Without The Board Game, Is The New 'Jumanji' Film Actually A Reboot?

When Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made an announcement of his involvement with the Jumanji continuation, fans were on edge with skepticism. Learning of a Jumanji movie in development surprised and shocked fans, up until the moment that "The Rock" put fan worries of a Jumanji reboot to rest with an Instagram post of his own.

In Johnson's Instagram post, he says a few parting words towards his castmates on the set of Fast and Furious 8, which he followed up by briefly mentioning his next project, Jumanji .

..I'll reunite with ol' friends Kevin Hart * Jack Black and we have the honor to introduce a whole new generation to the amazing world of #JUMANJI. *(for the record we are NOT making a reboot, but rather a continuation of the awesome JUMANJI story).

Johnson's claims refuted by recently released news report.

Johnson's words were meant to reassure skeptical fans, and Johnson succeeded in that for a time. However, a new report from The Hollywood Reporter shed some light on the plot details of Jumanji (2017) which inadvertently refute Johnson's claims of the new Jumanji film in development continuing the Jumanji story.

In the report, it provides details of a newcomer to the cast of Jumanji. The cast member in question is that of Alex Wolff, Wolff will play Spencer in Jumanji.

Wolff will play a boy named Spencer whose avatar in the game is being played by (Dwayne) Johnson and named Dr. Smolder Bravestone.

How Wolff's character of Spencer reveals a key detail of the plot to Jumanji

Wolff's character of Spencer will maneuver an avatar through the world of Jumanji. And his avatar will be portrayed by none other than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. As to why Wolff requires Johnson to portray his avatar is of particular interest. Mainly due to the aspect of Spencer (Alex Wolff) requiring an avatar in Jumanji, finding some correlation with a recent rumor that popped up.

The recent rumor suggests that the plot of Jumanji will see the Jumanji-board game replaced for a video game, and the central cast will maneuver through the world of Jumanji by controlling avatars. Their avatars will be portrayed by Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart.

There hadn't been any validity to the rumor until the details surrounding Alex Wolff's role in the film were released. Said details implied how the new film would replace the Jumanji-board game for a video game. Considering that the rumors are very likely to be true, the plot of Jumanji presents a startling revelation.

Rather than utilizing a central component of the original Jumanji story, the new film will see the central cast traveling into a Jumanji-video game. In doing so, the alteration in dynamic will be increasing the gap of connectivity between the original Jumanji film and the newest installment in the franchise.

Regardless of the information that will come to light in the coming months, for the new film to be a continuation, one of the major staples in the Jumanji franchise like the Jumanji board game should have made its way into the plot. Although, that doesn't appear to be the case.

In both the Jumanji (1995) film and the original story from Chris Van Allsburg, the board game was at the center of the action - making the board game an essential set piece to the Jumanji story. But after learning the new film will replace the Jumanji-board game for a video game, it's altering the entire construct of the Jumanji story. Almost to the point of where the new film can't even be considered a continuation when it shares more similarities to a reboot than a continuation or sequel. It's up to you to decide. Without the board game, is the new Jumanji film a de facto reboot?

Taking into account that the Jumanji-board game is being replaced by a video game and none of the original cast have been publicly asked to return either, there isn't much else connecting the original Jumanji to the new film so the production team on Jumanji has quite a task ahead of them in successfully connecting the two films. There is a possibility that the new Jumanji will address its predecessor in a respectful manner but we can only hope for so much.

Johnson and the production team behind Jumanji are also still adamant about the new film not being a reboot but the evidence is stacking up against them. With more details surfacing which suggests the new Jumanji will be distant from the original, the new film is looking more like a reboot everyday.

What do you think? Are you okay with an important set piece like the Jumanji board game being replaced by a video game? And is Jumanji (2017) moving too far away from the original Jumanji concept? What are your thoughts on the film?Source: The Hollywood Reporter