Sony chairman Tom Rothman is eyeing a December 2019 release date for a to top Episode VIII after a couple weeks, riding waves of positive buzz.
While the Jungle cast have their ideas for another Jumanji followup, Sony has yet to officially green light one. That will likely change in the near future, considering the film became quick to move away from the shadow of Star Wars, the team behind Jumanji is up for the challenge.
Related: Jumanji es Justice League At Worldwide Box Office
A report from the Wall Street Journal (via Lucasfilm shifted Episode IX to that window when J.J. Abrams replaced Colin Trevorrow as director. Sony, as it were, is undeterred and is looking forward to another high-profile showdown with the galaxy far, far away.
This is a rather bold stance for Rothman to take, as Episode IX could be the biggest event for the Star Wars property since Solo comes out in May 2018) and by all s is the final episode (for now, anyway) of the legendary Skywalker saga. Even with The Last Jedi dividing fans, that sounds like a recipe for astronomical box office success, especially if Episode IX is well-received critically. Lucasfilm will probably replicate their marketing strategies from previous years, sending viewers into a frenzy with deliberately-timed trailer reveals and Force Friday merchandise, which will only increase anticipation.
Of course, Jumanji has proven once before it can go toe-to-toe with Star Wars and live to tell the tale, so it would be foolish to doubt a sequel this far out. Sony is obviously quite confident in their new cash cow, which connected with moviegoers and gave them a fun genre film to check out over the holiday break. Welcome to the Jungle quickly ascended the 2017 charts, currently ranking as the seventh-highest grossing project of the year. Depending on how well it does in the latter part of its run, it could work its way into the top five - a result few would have predicted. In this new Star Wars box office dynasty, Sony has found the kryptonite. If December 2019 is the target date, more word on the sequel should come soon.
MORE: How Jumanji Took On Star Wars And Won
Source: Wall Street Journal (via DiscussingFilm)
