Jumanji Casts Karen Gillan as Main Female Lead, Joins Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, & Jack Black
Deadline had an exclusive report on the casting of Karen Gillan as the lead female role in the Sony's remake of the classic blockbuster film "Jumanji."
The Scotland-born Gillan joins a wonderful cast of fellow actors spearheaded by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Nick Jonas. The Rock joined the film back in April this year, while Jack Black and Kevin Hart joined the film in May.
Apparently Karen Gillan is the final major role that needed casting for the film. Now principal photography can begin next month in Honolulu, Hawaii.
According to Deadline, Gillan will play Martha who was the mother of Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) in the original film.
The director and casting crew spent many months finding the right lady for the coveted lead female role, which according to reports involved some heavy A-list talents. However, Gillan bested them all showing that she had great chemistry on screen with the cast.
Dwayne Johnson gave an exuberant and cheerful shout for Karen Gillan in Instagram saying: "We had to find a girl. But not just any girl. A girl who has 'Chutzpah'. Guts, nerve and talent to stand her ground and hold her own against Nick's cool Rockstar ways, Jack's relentless energy and genius, Kevin's masterful timing and skills and the big, brown, bald tattooed guy who just simply stands there and oooooozes smoldering, captivating, sizzling, can't take your eyes off this brilliant manly man. Never mind I got drunk on the ol' DJ kool aid again."
Jumanji is the latest project for Gillan who was at one time a regular cast in "Doctor Who" and "Selfie". She also previously landed a role in the smash Marvel hit "Guardians of the Galaxy" and in the upcoming film "The Circle".
The film is based on Chris Van Allsburg' same titled book "Jumanji" which was a runaway global box office success in 1995 starring the late Robin Williams. The film grossed $260 million globally based on a $65 million budget. According to Sony the remake is a continuation of the 1995 original.
Jake Kasdan takes the helm for the film. Jumanji hits cinemas on July 28, 2017.
