“Jumanji” is finally ready to take fans to the next next level.
Seven years after “Jumanji: The Next Level,” Jake Kasdan’s follow-up to his smash hit “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” Sony has finally unveiled the first footage for the next film in the “Jumanji” franchise as well as a title: “Jumanji: Open World.” As teased at the end of “The Next Level,” this third entry brings the iconic jungle-based board game into the real world — and it looks wild.
Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black and Kevin Hart have taken the stage to introduce footage for the third film, now titled “Jumanji: Open World.” Johnson queued up the footage by saying the film is dedicated to Robin Williams, star of the original “Jumanji” movie.
As the real-world characters from “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” are called to a bar by Danny DeVito’s character, they see Johnson’s Dr. Xander “Smolder” Bravestone sitting in the real world at a booth. Johnson is doing an exaggerated Spanish accent. Hart’s Franklin “Mouse” Finbar and Black’s Professor Sheldon “Shelly” Oberon then enter the bar, all apparently stuck in “demo mode.”
The real-world characters then ask where Karen Gillan’s Ruby Roundhouse is, as Dr. Smolder Bravestone says she means nothing to him. Ruby then enters, saying the feeling is mutual. The real-world characters are sent on an adventure with their video game counterparts as more aspects of Jumanji begin to leak into their town.
Various scenes of action are quickly played, including Ruby Roundhouse hold Alex Wolff’s Spencer by the throat, saying she doesn’t like him. Professor Shelly Oberon encourages her to “Finish him.”
The trailer ends with the Wolff saying they’re entering the game “one last time” before the central quartet is returned to the world of “Jumanji,” playing as the same characters they played as in “Welcome to the Jungle.”
This “Jumanji” film could be considered the third, fourth or fifth film of the franchise, depending on how you want to count. It’s the third directed by Kasdan and starring the central cast of Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black and Nick Jonas. If you’re counting the Joe Johnston/Robin Williams film from 1995 (referenced in “Welcome to the Jungle”), then that makes this the fourth. Then there’s “Zathura,” a space-set spin-off released in between Johnston’s and Kasdan’s features, making “Jumanji” (2026) the fifth.
Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg return to co-write the new feature alongside Kasdan. This trio wrote “The Next Level,” while Pinker and Rosenberg wrote the screenplay for “Welcome to the Jungle” alongside Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. All the features are adaptations of Chris Van Allsburg’s 1981 picture book simply titled “Jumanji.”
The new “Jumanji” film was previously slated to release on Dec. 11, 2026 — one week before the titanic double feature of “Dune: Part Three” and “Avengers: Doomsday.” The film has since shifted dates, now releasing on Christmas Day.
“Jumanji: Open World” releases in theaters on Christmas Day.
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