Dwayne Johnson honors Robin Williams in emotional ‘Jumanji’ Easter Egg: ‘A show of respect…’
'Jumanji' star Dwayne Johnson paid a rich tribute to the franchise's original star, Robin Williams. Shooting for 'Jumanji 4' in Los Angeles. 'The Rock' shared a video of "a little day one of Jumanji excitement" on the Universal Studios lot. The 'Fast & Furious' star revealed how he honored the late star after he starred in the first 'Jumanji' movie in 1995.
"As you see, a little Easter egg for Dr. Bravestone," Johnson pointed out to the necklace in his recent video on Instagram. "This is the dice from the original Jumanji with Robin Williams, as a show of respect and a way of honoring Robin and this entire franchise he started as we film our very last Jumanji, the big finale."
Earlier, a Deadline report said Johnson is back for the fourth film, slated to release on December 11, 2026. "It’s so good to be shooting in Los Angeles,” he said. I have not shot a film in Los Angeles in—I don’t know when—so, it feels so good to bring a production back home to Los Angeles and have our hardworking crew sleep in their own bed every night. And especially, just a big, fun movie like Jumanji."
Johnson is expected to reunite with director Jake Kasdan for the fantasy adventure flick, with co-stars Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gilliam set to reprise their roles after 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle' (2017) and 'Jumanji: The Next Level' (2019). Also back in the fold is Nick Jonas as Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough and Awkwafina as Ming Fleetfoot.
The film is based on Chris Van Allsburg's 1981 picture book of the same name, which sees a board game come to life. After Williams' 1995 starrer, the franchise hit the reboot button with a star-studded cast, where the enchanted game also saw four teens with a body switch with adult-like avatars of Johnson, Hart, Black, and Gillian. 'Welcome to the Jungle' was a commercial success, raking in $962.5 million worldwide. The sequel, 'Next Level,' saw a dip with $800 million. However, it was still looked at as a major box office winner.
At the time of writing, the plot details are kept under wraps. What is known, along with the casting confirmation, is that Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg penned the script. With just over a year to go for the release, and production already on floors, expect more details to trickle in over the next few months.