The late Robin Williams had a brilliant career filled with memorable performances, from 'The World According to Garp' to 'Good Will Hunting,' but it was often his gentler side in films like 1995's 'Jumanji' that rounded out his stature as an actor, comedian and philanthropist.
Rumors have swirled for a few years now about a remake of the board game fantasy adventure, which debuted in 1981 as a children's picture book written by Chris Van Allsberg. Finding suitable stars to carry the story's torch is no small feat, but according to Variety, Sony believes Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson are the duo for the job.
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Fresh off their co-hosting performance at last weekend's 25th MTV Movie Awards, Hart and Johnson are reportedly juggling their jam-packed schedules to complete the reboot by the summer of 2017.
The stark physical contrast between the two actors alone makes for an interesting dynamic that could play well in a storyboard marked by stampeding rhinos, raging monkeys, a home-invading lion, a mangy poacher, and torrential downpours.
Hart and Johnson have both nailed physically demanding roles – whether in the ring, through Philly's streets, or on the big screen – and have gradually evolved their repertoires as dramatic performers in comedy and action flicks. They'll have a chance to display their chemistry together in 'Central Intelligence,' an upcoming action comedy that finds a pair of reunited friends in the middle of an international CIA operation.
'Jumanji' will be directed Jake Kasdan ('Orange County,' 'Sex Tape') and produced by Matt Tolmach ('The Amazing Spider-Man,' 'Freaks of Nature'). It's not how closely the script will adhere to the 1995 film, which takes off when 12-year-old Alan Parrish, trapped in the Jumanji board game since 1969, returns to the present 26 years later with all the mayhem and peril in tow. He and a pair of kids who set him free vow to complete the game by recruiting the woman who first played the dangerous game with Parrish.
Separately, Hart will release his stand-up film 'Kevin Hart: What Now?' in October as Johnson gears up to film for roles in 'Fast 8,' 'Rampage,' and the second season of his HBO series 'Ballers.'
Here's the trailer for 'Central Intelligence,' which hits theaters June 17.