‘Jumanji’ Remake Lands Screenwriter Zach Helm

The rumored Jumanji remake is reportedly on its way to the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Columbia recently found someone to tackle scripting duties on the project.

Stranger Than Fiction scribe Zach Helm has been selected to write the script for the forthcoming production. Although the project is being reported as a Jumanji remake, the film will actually be another adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg’s 1981 book.

Screen Rant reports the new version of Jumanji won’t stray too far from the 1995 movie starring Robin Williams. Blending family fun with cinematic adventure, the film will tell the story of two kids who discover a mysterious board game. In the process, they unleash an array of jungle creatures into the real world.

Columbia’s Doug Belgrad said the studio’s desire wasn’t to make a better big screen version of the book. Instead, Belgrad said producers intended to “try and reimagine ‘Jumanji’ and update it for the present.”

Not surprisingly, it hasn’t taken very long for Jumanji fans to express their displeasure about the proposed remake. A number of Screen Rant readers were a little puzzled as to why the studio chose to craft a remake instead of a sequel.

“Why do it as a remake, why not just tell a new story with the game. Didn’t it end with a sequel sequence? The beach scene?” one reader explained.

Iron Man director Jon Favreau made a pseudo sequel to Jumanji with his effort Zathura. Based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg, the film follows two brothers as they embark on an interplanetary adventure after discovering a mysterious board game. Catching Fire co-star Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, and Twilight alum starred in the 2005 feature.

What do you think about the Jumanji remake? Do you think this story needs to be updated for modern audiences?