A lot of people were skeptical when Columbia Pictures announced Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart would be starring in a new version of the classic children’s book “Jumanji.” The property was already turned into a beloved 1995 classic starring Robin Williams and wasn’t necessarily crying out to be remade. Johnson had promised fans the film wouldn’t be a reboot, and the wild first trailer makes that sentiment outrageously clear.
READ MORE: Dwayne Johnson Says New ‘Jumanji’ Is Not a Reboot
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” follows four high-school students who discover the titular video game and literally get sucked into its jungle world. The avatars they choose are played by Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black, which means a lot of the film’s comedy will be provided by this body-swapping premise. One of the characters is a popular girl who enters the game as Black, for instance, while the nerd becomes Johnson and so on.
Columbia is releasing “Jumanji” in theaters December 20, and it’s clearly hoping to be the Christmas comedy film of choice. Nick Jonas and Alex Wolff co-star. Watch the trailer below.
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