Get ready to go back to the jungle as Jumanji 3 is officially heading to cinemas at the end of this year. That's right, it looks like it's going to be a tropical Christmas as the third and final film in the rebooted franchise has locked in a Christmas 2026 release date. The threequel has seen its fair share of hiccups over the years, but with filming currently underway, we hope it's smooth sailing until premiere day.
It has been almost seven years since the sequel Jumanji: The Next Level hit screens. However, original cast members Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan are back in their khaki uniforms and ready to take on whatever the world of Jumanji has in store for them this time. Although plot details are being kept tightly under wraps, we know that the movie will be set in Boston, meaning Dr. Smolder and his gang may be stepping into the real world for the first time. But more on that later.
Jumanji 3 release date
Jumanji 3 will release in theaters on December 11, 2026.
The 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 the month of December.
The road to release has not been easy for the third movie in the franchise. Before the team could start working on the film, production on Jumanji 3 was stunted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Director Jake Kasdan told Collider, "We were just getting into the conversation before this global calamity."
Work then seemed to resume in 2021 when producer Hiram Garcia told ComicBook that the team had "a really fun pitch" for the movie. However, it was radio silence until 2024 when Sony not only confirmed that the movie was still happening, but locked in a Christmas-time release date.
In November 2025, the official Jumanji Twitter account confirmed that the film had entered production in Los Angeles. Then, on November 19, 2025, Dwayne Johnson shared a video on Instagram documenting "day one of Jumanji." 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, as the movie is still being filmed. However, we can guess when it might arrive. The last Jumanji movie to hit screens, sequel Jumanji: The Next Level, started filming in January 2019, and Sony released the first trailer on July 1, 2019. So, because Jumanji 3 starts filming in November 2025, we may see the first trailer sometime during early summer 2026.
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.
It gets a little tricky when it comes to supporting cast members. Danny DeVito played Spencer’s grandfather Edward Gilpin in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, then took on a larger role in Jumanji: The Next Level as he was the one controlling player Dr. Bravestone rather than Alex. His friend Milo Walker (Danny Glover) also joined the game and hopped into the body of Mouse. However, it is not clear at this time whether DeVito or Glover will return.
As for in-game characters, we know that Nick Jonas will be making an appearance. In an interview with Esquire, Jonas said, "The gang's already been shooting for a while. I'm joining them in a few weeks," adding that he's "thrilled to be a part of" the third movie. As for the bad guys, Jumanji: The Next Level’s villain Jurgen the Brutal (Rory McCann) is still alive and well, meaning he could return.
As of now, this is who we expect to return in 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
Jumanji 3 plot speculation
No plot details for Jumaji 3 have been revealed as of yet. However, we do have our theories. 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.
However, despite following a similar premise, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Jumanji: The Next Level, and the upcoming Jumanji threequel follow a different set of characters and are in no way connected to the ‘90s movie. Or so we thought. 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.
The one solid clue we have comes from the Jumanji: The Next Level post-credits scene, where we see animals from the game escaping into the real world. With this in mind, it is also possible that a few in-game avatars could have escaped, too, including Jurgen the Brutal. Plus, from first look images posted by Dwayne Johnson on Instagram, we can see the four in-game characters in what looks to be the real world. In Boston, to be precise. "Something tells me we’re not in Jumanji anymore," said Johnson. Check out the images below.
Plus, it seems as though the movie may take place during the festive period, as in the background of Kevin Hart's Instagram post, and Karen Gillian's birthday celebrations, we can see the cast in full costume, surrounded by Christmas decorations and snow which must be fake due to the film being set in Boston but filming in Los Angeles (where it never snows). That does explain the festive release window.
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.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
