Sony and Jake Kasdan’s Jumanji sequel may be in active production in Honolulu – see the first set videos here – but the studio’s casting spree continues apace today, with Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner and Rhys Darby all landing supporting roles.
Making tracks for the depths of the jungle to join Dwayne Johnson and Co., news of Jumanji rounding out its starry ensemble hailed from both Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, after the latter confirmed that Alex Wolff, rising star behind The Naked Brothers Band, has joined the continuation as Spencer. If that name rings a bell, it should. Back when Johnson unveiled the first concept art of his hulking Dr. Smolder Bravestone, a masthead teased that Bravestone would actually be the in-game avatar for Spencer and, thanks to THR’s report, we now have confirmation that that is indeed the case.
Wolff isn’t the only one to roll the dice for Jumanji. As revealed by Dwayne Johnson via Twitter, the up-and-comer is part of the team known as Jumanji Juniors who, along Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, and Morgan Turner, will be playing the real-life counterparts to Johnson (Bravestone), Kevin Hart (Moose Finbar), Jack Black (Professor Shelly Oberon), and Karen Gillan (Ruby Roundhouse).
Officially welcoming our #JumanjiJuniors to our film. @serdariusblain @madisoniseman @natandalex Morgan Turner. #DontBeScaredKids #Jumanji pic.twitter.com/KuE4si3UL7
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 23, 2016
What’s interesting is that, based on these early casting tidbits, one of the core characters will be attached to the avatar of another gender – possibly Madison Iseman as Hart’s Moose Finbar. It’s a cool set-up; besides, it’s not uncommon for video game players to role play as another gender, so it’ll be fascinating to see how that dynamic pans out when Jumanji roars to life on July 28, 2017.