New images from Jumanji: The Next Level confirm that Karen Gillan will finally wear trousers while tromping through the snow in the sequel. For those who’ve forgotten, 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle drew criticism when its first-look image was unveiled, showing Gillan wearing a fairly skimpy outfit (alongside her comfortably dressed costars) for no apparent reason other than to objectify her. Gillan and director Jake Kasdan were quick to defend the costume, explaining that it would be addressed in the film. And to their credit, it was.
In the prologue to Welcome to the Jungle, the Jumanji board game is shown transforming itself into a video game in 1995, some twenty-two years before the main characters stumble upon it in the present-day. As a result, Gillan’s in-game avatar, Ruby Roundhouse, is dressed in an overly sexualized and impractical fashion typical of female video game characters (specifically, Lara Croft) in the ’90s. Fortunately, for the upcoming sequel, she will get to change up her attire.
Total Film (via Games Radar) has released a pair of new photos that show the Jumanji: The Next Level cast shooting on-location in the snowy mountaintops of Calgary, Alberta in Canada (as well as on-set, for select scenes). Naturally, Gillan was allowed to dress appropriately for the cold weather, as you can see below.
Gillan in back with her Welcome to the Jungle costars in Jumanji: The Next Level, including Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart. The four were joined in Calgary by Awkwafina (also seen above), whose role in the film has yet to be revealed. Both these photos and the Jumanji: The Next Level trailer confirm that her character exists within the Jumanji universe, although it’s not clear if she’s a brand-new avatar or a non-playable character (NPC) like Rhys Darby’s Nigel Billingsley, the players’ guide. Either way, Awkwafina’s character will apparently be assisting the movie’s protagonists on their latest quest, as evidenced by her appearance here.
Although it’s nice to see that Gillan got to wear warmer clothing while she was shooting The Next Level in the snow, it’s too bad she won’t get to change up her performance as much. Where the other Jumanji avatars are being “played” by different real-world characters this time, Ruby Roundhouse will once again be controlled by Martha Kaply (Morgan Turner ), like she was in Welcome to the Jungle. Gillan even said she’d like to “play” an old man in the movie before production began, but ultimately that didn’t happen. Hopefully, Jumanji: The Next Level will find other ways of keeping things interesting for Gillan from an acting standpoint.
Source: Games Radar/Total Film
- Jumanji 3 Release Date: 2019-12-13
