Pop star and actor Nick Jonas is close to joining Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black in a reboot of Jumanji, the 1995 family fantasy starring Robin Williams.
Jake Kasdan (Bad Teacher) will be taking over from the director of the original, Joe Johnston. His remake is once again based on the award-winning adventure book by Chris Van Allsburg, about a magical board game that unleashes havoc upon the world after some curious youngsters find it hidden in an attic.
Johnson told Entertainment Weekly Kasdan’s film will be a “new reimagining of this amazing story” that will honor Williams – who played Alan Parrish, a jungle dweller captured inside the game – in some way. For Johnson, the project marks an onscreen reunion with Hart, who he appeared with the comedy Central Intelligence this summer.
The original was a moderate hit, grossing over $260m worldwide, while its 2005 loose sequel, Zathura, directed by Iron Man’s Jon Favreau, underperformed, making only $64m globally.
Jonas, best known as a singer-songwriter, has in recent years been beefing up his acting résumé, courting strong notices for his performance as a boxer in the TV show Kingdom, and most recently in the fratboy hazing drama Goat, which premiered to warm reviews at the Sundance film festival in January.
Sony Pictures plans to release the new Jumanji on 28 July 2017.
