Sony Pictures is adding another star to the cast of
Jumanji 3. According to Variety, the studio has tapped Danny Devito to join the already star-studded cast for its sequel to 2017's
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which is technically the third film in the franchise.
“The magic of ‘Jumanji’ is who becomes who. And the idea of Danny DeVito joining our cast was too irresistible and something we knew we wanted to deliver to our audience this upcoming Christmas. Dwanta Claus loves everyone,” star Dwayne Johnson told Variety.
DeVito's character details are still a mystery as the plot of the upcoming film is being kept under wraps. The 74-year-old actor has been quite busy of late, landing roles in two upcoming Disney movies. He will star as ringmaster Max Medici in Tim Burton's live-action
Dumbo and will follow that up with a part in
The One and Only Ivan. He also continues to appear in the hit FX show
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which entered its 13th season this past September.
DeVito is the second big name to join the film, following this week's report that
Ocean's 8 and
Crazy Rich Asians star Awkwafina was also
in talks to play a "key" and "significant" role in the movie. Although she was reportedly still in talks to star in the film, it seems the deal has been finalized. Dwayne Johnson took to Instagram to welcome the 2018 breakout star to the cast while warning her about fellow co-star (and his good friend) Kevin Hart.
DeVito and Awkwafina join original
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan, who are all reprising their roles for the sequel.
The 2017 box office hit successfully rebooted the beloved 1995 film that originally starred Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, and Bonnie Hunt. The movie modernized the concept of the original film, turning
Jumanji into a video game that sucked the players into the digital jungle world where they assumed the roles of the game's avatars portrayed by Johnson, Black, Hart, and Gillan.
Welcome to the Jungle featured quite a few light tie-ins to the 1995 film, suggesting it was more of a soft reboot sequel. The currently untitled
Jumanji movie will be a full-fledged sequel to
Welcome to the Jungle.
Jumanji 3 is slated to hit theaters December 13, 2019, where it will go up 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.