Jack Black Will Return for ‘Jumanji 4’ After All

Jack Black was so eager to fool us all that he couldn’t even wait for April Fool’s Day to do it. Just two days ago, while promoting his latest video game adaptation movie, A Minecraft Movie, co-starring Jason Momoa, Black was gravely pessimistic about his return in Jumanji 4, casting doubt over the chances that a sequel will ever be made. “No. No. I don’t believe that. I’ll believe that when I get to set,” Black responded when quizzed about the sequel. Turns out it was all a lie! Quite a believable one at that, as he mixed his responses with a few truths about his other upcoming projects. In a quick turn of events, however, Black has now confirmed that he will indeed star in Jumanji 4.

The actor’s ongoing media tour for A Minecraft Movie saw him make a brief stop at the TODAY show hosted by Craig Melvin. Ironically, it was on April Fool’s Day, but the prankster went against type to reveal truths about the next Jumanji film. Towards the end of the interview, Melvin engaged the actor in a little fun quick-fire game where he mentions the name of one of his popular movies, and he’ll either confirm or deny that a remake or sequel was in the works. First up was his critically acclaimed 2003 comedy movie, School of Rock, to which he replied, “nnnnot likely. You never know, never say never, but it’s not in the works.” Up next was Jumanji, and his response was “highly likely.” Contrary to the earlier Deadline interview, Black didn’t hold back details, further revealing, “It’s in the works… Spoiler alert, I’m in it!“

It wouldn’t be a Black interview if there were no jokes thrown in, right? So, when asked about the release date for Jumanji 4, Black hesitated briefly, seemingly unable to recall the release date recently set by Sony Pictures, before jokingly saying Christmas 2030 to get the game moving. To clarify, Sony slated the sequel for a theatrical release on December 11, 2026. Black’s previous comments about his involvement had made the release date seem less probable, but following his clarification, Sony could well be on track to get the movie out on schedule. Also, per MovieWeb, an announcement out of Comic-Con has it that Jake Kasdan will return as director to wrap up the trilogy that began with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017).

What Else Does Jack Black Have Coming Up?

Despite his occasional hints at retirement, most recently in the Deadline interview, Jack Black remains as active as ever in Hollywood. He is set to star as Steve in the fantasy adventure film A Minecraft Movie, slated for release in a few short days on April 4, 2025. He is currently filming Anaconda, a reimagining of the 1997 classic that will mark the sixth installment of the film series. Black will play wedding photographer, Doug McCallister, joining an ensemble that includes Paul Rudd, Selton Mello, Daniela Melchior, Thandiwe Newton, and Steve Zahn. With things seemingly progressing on Jumanji 4, more updates are expected soon, so stay tuned.

Sources: TODAY, MovieWeb