Actor and singer Nick Jonas is officially returning for the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sequel. Jonas will reprise his role as Alex for the follow-up to Sony's 2017 installment. The untitled Jumanji sequel, the third in the series, is set to release in December.
The news surrounding Jonas' return comes just after the core young cast was announced to return for the sequel, including Alex Wolff, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, and Morgan Turner. The major stars of the 2017 sequel, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan will also be back to reprise their roles as the teens' video game avatars. They will be joined by newcomers to the franchise, Danny Glover, Danny DeVito, and Awkwafina.
Related: Jumanji 3 Will Have More Connections To The Original Film
The confirmation of Jonas' return (via Deadline) indicates that each main protagonist has signed on for the next Jumanji journey. Not many details regarding the plot have been announced, but it seems quite obvious that the teens will get sucked back into the world of Jumanji. Technically, Jonas played the Jumanji avatar, Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough, the fifth player in the game. The in-game character was controlled by a teenager named Alex who was stuck in the game for 20 years before the other teens found him.
How the teens get forced back into Jumanji will certainly be interesting considering they presumably destroyed the game. Director Jake Kasdan will look to expand the Jumanji lore just as he did with the last installment. The video game aspect added a modernized feel to the sequel but it was the stellar cast that really drew in audiences. Fans of the original film were initially skeptical of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. It went on to become a mega-hit for Sony so it would be no surprise to see the franchise continue to grow for years to come. Whether or not the main cast stays on board for the duration is yet to be determined, but if this latest sequel proves successful, their involvement seems inevitable. As of right now, Jumanji 3 remains as one of the most anticipated films of the year.
Even if Jonas' return to the sequel is for a minor role, he's still set for a very busy year. Aside from his recent marriage to Priyanka Chopra, he booked roles in the upcoming films, Chaos Walking and Midway. Jonas is also voicing a role in the animated film, UglyDolls, hitting theaters this May. In total, Jonas has four films slated to release this year. He even has his eyes set on taking over the role of Batman. Add that to his music career and the man is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
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Source: Deadline
