Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced on Instagram on Friday that he is officially onboard in an upcoming remake of "Jumanji," and has promised fans to offer something "cool and special."
The actor's Instagram announcement comes in the wake of reports that Sony Pictures is planning to hire Johnson and Kevin Hart for the remake of the 1995 Robin Williams' adventure classic. It further claimed that the filming of the remake would commence this summer, while it would be released in July 2017, The Verge reported.
In his post, Johnson has corroborated some of these details. He confirmed that the shooting for the movie will commence this fall. Johnson, however, did not make any mention about Hart in his post. Hence, it is still not clear whether the actor will join the cast. Initially, it was said that Hart's hectic schedules could prove to be a major challenge for the production.
The reboot will be directed by Jake Kasdan, while Matt Tolmach will be producing the film, Eonline reported. Johnson is said to be working on the script in association with Seven Bucks Productions, the company he founded. Johnson's post said that the casting is yet to be finalized.
News regarding the "Jumanji" reboot first came into circulation in August 2015 when Sony Pictures announced the titles as well as release dates for its upcoming movies. At that time, Sony stated that the remake of the adventure classic would hit the theaters again in Christmas 2016. However, now the studio has set July 28, 2017, as the new release date.
The original "Jumanji" initially had a lukewarm critical reception, but went on to conquer the box office. Today, "Jumanji" is a "go-to movie" for most parents as well as children. The original movie is among the rare children's movies, which is genuinely scary.
The original "Jumanji" was based on Chris Van Allsburg's book of the same name. Aside from late Williams, the original cast included Bonnie Hunt and a young Kirsten Dunst.
Last August, when Sony first announced its plan to remake the film, the announcement was received with extensive criticism primarily because it came quite soon after Robin Williams' death.
Watch the original "Jumanji" trailer below: