Dwayne Johnson is on the media circuit at TIFF for his UFC biopic film, The Smashing Machine, but that didn’t stop him from giving a quick—but crucial—update to his reboot blockbuster series, Jumanji.
According to Screen Rant, Johnson announced that a fourth installment in the series—more specifically, a third starring The Rock—is coming next year. While the news that a fourth Jumanji film is coming isn’t itself new, its status has been a little up in the air since at least 2021. Suffering from delays due to Covid and Johnson filming Red One, the actor has now confirmed the franchise’s fourth film will begin filming this November, with a projected release on December 11, 2026.
What’s the secret to Dwayne Johnson’s chemistry with Kevin Hart? Height difference plays a role, but the main thing is trust. And that trust leads to Jumanji 3 shooting in November! #TIFF pic.twitter.com/3jU6mjdATt
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) September 8, 2025
The original 1995 Jumanji starring Robin Williams, saw Williams return to the real world after being spirited away into a board game. Inversely, the 2017 reboot, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, starring Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan, answered what happens when kids get teleported into an old video game and have to control the adult actors as their avatars. Evidently, the film’s flipping of the script and leaning heavily into video game archetypes—a formula repeated in its follow-up, The Next Level—resulted in what has become a dependable blockbuster franchise for Sony, raking in billions worldwide.
Johnson has recently expressed feeling pigeonholed as a blockbuster Hollywood film guy, voicing a desire to be taken seriously as an actor through The Smashing Machine, a film for which he received a standing ovation for his emotional performance.
“I liked those movies and they were fun,” Johnson said, referring to the blockbusters he is known far. “Some were really good and did well, and some not so good! But I think what I did realize is I just had this burning desire and this voice that was just saying, ‘What if there’s more, what if I can?’ Sometimes it’s hard to know what you’re capable of when you’ve been pigeon-holed into something.”
And yet, the former wrestler turned actor couldn’t hide his excitement to return to what he does best: starring in films that let his action-hero skills come through, tight t-shirt and all, and which generate impressive box office returns for whatever production studio’s name appears under his marquee. Somewhat ironically, following Johnson’s pigeonhole comment, news broke that the actor would reteam with The Smashing Machine director Benny Safdie to star as the Chicken Man in Lizard Music, a fantasy adventure based on the popular 1976 book by Daniel Pinkwater. If all of this was a clever rouse to plant a poultry easter egg to signpost where his next blockbuster ventures are headed, we truly are just living in The Rock’s world.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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![A24 Wants You to Be Nice About Its Google AI Deal
Earlier this week, we learned A24 entered a research partnership with Google’s DeepMind unit. The reactions were… not happy, to say the least. And like many who’ve let generative AI into their hearts, the film studio’s now left playing defense for its widely panned decision. In a statement to Wired, A24’s communications rep Sophia Shin stressed the “research” part of its Google partnership. “We’re working side-by-side with DeepMind’s researchers to learn, iterate, and build, having an active hand in shaping new tools and workflows,” she explained. “This is about learning and helping pain points in workflows behind the scenes. […] It exists because we want to dictate what tools get built for artists, so they have a voice in shaping them rather than having tools handed to them. While acknowledging A24 doesn’t love “any of the current AI outputs onscreen in Hollywood,” Shin considers this partnership a bit of a necessary evil. “We’d rather have a seat at the table than on the sidelines,” she stated. The promise of further artist agency and “a seat at the table” are common shields from genAI users, but it doesn’t seem to be working here. Fans consider this move ironic and a betrayal, given Backrooms director Kane Parsons recently called the tech “cultural and economic rot” and wished he could just snap it out of existence.
Before that, the studio didn’t seem to have much interest in generative AI. In 2024, it came under fire for using the tech to create posters for Civil War, while months later, its horror film Heretic had a disclaimer promising it wasn’t made with the technology. But Hollywood’s become gradually more accepting of generative AI and its supposed potential for the filmmaking process. In that sense, maybe it was inevitable for A24 to fall in line. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #A24 #Nice #Google #DealA24,generative ai,Google DeepMind A24 Wants You to Be Nice About Its Google AI Deal
Earlier this week, we learned A24 entered a research partnership with Google’s DeepMind unit. The reactions were… not happy, to say the least. And like many who’ve let generative AI into their hearts, the film studio’s now left playing defense for its widely panned decision. In a statement to Wired, A24’s communications rep Sophia Shin stressed the “research” part of its Google partnership. “We’re working side-by-side with DeepMind’s researchers to learn, iterate, and build, having an active hand in shaping new tools and workflows,” she explained. “This is about learning and helping pain points in workflows behind the scenes. […] It exists because we want to dictate what tools get built for artists, so they have a voice in shaping them rather than having tools handed to them. While acknowledging A24 doesn’t love “any of the current AI outputs onscreen in Hollywood,” Shin considers this partnership a bit of a necessary evil. “We’d rather have a seat at the table than on the sidelines,” she stated. The promise of further artist agency and “a seat at the table” are common shields from genAI users, but it doesn’t seem to be working here. Fans consider this move ironic and a betrayal, given Backrooms director Kane Parsons recently called the tech “cultural and economic rot” and wished he could just snap it out of existence.
Before that, the studio didn’t seem to have much interest in generative AI. In 2024, it came under fire for using the tech to create posters for Civil War, while months later, its horror film Heretic had a disclaimer promising it wasn’t made with the technology. But Hollywood’s become gradually more accepting of generative AI and its supposed potential for the filmmaking process. In that sense, maybe it was inevitable for A24 to fall in line. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #A24 #Nice #Google #DealA24,generative ai,Google DeepMind](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Backrooms-1280x853.jpg)
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