With the success of "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," the idea of a sequel is not surprising. Although nothing is official yet, talks of "Jumanji 3" have already started popping up, and the latest word is that Sony wants it to have another high-profile showdown with the galaxy far, far, away.
A report from Wall Street Journal says Sony chairman Tom Rothman is planning to capitalize off of the reboot's success with another "Jumanji" film set for a Christmas 2019 release. That would bring up the sequel against the untitled "Star Wars: Episode IX," which was moved to the same release window last year when J.J. Abrams replaced Colin Trevorrow as director.
It is a rather bold move for Sony to take as "Episode IX" is looking to be the biggest event for Lucasfilm's franchise since "The Force Awakens." Not only is it a trilogy capper, it is also the first new "Star Wars" installment to come out in about 19 months. Even "Wonder Woman 2," which is arguably a bigger franchise and has more potential in the box office, moved up its premiere from December to November 2019 when Lucasfilm confirmed the "Episode IX" holiday release. Still, that does not mean Sony's approach will not work.
"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" opened less than one week after "The Last Jedi" and it successfully raked in a total of $769 million worldwide, making it Sony's biggest non-Spider-Man movie. If it is anything to go by, the sequel will not win against "Star Wars," but it will likely still pull off some impressive numbers.
Of course, Sony has yet to confirm this matter, let alone the sequel itself, so the studio may still change its course.
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" and "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" are both playing in theaters now. The former's sequel premieres on Dec. 20, 2019.
