Hollywood views Dwayne Johnson as an adrenaline rush in human form. Anytime that an action franchise is starting to lose its way, he gets a call and shows up on the scene, ready to kick butts and take names. No matter how Vin Diesel feels about Johnson, the Fast & Furious series owes him a lot of credit because it wouldn’t be in a position to make an eleventh and final film if he hadn’t brought his A-game in Fast Five. The DC Extended Universe also has to give him a pat on the back because he tried to change the hierarchy of power in Black Adam.
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From an outside perspective, though, it doesn’t seem like Johnson has as much fun playing a government agent or a comic book antihero as he does playing a nerd ready to come out of his shell and play hero. That oppurtunity only presented itself to the actor because he was willing to take a chance on a classic franchise that was looking to find a second wind, nearly 25 years after it got started. The good news is that, after knocking two entries out of the park, Johnson is gearing up to appear in a third, which promises to take the series to bigger and better places.
Dwayne Johnson Led a Stacked Cast in a 2017 Action-Adventure Movie
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle serves as a sequel to the 1995 film starring Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst, in which a board game comes to life and forces a couple of kids to get a lid on the situation with the help of their new friend, Alan Parrish. Two decades later, a group of high school students stumble upon not a board game but a video game that also houses the world of Jumanji. However, instead of the dangers coming to them, they go inside the game and take control of avatars. Of all the kids, Spencer ends up in the best spot because his character, played by Johnson, is strong and valuable in any situation. By learning to embrace his brain, Spencer becomes more confident and helps his friends escape the game.
Unfortunately, the good times don’t last, and Spencer decides to head back to Jumanji in the sequel because he can feel himself and his friends drifting apart. Everyone else goes in after him, but they all end up with different avatars, which complicates matters. Once again, the group learns how to work together and saves their home away from home from a drought. After leaving Jumanji behind, they’re ready to return to their everyday lives, only for another roadblock to arrive in the form of virtual creatures running around in the real world. Jumanji: The Next Level‘s cliffhanger paves the way for a fascinating follow-up, but the project is taking its sweet time getting to the finish line.
Jumanji Is Finally Ready for Its Final Level
The Next Level grossed over $800 million at the box office in 2019, which sure seemed like enough to get another entry in the pipeline quickly. A sequel was announced in 2020, but it took a few years for everyone to get on the same page. After all, Johnson and his co-stars, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan, are some of the busiest people in the business. Their schedules are clear now, though, as they’re all filming what will be the final entry in the Jumanji franchise.
Sony is keeping story details under wraps for now, but Johnson let it slip in 2019 that the person controlling Jurgen the Brutal could play a key role in The Next Level sequel. Maybe things have changed in the last five years, as the break gave the creative team time to tinker with the script and deliver what they believe will be the perfect swan song for the classic franchise. Whatever the case, it’s going to be nice to have Johnson and the rest of the gang back together for one last ride.
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A screenshot from Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, showing a match.
