Jumanji is one of the most beloved 90’s kids classic, and how could it not be? Adventure, humor, magic, Robin Williams, animals running wild — it was essentially perfect. So when a sequel/remake to the 1995 classic was announced, people were understandably apprehensive. The fact that director Jake Kasdan was also responsible for mediocre comedies Bad Teacher and Sex Tape certainly didn’t help.
Actor Dwayne The Rock Johnson released an image of the main cast on the very first day of filming (as did Kevin Hart):
The photo also contains the character’s names, with Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse, Kevin Hart as Moose Finbar, Dwanye The Rock Johnson as Dr. Smolder Bravestone, and Jack Black as Professor Shelly Oberon. The film’s IMDB page also sites Nick Jonas as being part of the cast. It looks like the movie is going to focus on action inside the game board itself, a side of the Jumanji world which we didn’t see. Perhaps the characters get sucked into the world of the game the way William’s character did before.
There was a backlash against the Ruby Roundhouse costume, which is by far skimpier and provides less protection than any of the other character’s outfits. According to the Rock’s Facebook post as well as statements made by the actress herself, there’s a twist with Gillan’s character that somehow makes her more revealing attire appropriate, though most people are skeptical. Hopefully it’s not an indication of the kind of old tropes we’re used to seeing with women explorers and just a joke about the kind of inappropriateness of costumes of a game likely made before the advent of women’s lib. I mean if you’re going to have any character showing skin it should be The Rock, obviously.
Jumanji is currently set to release in the U.S. on July 28th, 2017.
