After exploding onto Hollywood's scene with starring roles in Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians, Awkwafina (whose real name is Nora Lum) is now in talks to join the star-studded cast of Sony's sequel to
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - aka
Jumanji 3.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 2018 breakout star is nearing a deal that will see her play a "key" and "significant" character in the highly anticipated sequel to 2017's smash hit.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle successfully rebooted the beloved 1995 film that originally starred Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, and Bonnie Hunt. Sony's 2017 version of the movie modernized the concept of
Jumanji, turning it into a video game that sucked the players into a digital world where they became the game's avatars portrayed by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan. Though it served as a reboot,
Welcome to the Jungle also featured quite a few tributes to the classic movie, suggesting it didn't completely abandon its roots.
In any case, the currently untitled
Jumanji movie, which is due to hit theaters later this year, will no doubt be a sequel to
Welcome to the Jungle and all four stars of the 2017 blockbuster will return. Jake Kasdan will be returning to the director's chair with a script by himself, Scott Rosenberg, and Jeff Pinkner. Unfortunately, plot details have not yet be shared.
Jumanji 3is slated to hit theaters December 13, 2019, pitting it against Disney's
Star Wars: Episode IX (December 20).
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle shared a similar fate when it went head-to-head with
Star Wars: The Last Jedi and still found incredible
success at the box office with a global haul of $961.7 million.