Sony announces third installment of 'Jumanji: Open World'

Sony unveiled the third instalment of the Jumanji franchise as Jumanji: Open World.

The third spin-off followed the global success of 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level, which together grossed more than $1.7 billion worldwide. The rebooted franchise reimagines the iconic 1995 original starring the late Robin Williams and a 13-year-old Kirsten Dunst.

The reboot transitioned the story from the classic Jumanji board game to a video game, following a group of teenagers whose in-game avatars are played by Johnson, Hart, Black and Gillan.

The teaser offers fans their first glimpse of the returning ensemble cast, including Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan. The core quartet is back in action, signaling a continuation of the franchise’s mix of action, comedy and body-swap hijinks that defined the previous films.

Returning cast members also include Danny DeVito, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Marin Hinkle, Bebe Neuwirth, Lamorne Morris and Rhys Darby, with newcomers Dan Hildebrand and Jack Jewkes joining the ensemble.

Jake Kasdan, who helmed the first two reboot films, returns to direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. Producers include Matt Tolmach, Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia and Kasdan.

The film was originally scheduled for a December 11 release but has been pushed back to Christmas. The new Christmas release positions Jumanji 3 to arrive in theaters just after the December 18 debuts of Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday, a blockbuster showdown that fans have dubbed Dunesday.