Dwayne Johnson’s $2 billion franchise really needs a sequel, but a new update regarding Jumanji 4 makes me doubt it will ever happen. Following up on the original 1995 film starring Robin Williams, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was released in 2017 with a whole new cast. Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan starred as adult avatar players of the game, and the movie was highly praised for their comedic performances. As a result of the Jumanji movie’s $962.5 million box office success, a sequel was released just two years later, тιтled Jumanji: The Next Level.

Jumanji‘s 2019 installment movie saw similar success, earning $801.7 million at the box office, with reviews remaining mostly positive. However, since the third movie in the $2 billion franchise was released, there have been a lot of delays for Jumanji 4, and it has now been six years since the previous outing. Sony did announce a while ago that Jumanji 4 would be released in 2026, sparking hope for a long-awaited sequel. Yet, a recent update by Jumanji cast member, Jack Black, has led to doubt that the fourth movie in the franchise will ever happen.

Jumanji 4 Is Set For 2026, But Jack Black’s Update Is Making Me Nervous

Jack Black Says “It’s Been A Great, Great Ride”

In an interview with ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, while promoting A Minecraft Movie, Jack Black issued an update on his return to Jumanji 4. When asked if he would return to the Jumanji franchise, Black said: “Well, we’ll see. I hope so.” However, when probed further, Black added that he doesn’t know when or even if Jumanji 4 will begin filming, stating: “My feeling is always, ‘I’ve already done my last film. I’m pretty sure I’m done. I’m pretty sure I’m retired.’ I’ll let you know if someone pulls me out of retirement, but it’s been a great, great ride.“

\n”‘};

window.arrayOfEmbedScripts[“twitter”] = “”””;

The uncertainty surrounding Black’s involvement sparks worry about Jumanji 4, as the new cast has been integral to the success of the franchise’s soft reboot, and it wouldn’t be the same without him. Furthermore, with the release date inching ever closer, the fact that Black claimed there is no real update on Jumanji 4‘s production status is concerning, especially considering the amount of digital work and time needed to create Jumanji‘s dense jungle domain following filming, which hasn’t even started. Therefore, Black’s update along with the lengthy delay makes it ever more doubtful if Jumanji 4 is even still happening.

Why Jumanji 4 Is Taking So Long

Karen Gillan Cites Scheduling Conflicts Among Other Reasons

Unfortunately, there are many factors contributing to why Jumanji 4 is taking so long to be released. Following the release of Jumanji: The Next Level in 2019, the world was launched into the COVID-19 pandemic, which heavily affected the film industry, preventing many productions. After that, there were further delays caused by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes throughout 2023. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Karen Gillan explained the possible reason for Jumanji 4 taking so long might be down to scheduling conflicts, although she reiterated that she’s not completely sure:

“If you find out [who’s to blame for it taking so long], can you let me know? Because I don’t know. I’m sure it’s tricky to wrangle everyone’s schedules, but I haven’t heard anything about it other than the fact that we will be doing it at some point. So we’re all so enthusiastic about it. We all love working on those films, and it’s just a matter of when.”

Jumanji 4 was announced to be in production as early as December 2019, soon after the release of the third film. In fact, a ComicBook.com exclusive with Jumanji‘s producer Hiram Garcia in 2021 confirmed that Jumanji 4 was on the horizon, with Garcia stating that “sometime after Red One comes out, Jumanji is going to be on deck” as director Jake Kasdan would be available. However, with unprecedented delays due to strikes and the pandemic, as well as Jumanji’s cast having scheduling conflicts, it’s no surprise that Jumanji‘s franchise will have a seven-year gap when Jumanji 4 finally releases.

Jumanji 4 Really Needs To Happen (Especially For The Rock)

Box Office Flops & Typecasting Could Be Solved With Jumanji 4

Yet the fact of the matter is that Jumanji 4 really needs to happen soon, especially for Dwayne Johnson. It is no secret that The Rock has experienced some big box office bombs recently, which has caused many to resent the actor’s typecasting. In fact, 2021’s Red One — which stars Dwayne Johnson in the lead role and also has Jumanji‘s director — was a box office bomb, earning $185.7 million on a budget of $200 to $250 million. This is also ironic as Red One was cited as one of the reasons why Jumanji 4 was delayed in the first place.

On a similar note, Jack Black’s most successful movies in the last 10 years are predominantly Jumanji. Although The Super Mario Bros. Movie is his highest-grossing movie, the Jumanji тιтles are not too far behind, while apprehension for A Minecraft Movie demonstrates that Black may be following a similar box office trend as The Rock. Therefore, Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black may need Jumanji 4 to revitalize their careers by offering varied roles as the player avatars, as the franchise has been a consistently successful high-grossing project, and the seven-year Jumanji 4 delay could still be worth the wait.

Sources: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, The Hollywood Reporter, ComicBook.com