether Kasdan can overcome such a daunting proposition, but we’re certainly hopeful.