Karen Gillan joins Dwayne Johnson in 'Jumanji' sequel

Actress Karen Gillan has been roped in as the female lead in the upcoming "Jumanji" sequel.

Actors Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black too are a part of the movie, which is to be directed by Jake Kasdan. It is an adaptation of the 1981 children's book, reports variety.com.

The plot of the film has been kept under wraps.

The 1995 "Jumanji" movie starred Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde, and Bebe Neuwirth. The story centred on a 12-year-old boy who gets trapped in a board game in 1969 only to be released 26 years later.

"The number one component that's been my driving force has been the opportunity to introduce 'Jumanji' to a whole new generation. But in that spirit, we want to create a continuing story that feels fresh, cool and global. Create something that's hopefully four quadrant in today's market for the fans," Johnson said.

Johnson also clarified that the new "Jumanji" would be a continuation of the classic movie and not a reboot. The film would also try its best to honour the memory of Williams.

"We added more characters to our story. Now there's five heroes who all bring their own 'strengths and weaknesses' to the game. Of course we have our main antagonist and his bad guys and a fun 'neutral' character as well," he said.

"One of the best elements from the original and one that we can build on is the animals of 'Jumanji.' That was a such a dangerously fun element of the original movie and of course we had to carry on that tradition.

"Also, our continuation story (20 years later) allows us to recognize and pay homage to Robin Williams' legacy in 'Jumanji'. The character of Alan Parish will be immortalized in our movie. That's what a sequel allows us to do, as well as explore a whole new 'Jumanji' universe," he added.

Produced by Matt Tolmach and William Teitler, the script of the film has been written by Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, based on a draft by the original writers, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.

The sequel is set to release on July 28 next year.

--IANS

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