We’ve been a bit cautious for the past several months about the new Jumanji flick. After all, the original is well beloved (at least for 90s kids), and it seems weird to remake the semi-serious kids movie as an outright buddy comedy. Well, Jumanji star Dwayne Johnson is putting our fears to rest (kind of).
The actor shared an update about Jumanji in an Instagram post about Fast and the Furious 8 wrapping up shooting. In true “The Rock” fashion, the photo is him getting out of a jet—because when Johnson tells us something, he’s going to do it while getting out of a jet.
“In two weeks I’ll reunite with ol’ friends Kevin Hart and Jack Black and we have the honor to introduce a whole new generation to the amazing world of Jumanji,” Johnson wrote. “For the record we are NOT making a reboot, but rather a continuation of the awesome Jumanji story.”
The key word here is “continuation,” which likely means it won’t be a direct sequel. It’s probably going to be a broader part of the Jumanji cinematic universe, acknowledging the events of the past while also being its own story. Sort of like how Jurassic World is technically part of the Jurassic Park franchise but also totally not.
I’m still not completely on board with another Jumanji film, but this does give me a little more hope that we could see something interesting. Besides, Johnson’s right: kids deserve a chance to get their own Jumanji. But if it sucks, we’ll all be sadder than orphaned Kirsten Dunst.