New Jumanji Movie Officially Starts Production, But Dwayne Johnson Has Confirmed Terrible News About It

The 2010s were ripe with franchise revivals, and the modern Jumanji movies were among the most successful. Serving as a soft reboot, Jumanji: Welcome the the Jungle assembled a star-studded cast featuring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan. It earned largely positive reviews (77% on Rotten Tomatoes) and earned $962.5 million at the worldwide box office. That success paved the way for a sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level, which was also generally well-received and a massive hit. It’s been six years since audiences were treated to a new Jumanji film, but now work on the next installment has officially begun. Unfortunately, there’s also some bad news fans won’t be happy to hear.

On Instagram, Dwayne Johnson shared photos and a short video clip from a table read, where the cast and crew assembled to begin their next journey. In the post, Johnson revealed this next installment will be the “final film” for this particular group. “What a massive, fun, heartfelt adventure,” he wrote. “Feels emotionally appropriate for our beloved JUMANJI franchise to end on this beautiful grace note of our final film.” Check out Johnson’s full post in the space below:

Dwayne Johnson Is Returning to Jumanji at the Perfect Time

While Sony probably would have preferred if it didn’t take quite as long for the next Jumanji movie to come to fruition (The Next Level grossed over $800 million worldwide), the timing couldn’t have worked out better for Johnson. He’s in need of a comeback at the box office after some of his recent projects underwhelmed. Black Adam failed to launch a new superhero franchise, and The Smashing Machine bombed with the lowest opening of Johnson’s career as a leading man. Though Johnson remains interested in challenging himself as an actor (he’s developing a new mob movie with Martin Scorsese), returning to the Jumanji well at this point in time seems smart. This is a proven, reliable IP that should give Johnson a big hit.

The extended gap between installments might actually give Jumanji 4‘s box office prospects a boost. Audiences have had time to miss the film series, meaning there shouldn’t be a sense of franchise fatigue settling in. Once the marketing revs up, fans should be excited to see the cast reunited, displaying their strong chemistry and comedic chops once again. Plus, with Jumanji 4 being billed as the finale, it could feel more like a must-see cinematic event, paying homage to the enduring legacy of the franchise. Johnson has already revealed on Easter egg in the new film: his character wears a necklace with the dice from the original Jumanji, honoring the late great Robin Williams.

Sony has dated Jumanji 4 for December 11, 2026. It will be interesting to see if that release date sticks. Johnson’s Instagram post reiterates the holiday season launch, but next December is going to be very crowded at the multiplex. Right now, Jumanji 4 is scheduled to release a week before Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three, two of the most anticipated blockbusters of 2026. Sony may opt to move Jumanji to a window where box office competition won’t be as fierce, but it is worth pointing out the previous two Jumanji films were able to coexist with Star Wars sequel trilogy installments. Based on history, there should be room for more than one blockbuster next Christmas.

Johnson makes a point to say the new film marks the end of “our” Jumanji franchise, but if it’s a hit, Sony will probably find a way to keep the series around. Jumanji 4 could just be the end for this particular cast of characters, and then a new ensemble can take over down the line of circumstances warrant. As we’ve seen with Warner Bros.’ handling of the Conjuring Universe, just because something is referred to as the final film doesn’t mean it will actually be the end. Money talks, so even if Johnson is done with Jumanji after this, fans could still have more adventures to look forward to.

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