See that set photo featured above? Those aren't "actual" characters in the
Jumanji reboot movie, they're video game avatars. They're teenagers that have suddenly found themselves transported inside of a video game, where they have become their respective characters. If you're a fan of anime (by the way, check out our sister site,
AnimeMojo.com) think Sword Art Online, Log Horizon, KonoSuba or a whole host of other
isekai (trapped in a video game world) type anime. It was generally assumed that the upcoming reboot would just be a reimagining of the 1995 film but the surprise shift in story was revealed last night during Sony's CinemaCon panel.
Of the switch or update, Dwayne Johnson commented, "
We wanted to make a movie that was not only phenomenal and paid homage, but something that had evolved."
In the film, four high school students in detention are sent to clean up the school's basement as punishment but inadvertently discover an old-school video game that transports them inside once they start to play. The large, high school jock becomes the diminutive character played by Kevin Hart. The popular, "it-girl" become the obtuse professor played by Jack Black, while the nerdy, allergy-prone outcast becomes The Rock's character. Luckily for them, they happen to meet a guide in the video game world, who is played by Nick Jonas. How Karen Gillan's characters factors into the movie is being kept a secret. However, based on this new info, she's either playing a video game character or a gamer that was already trapped inside Jumanji before the others arrive which would be closest to the role that Robin Williams played in the original film.
Jumanji arrives in theaters on December 22. It's directed by Jake Kasdan from a script written by Scott Rosenberg.