Dwayne Johnson’s $2 billion franchise really needs a sequel, but a new update regardingJumanji 4makes me doubt it will ever happen. Following up on the original 1995 film starring Robin Williams,Jumanji: Welcome to the Junglewas released in 2017 with a whole new cast. Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan starred as adult avatar players of the game, and the movie was highly praised for their comedic performances. As a result oftheJumanjimovie’s$962.5 million box office success, a sequel was released just two years later, titledJumanji: The Next Level.
Jumanji’s2019 installment movie saw similar success, earning $801.7 million at the box office, with reviews remaining mostly positive. However, since the third movie in the $2 billion franchise was released,there have been a lot of delays forJumanji 4, andit has now been six years since the previous outing. Sony did announce a while ago thatJumanji 4would be released in 2026, sparking hope for a long-awaited sequel. Yet, a recent update byJumanjicastmember, Jack Black, has led to doubt that the fourth movie in the franchise will ever happen.
Jumanji 4 Is Set For 2026, But Jack Black’s Update Is Making Me Nervous
Jack Black Says “It’s Been A Great, Great Ride”
In an interview withDeadline, while promotingA Minecraft Movie,Jack Black issued an update on his return toJumanji 4. When asked if he would return to theJumanjifranchise, Black said: “Well, we’ll see. I hope so.” However, when probed further,Black added that he doesn’t know when or even ifJumanji 4will begin filming, stating: “My feeling is always, ‘I’ve already done my last film. I’m pretty sure I’m done. I’m pretty sure I’m retired.’ I’ll let you know if someone pulls me out of retirement, but it’s been a great, great ride.”
The uncertainty surrounding Black’s involvement sparks worry aboutJumanji 4, as the new cast has been integral to the success of the franchise’s soft reboot, and it wouldn’t be the same without him. Furthermore, with the release date inching ever closer, the fact that Black claimed there is no real update onJumanji 4’sproduction status is concerning, especially considering the amount of digital work and time needed to createJumanji’sdense jungle domain following filming, which hasn’t even started. Therefore, Black’s update along with the lengthy delay makes it ever more doubtfulifJumanji 4is even still happening.
Why Jumanji 4 Is Taking So Long
Karen Gillan Cites Scheduling Conflicts Among Other Reasons
Unfortunately, there are many factors contributing to whyJumanji 4is taking so long to be released.Following the release ofJumanji: The Next Levelin 2019, the world was launched into the COVID-19 pandemic, which heavily affected the film industry, preventing many productions. After that, there were further delays caused by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes throughout 2023. However, in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,Karen Gillan explained the possible reason forJumanji 4taking so longmight be down to scheduling conflicts, although she reiterated that she’s not completely sure:
“If you find out [who’s to blame for it taking so long], can you let me know? Because I don’t know. I’m sure it’s tricky to wrangle everyone’s schedules, but I haven’t heard anything about it other than the fact that we will be doing it at some point. So we’re all so enthusiastic about it. We all love working on those films, and it’s just a matter of when.”
Jumanji 4was announced to be in production as early as December 2019, soon after the release of the third film. In fact, aComicBook.comexclusive withJumanji’s producer Hiram Garcia in 2021 confirmed thatJumanji 4was on the horizon, with Garcia stating that “sometime after Red One comes out, Jumanji is going to be on deck” as director Jake Kasdan would be available. However, withunprecedented delays due to strikes and the pandemic, as well asJumanji’scast having scheduling conflicts, it’s no surprise thatJumanji’sfranchisewill have a seven-year gap whenJumanji 4finally releases.
Jumanji 4 Really Needs To Happen (Especially For The Rock)
Box Office Flops & Typecasting Could Be Solved With Jumanji 4
Yet the fact of the matter is thatJumanji 4really needs to happen soon, especially for Dwayne Johnson. It is no secret thatThe Rock has experienced some big box office bombsrecently, which has caused many to resent the actor’s typecasting. In fact,2021’sRed One —which stars Dwayne Johnson in the lead role and also hasJumanji’sdirector — was a box office bomb, earning $185.7 million on a budget of $200 to $250 million. This is also ironic asRed Onewas cited as one of the reasons whyJumanji 4was delayed in the first place.
Dwayne Johnson’s Forgotten $2Bn Franchise Finally Returning Could Not Be Coming At A Better Time
Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, both figuratively and literally, but an upcoming film will help lift his career even further.
On a similar note, Jack Black’s most successful movies in the last 10 years are predominantlyJumanji. AlthoughThe Super Mario Bros. Movieis his highest-grossing movie, theJumanjititles are not too far behind, while apprehension forA Minecraft Moviedemonstrates that Black may be following a similar box office trend as The Rock. Therefore,Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black may needJumanji 4to revitalize their careers by offering varied roles as the player avatars, as the franchise has been a consistently successful high-grossing project, and the seven-yearJumanji 4delay could still be worth the wait.
