Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has revealed shooting for Jumanji 3 starts this November.
The movie star confirmed the plan to Variety, saying he will join forces once again with Kevin Hart for Jumanji 3, which currently has a December 11, 2026 release date.
Deadline has reported that director Jake Kasdan, along with Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan, were all in talks and expected to return.
In the Jumanji films, Johnson plays Dr. Xander “Smolder” Bravestone, a strong, confident archaeologist and explorer who has no weaknesses. A bit like The Rock! The first Jumanji reboot film, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, was released in 2017 and enjoyed enormous success. The follow-up film, Jumanji: The Next Level, was released two years later in 2019.
Confirmation of the Jumanji 3 shooting schedule comes after Johnson said he had become “pigeonholed” as a blockbuster-only actor. The Smashing Machine, which sees Johnson portray the life and career of Mark Kerr, a former wrestler and UFC star who struggled with substance abuse, is considered an Oscar contender.
Johnson kicked off his hugely successful acting career as The Scorpion King in 2001’s The Mummy Returns. His long list of blockbuster film roles also includes Lucas “Luke” Hobbs in the Fast & Furious franchise and Black Adam in the now defunct DC Extended Universe. Johnson also famously voiced Maui in the Moana animated movies, and is set to play the character in Disney’s upcoming live-action version.
The Smashing Machine, however, marks a significant change for Johnson, who some are saying could be in-line for his first Oscar nomination as a result. As reported by the BBC, the 53-year-old said: “I’ve been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now, until I had this opportunity to do this.”
But it sounds like Johnson is still very much up for a traditional crowdpleaser, telling Variety: “The films that I made in the past, I love them. I’ll go back to making them again.” Perhaps one day we’ll get Johnson back as The Scorpion King, then.
Speaking of Jumanji, Marvel star Karen Gillan recently opened up about the “flak” she’s still receiving for the skimpy outfits her character Ruby Roundhouse wore in the Jumanji reboot films — which it seems a lot of fans may have missed the irony on.
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
