New ‘Goosebumps 2’ Cast Members Bring the Laughs

One of the biggest strengths of 2015’s Goosebumps was its balance of family-friendly humor and horror, punctuating some of the scarier sequences with laughs as to not get too intense. The upcoming sequel is sure to follow that tradition, having added Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911, The Goldbergs), Ken Jeong (Community, The Hangover), and Chris Parnell (30 Rock, Archer).

These new cast members join the previously announced Jeremy Ray Taylor (IT), Madison Iseman (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), Ben O’Brien (Manchester By the Sea), and Caleel Harris (Castle Rock).

The casting announcement didn’t feature any details about the film’s plot, which has reportedly undergone multiple iterations.

The original 2015 film featured Jack Black portraying Goosebumps author R.L. Stine with some of his most iconic characters leaping from the pages of his books to terrorize a small town, in addition to the actor voicing Slappy, the ventriloquist doll. The upcoming sequel was rumored to have initially been titled “Goosebumps: Horrorland,” with the film pursuing an anthology route instead of a single narrative. The film is rumored to have changed its narrative, instead focusing on a storyline that would mirror the book “Slappy’s Revenge.”

It’s unclear if Black will return to the sequel and in what capacity, potentially merely voicing the ventriloquist dummy while not playing Stine.

The film was originally slated for release on September 21, but Sony has bumped the film back to October 12. With the film still not in production, the October release date also begins to look doubtful.

Rumored details about this new narrative have surfaced online, with Backstage‘s details about the film reading, “This film will feature one of the series’ more notorious villains: Slappy, the evil ventriloquist’s dummy who’s hell-bent on jump-starting the Halloween apocalypse. Three friends must stop the stuffed adversary before he ruins Halloween for good. Jack Black, who depicted the author in the first film, will reprise his role as Stine in the sequel.”

Unfortunately, the studio itself has yet to confirm the above details.

The original film earned over $150 million worldwide, thanks to the recognizable name. The Goosebumps book series, which were known for their neon-tinged cover art, has sold over 350 million copies worldwide. The ’90s also saw a TV series inspired by the most popular novels in the franchise, which ran for four seasons.

Are you looking forward to a new Goosebumps film? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T Bloody Disgusting]