Jumanji 3 is officially in the works, but this time we're not going back to the jungle. That's right, our favourite in-game avatars Professor Smoulder, Shelly, Mouse, and Ruby are coming out to the real world in the franchise's final installment, which is officially titled Jumanjii: Open World.
Stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillian, and Kevin Hart are all set to return seven years after we last saw the group take on Jurgen the Brutal in Jumanji: The Next Level, and a few new faces have been added to the cast too, but more on that later. Filming on the adventure sequel has wrapped, and the first trailer has been shown behind closed doors at CinemaCon, where Johnson stated that the final Jumanji movie will honour Robin Williams, who starred in the 1995 original.
Jumanji 3 is scheduled to release at the end of 2026, and we're here to get you ready for the rapidly approaching sequel with a guide to everything you need to know, including the release date, cast, plot, and more. And when you're ready for more, you can check out our list of other upcoming movies to look out for in 2025 and beyond.
Jumanji 3 release date
Jumanji: Open World will release in theaters on December 25, 2026.
Originally scheduled for December 11, Sony has now shifted the release of Jumanji 3 back to Christmas Day (via The Wrap) in order to avoid facing down the one-two punch of 'Dunesday,' the Barbenheimer-esque nickname given to the simultaneous release of Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday on the same day.
The original date was confirmed in 2024 by Sony Pictures. The festive release is no new thing for the franchise, as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level were both released during December. However, judging by set pictures, it looks like this sequel will lean more into the Christmas theme than previous installments.
The road to release has not been easy. Before the team could start working on the film, production on Jumanji 3 was stunted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, even though work did resume in 2021, it was radio silence until 2024 when Sony confirmed that the movie was still happening and locked in a release date.
In November 2025, the official Jumanji Twitter account confirmed that the film had entered production in Los Angeles. On November 19, 2025, Dwayne Johnson shared a video on Instagram documenting "day one of Jumanji." Filming then wrapped in April 2026. This means that it will take almost 12 months to film and finish Jumanji 3, compared to The Next Level, which took 11 months to complete from its filming start date to its premiere. Could this mean that Jumanji 3 is going to be even bigger than its predecessors?
Is there a Jumanji 3 trailer yet?
No, there is no teaser or trailer video released for Jumanji 3 yet. However, one may be on the way soon, as the first Jumanji: Open World teaser was shown behind closed doors at CinemaCon 2026.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the teaser shows Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan in the real world as game avatars Dr. Smoulder, Shelley, Mouse, and Ruby Roundhouse. The only issue is that, without gamers controlling them, they are stilted versions of the avatars we have grown to love. Alex Wolff’s character Spencer explains, "They’re stuck in demo mode," to which Black remarks, "I’m beginning to suspect we’re not in Jumanji."
Jumanji 3 cast
From first looks and the Jumanji panel in Los Angeles in November 2025, we know that the bulk of the main cast is returning. The post, which you can see below, shows stars Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black. This means that the franchises’ core four in-game characters will return: Dr. Xander ‘Smolder’ Bravestone, Ruby Roundhouse, Franklin ‘Mouse’ Finbar, and Professor Sheldon ‘Shelly’ Oberon.
New level unlocked. #JumanjiMovie is officially in production. pic.twitter.com/90FvCbkpdSNovember 12, 2025
Thanks to the panel, we also know that the real-life versions of the characters are coming back too. That's Alex Wolff as Spencer Gilpin, Ser'Darius Blain as Anthony Johnson, Madison Iseman as Bethany Walker, and Morgan Turner as Martha Kaply.
We also know that Danny DeVito, who played Spencer’s grandfather Edward Gilpin in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, is returning and has already wrapped filming. As for in-game characters, Nick Jonas will make an appearance as in-game avatar Jefferson 'Seaplane' McDonough. Newcomers include The White Lotus star Brittany O’Grady in an undisclosed role, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Here is the confirmed cast of Jumanji 3:
- Dwayne Johnson as Dr. Xander ‘Smolder’ Bravestone
- Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse
- Kevin Hart as Franklin ‘Mouse’ Finbar
- Jack Black as Professor Sheldon ‘Shelly’ Oberon
- Alex Wolff as Spencer Gilpin
- Ser'Darius Blain as Anthony Johnson
- Madison Iseman as Bethany Walker
- Morgan Turner as Martha Kaply
- Nick Jonas as Jefferson 'Seaplane' McDonough
- Danny DeVito as Edward Gilpin
- Brittany O’Grady
Jumanji 3 plot speculation
Sony has yet to release an official synopsis for Jumanji: Open World. However, thanks to reports from CinemaCon where the first teaser was shown behind closed doors, the sequel will follow the in-game avatars as they enter the real world. According to Variety, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillian will all play different versions of their characters. Up until now, we have only known the avatars through the humans who inhabited them in the game. But in Open World, it seems as though Dr. Smoulder, Shelley, Mouse, and Ruby will adapt the personalities of their avatars.
Without Spencer controlling him, Dr. Bravestone is full of charisma, while Hart and Black’s characters were too busy being stuck in demo mode. Aside from the new avatars, the teaser also gave the CinemaCon audience a taste of action to come. The trailer showed a string of monsters and beasts from Jumanji breaking into the real world in New England, USA.
We already had an inkling that this was going to happen, as in the Jumanji: The Next Level post-credits scene, we see animals from the game escaping into the real world. Plus, first look images posted by Dwayne Johnson on Instagram show the four in-game characters out in the real world. In Boston, to be precise. "Something tells me we’re not in Jumanji anymore," said Johnson. Check out the images below.
The Jumanji franchise is based on Chris Van Allsburg's picture book of the same name, which follows a group of people sucked into an enchanted board game full of wild animals and thick jungles, and experience the game like real life. Before the modern franchise came about, the book was adapted into a 1995 film of the same name starring Robin Williams.
From the sounds of Open World, the new movie seems to be inspired by William's version, which also featured animals from the game breaking out into the real world. At Cinema Con (Entertainment Weekly), Johnson said the new movie honors Williams, adding "This whole franchise would not have started or happened or kicked off in this really beautiful way without one man, and that's Robin Williams."
This is not the first time Johnson has paid his respects to the late, great actor. Whilst confirming that Jumanji 3 had entered production, Dwayne Johnson posted a bunch of images on Instagram, including a close-up of the original Jumanji movie's poster and a necklace with a dice pendant.
"The significance of the dice in the last picture is a little Easter egg that my character, Dr. Smolder Bravestone, wears on a necklace in our final film," said Johnson. "It’s the dice from the original 1995 Jumanji." With the inclusion of the dice, we think the upcoming movie might finally have the characters enter the Jumanji board game rather than a video game, just like the original movie. But what about the 'Easter egg' mentioned by Johnson? Could Dr. Bravestone be connected to Williams' character Alan? We, for one, would love to see the franchise come full circle.
Is Jumanji 3 the final Jumanji movie?
Yes, unfortunately, Jumanji 3 will be the last movie in the franchise. Dwayne Johnson confirmed the news just as the film entered production. "What a massive, fun, heartfelt adventure," said the star, "Feels emotionally appropriate for our beloved Jumanji franchise to end on this beautiful grace note of our final film."
We did suspect this might be the case when Kevin Hart teased his and Dwayne Johnson’s 'final' movie together. "We’re talking about, of course, another Jumanji," said Hart to Variety. "[We're] just figuring out the thing that can act as what would or could be the final chapter of he and I. We feel we need something big to put our duo to an end and not just leave it undone like something that we can say, this is going to be our last and final movie." It looks like Jumanji 3 might be that last film for the duo.
For more, check out our list of the best fantasy movies and the biggest movie release dates.
