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Jack Black Leads Star-studded Cast for ‘Jumanji’ Reboot


Actors Jack Black, left, and Nick Jonas pose to the media during a photocall to promote the film "Jumanji: Welcome to the jungle" in Barcelona, Spain, June 18, 2017.
Actors Jack Black, left, and Nick Jonas pose to the media during a photocall to promote the film "Jumanji: Welcome to the jungle" in Barcelona, Spain, June 18, 2017.

U.S. actor Jack Black has some big comedic shoes to fill in his forthcoming project, which sees him take the lead role in "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," a star-studded reboot of the hit 1995 comedy that starred the late Robin Williams.

Black said that he only watched the original film after being cast in the follow-up. He described Williams as a "genius" who was "at the peak of his powers" in the movie.

The original "Jumanji" saw Williams play a man who escapes from captivity inside a magical jungle-themed board game. The new film sees that premise reversed, with the lead characters journeying into the game's fantastical world.

"In this one we actually travel with the characters into the jungle and it's gorgeous and treacherous and exciting," Black told Reuters.

In another twist away from the original, which saw Williams' character enter the game as a child and emerge as an adult, this film sees child characters transform into adults when they get pulled into the game.

Black and co-star Nick Jonas were promoting the film at Cine Europe 2017, an annual cinema convention held in Barcelona.

In addition to Black and Jonas the film features screen muscleman Dwanye "The Rock" Johnson, and comedian Kevin Hart.

"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" is due out in cinemas in December.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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