Dwayne Johnson Working On A Prequel To His Biggest Franchise?
Do fans want to see a prequel for this popular Dwayne Johnson franchise?
This article is more than 2 years old
A new idea for a franchise installment surrounding Dwayne Johnson isn’t anything irregular. The star is known for making franchises that hit big and he’s currently involved in several. There’s no reason to doubt that many of the rumored ideas the star has for upcoming installments are true. He is involved in a lot of projects and meetings, he probably new ones on a regular basis. This new prequel idea is one that is bound to give a lot of people pause though. According to insiders for We Got This Covered, Dwayne Johnson wants to do a prequel for Jumanji.
This is bound to be a controversial and unpopular idea. The original Jumanji film starred Robin Williams and came out in 1995. It centered on a board game. When Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was announced, fans were not happy about the idea. The concept was met with a lot of skepticism. We’ve seen a lot of reboots in recent years and this wasn’t one fans wanted to see happen.
Then, the film launched and hit big. It stars Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillian, and Dwayne Johnson. The four of them start the movie off as teenagers who find an old video game cartridge and start playing it. They are then taken into Jumanji and high jinx ensue. The movie that so many claimed they never wanted to see happen earned $962 million at the worldwide box office. With nearly a billion in earnings, you can bet the studio signed on for the sequel fast.
With such a high-earner, you could probably do anything. And therein lies the trap where series often jump the shark, going too far and creating installments that lose the magic. According to the sources for We Got This Covered, Dwayne Johnson wants to do a prequel that covers how the game came to be in a console instead of in the board game.
When his first Jumanji film came out, it notably didn’t cover this topic. Do audiences really want to see that covered? There is definitely a story there that could be explored. But should it? Or is it more fun that the new movies just go forward without explanation? Instead of getting tied up in the “how” behind it all, the new films with Dwayne Johnson have focused on being a family-friendly action-adventure story that’s easy to digest, captures the magic, and doesn’t do anything that messes with the original Robin Williams movie at all. This may be what holds a lot of charm for the new movies for many adults. Will a prequel turn them off?
For now, this idea is only a rumor. It’s possibly an idea that Dwayne Johnson has thrown around but not necessarily committed to yet. It’s interesting that he’s still working on expanding franchises like Jumanji. While they are certainly high-earners, he is also currently (finally) filming Black Adam for DC. He’s wanted to make this film for a long time. He’s been open about how hard he has worked to get in the best shape of his life for the movie, which is really saying something for the former WWE star. From Jumanji to the Fast & Furious franchise to the new DC movie, no one seems as busy as The Rock.
