‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ Director Reveals When Sequel Begins Filming

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle director Jake Kasdan says he'll re-team with star Dwayne Johnson for an early 2019 start date on Jumanji 3.

"The idea is to make the movie in the beginning of the year, if we can get it all worked out," Kasdan told Collider during a visit to the 44th Saturn Awards.

"We have not started figuring out the locations yet. Hawaii was a big part of [Welcome to the Jungle] and we love Hawaii, it would be great to go back there," Kasdan said. "We'll see."

Kasdan said he and his writers are "getting very close to cracking" the story on Jumanji 3, freshly dated for December 13, 2019. "It's a complicated little puzzle, but I think we've got some good stuff cooking."

"We're writing the movie right now. And all the guys that I'm working on that with are here tonight, we're just figuring out what exactly the next movie is gonna be," he added. "I'm happy to say I feel like we're making nice progress on it, and we've got some exciting stuff going."

Kasdan said the key to cracking the next Jumanji is to retain the series' heart and move forward in a way that feels organic after Welcome to the Jungle's ending.

"It's a big part of what we've all loved about that story and that movie was that it was this big fantasy that has kind of like a real kind of like strong, emotional center to it, and I do think that's a big part of what DJ responded to about it in the first place, and I know it's a big part of what I loved about it," Kasdan said. "So part of the challenge of figuring out how it continues is to keep that alive in ways that feel earned and, you know, like a true continuation of the story."

Asked if there's pressure to have a looming release date already set without a finalized script in place, Kasdan answered, "The short answer is, yes, I do feel that pressure [laughs]."

"I've had this conversation several times lately. It's gonna be quick, but we feel like we have an idea that we're excited about, so we're off to a good start with it, I think," he added. "It's gonna be a lot of work, don't get me wrong [laughs]. I'll leave here tonight and I'll be thinking about nothing else for the next year-and-a-half."

The still-unnamed Jumanji 3 will again star Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black, and opens December 13, 2019.