When will "Jumanji: The Open World" be released: release date and news

At the annual CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas, Sony Pictures studio revealed the official name of the third installment of the re-released "Jumanji" franchise — "Jumanji: Open World" — and showed the first trailer. The film's stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black took the stage. When the film will be released, who will be in the cast, what is happening with the plot and whether it is true that this is the last part, is in the Izvestia material.

From a children's book to $1.7 billion: the story of "Jumanji"

Jumanji is one of the few game universes in cinema that has a literary origin. It's based on a children's picture book by American author Chris Van Olsberg, published in 1981. Its plot is simple and fun at the same time: two children find a board game that literally comes to life — wild animals and jungle dangers escape from it into the real world.

In 1995, the book was adapted into a film directed by Joe Johnston. The main role of Alan Parish, stuck inside the game for 26 years, was played by Robin Williams. The film became a classic of its generation and grossed over $262 million worldwide. As Deadline notes, it was this painting that laid the foundation for the entire modern franchise.

In 2017, Sony released a radically reimagined reboot, "Jumanji: The Call of the Jungle," directed by Jake Kazdan. Instead of a board game, a video game cartridge turned out to be in the center of the plot: four high school students were sucked into the game, where they existed in the bodies of their avatars. Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan made up one of the most successful acting ensembles of the decade. "The Call of the Jungle" grossed over $962 million worldwide and immediately became one of the biggest surprises of the year. In 2019, the sequel "Jumanji: The Next Level" was released, earning over $801 million. Both films together brought the studio almost $1.8 billion.

What will "Jumanji: The Open World" be about?

Each new part of "Jumanji" is based on a shift in the rules of the game. In "The Call of the Jungle," teenagers got inside a video game. In the movie "Jumanji. A new level" avatars changed: characters controlled other people's bodies. In "Jumanji: Open World," the authors take the next logical — and much more daring — step: the game breaks out and captures the real world.

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As follows from the description of the trailer shown at CinemaCon for the audience only, the events begin with the fact that an unknown computer wizard discovers an old game console in someone's house. After that, supernatural clouds begin to gather over residential areas, and a herd of ostriches rushes through the streets of a real city. Avatars of Johnson, Hart, Black and Gillan materialize in reality — not in their usual form, but in the so-called "demo mode". According to The Hollywood Reporter, in this part, each of the four actors plays three versions of his character at once — the rules of the game no longer apply.

Kevin Hart on the CinemaCon stage confirmed that the usual mechanics of "Jumanji" do not work in the new film. According to the authors, for the first time in the history of the franchise, a team of real teenagers and their game avatars find themselves in the same space and are forced to work together to save both worlds.

Actors, directors, and screenwriters

The main cast of the trilogy returns in full. Dwayne Johnson once again plays the role of Dr. Smolder Bravestone, a burly avatar who transforms into a puny high school student. In the trailer, his character speaks with a Spanish accent for some reason, which has already caused the first laughs from the audience at CinemaCon. Kevin Hart returns as Franklin Finbar, Jack Black as Professor Sheldon Oberon, and Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse.

Alex Wolf, Madison Iceman, Morgan Turner and Ser'Darius Blaine, the teenagers who got into the game in the first part, are returning from the youth cast. Danny DeVito will reappear as Grandpa Spencer. Nick Jonas will return as Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough. Lamorne Morris, Rhys Darby and Aquafina also starred in the film.

Jake Kazdan is back behind the camera, the only director who shot all three parts of the modern Jumanji. He wrote the script together with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg: it was this duo who worked on "New Level," and Pinkner and Rosenberg are also co—authors of the original "Call of the Jungle." This is a rare case of complete continuity of the creative team throughout the trilogy.

The producers are Matt Tolmak, Kazdan, Dwayne Johnson, Dani Garcia and Hiram Garcia. According to Deadline, the executive producers are Barry Waldman, Melvin Mar, William Tytler, Ted Field, Mike Weber and Chris Van Olsberg himself, the author of the original book.

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"This is for you": in memory of actor Robin Williams

One of the most touching moments of the CinemaCon presentation happened when Dwayne Johnson talked about the Easter egg that the authors hid in "Jumanji: Open World" as a sign of respect for the original 1995 film and its main star.

The new film will feature half of the same cube from the original "Jumanji" — the props used in the Robin Williams movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson said from the stage, looking up somewhere: "Robin, this is for you." According to Screen Rant, this gesture is part of a long—standing tradition.: Back on the set of the first part of "The Call of the Jungle," Johnson said that he plays Dr. Bravestone "in the spirit of Williams—with respect, love and joy."

Final level: Is this the last "Jumanji"

Dwayne Johnson made it clear that for him and his partners in the trilogy, "Jumanji: Open World" is the point. According to Variety, Johnson publicly confirmed back in November 2025, when filming began: this film will be the end of the story that he, Hart, Black and Gillan have been telling since 2017.

Whether this means the end of the entire franchise is an open question. As noted, if the film reaches the box office heights of its predecessors, Sony will probably find ways to continue "Jumanji" without the current cast.

When and where to watch "Jumanji: The Open World"

"Jumanji: The Open World" will be released through Columbia Pictures on December 25, 2026 — Christmas Day. According to The Wrap, the date has been changed: the studio originally planned the release on December 11, but then shifted it to a holiday. The first relaunch of 2017 also opened in the pre-Christmas week and grossed $962 million at the holiday box office.

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All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.