Jumanji 4's 7-Year Gap Is a Blessing in Disguise for The Rock and Jack Black After the Sequel's $800 Million Success

Jumanji 4 is confirmed for release in 2026, which could be a blessing in disguise for two of its lead actors. The rebooted film franchise stars The Rock and Jack Black, with Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan. Jumanji: The Next Level was a huge success, grossing US$800 million at the box office, and although it is not an immediate sequel to the original, the Jumanji The film's timeline is straightforward. The team behind Jumanji film franchise has already made some smart decisions that have helped usher in Jumanji to a new audience, and this delay could be one of them.

The rebooted franchise's video game storyline allowed the cast of Jumanji to showcase a wider range of skills than some viewers might expect. The central premise involves the main cast playing avatars of awkward teenage characters and, later, their much older relatives. The cast of Jumanji: The Next Level He had an even more challenging job, changing characters several times. As The Rock and Jack Black often say "play alone"In many of his films, Jumanji allowed both actors to showcase their talents, and both have appeared regularly in family films ever since.

The Rock and Jack Black have been prolific in family films since Jumanji: The Next Level

The Rock has already appeared in a spiritual successor to Jumanji

The Rock and Jack Black now regularly star in family films. The Rock appeared in Red Warning and Black Adamand played Santa's Chief of Security in the Christmas comedy Red. The family comedy School of Rock is still funny today and is arguably Jack Black's best film, and since Jumanji: The Next Levelhe voiced Bowser in Super Mario Bros. Movie and reprized his role as Po in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. However, this rise in popularity has not always been positive, as both actors are so distinct that they are now at risk of overexposure and typecasting.

The Rock doesn't appear to have taken much of a break Jumanjiappearing in a spiritual successor to the film franchise just two years after the release of Jumanji: The Next Level. The Rock returned to the jungle to star as steamboat captain and cartographer Frank Wolff in the Disney film. Jungle Cruisewhich is based on a Disney theme park ride. Jungle Cruise is not a Jumanji franchise filmbut it seems so, as the two share a jungle setting, greedy villains chasing an artifact and the risk of getting trapped.

The Rock's films since Jumanji: The Next Level have been a mixed bag (and Jack Black could follow)

Jack Black could continue two more Rock film trends

While Rock's popularity is usually enough to attract positive reviews from the publicHis recent films have not all been critically praised. Red received several negative reviews and a 34% critical review rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Black Adam It didn't fare much better with its 39% critical rating. This seems like a step down Jumanji: The Next Levelwith its 72% rating. Jack Black may now be sharing The Rock's mediocre run of films with the highly anticipated Borders being panned by critics, earning just a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and early criticism for its minecraft film seems uninspiring.

Two of Jack Black's upcoming films continue a trend started by The Rock. Both The Rock and Jack Black are now in Christmas comedieswith Jack Black playing Satan in 2024 Dear Santa Clausin which a boy makes a spelling mistake on his Christmas list, inviting the wrong person for the holidays. Jack Black is also linked to Anaconda - a reboot of the 1997 horror, reimagined as a comedy and still set in the jungle. The Rock is not, as of now, scheduled to appear in Anacondabut your Fast and Furious franchise co-star Daniela Melchior was cast.

Jumanji 4 could be the recovery Rock and Jack Black need

Jumanji 4 could also be a welcome return for the original Jumanji actors

Jack Black and The Rock seem to have fallen into a series of failures and returned to type, where the actors essentially play themselves once again, so Jumanji 4 could give them a welcome challenge. Part of what made the reboot Jumanji movies so fun was seeing Jack Black play a teenager obsessed with boyswith The Rock playing her anxious, skinny friend. Both actors were surprisingly great in their roles, and although their avatar characters are returning Jumanji 4they could play anyone, which could be another challenge and recovery for both actors.

Jumanji 4 will have to be worth the wait, and while The Rock and Jack Black's Jumanji Avatars inhabited by completely different characters will likely bring a new twist, the filmmakers could have come up with an even better one. Jumanji 4 could unite The Rock and Robin Williams Jumanji movies bringing back the original Jumanji characters from the film. This could involve Judy and Peter playing the Jumanji video game by accident or to rescue a different character, or Jumanji 4 could bring back the "darkest jungle hunter", the villain Van Pelt. A battle between Van Pelt and The Rock might just be the epic scene that Jumanji 4 it needs.