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Dwayne Johnson: New 'Jumanji' is a sequel to original

"It will be a continuation of the awesome Jumanji adventure 20 years later," the actor said.

By Annie Martin
Dwayne Johnson at the Los Angeles premiere of "Central Intelligence" on June 10. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
1 of 3 | Dwayne Johnson at the Los Angeles premiere of "Central Intelligence" on June 10. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Dwayne Johnson is setting the record straight on the new Jumanji movie.

The 44-year-old actor clarified in an Instagram post Monday that the film will be a sequel to the 1995 movie starring late actor Robin Williams, not a remake or a reboot.

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"This new movie will NOT be a remake or reboot of the original," Johnson wrote. "It will be a continuation of the awesome Jumanji adventure 20 years later."

"As a producer on this movie and someone who loves the original, you have my word we'll honor the legend of [Williams' character] Alan Parrish and properly introduce a whole new generation to the fun and crazy Jumanji universe," he promised.

Johnson had shared similar sentiments about Williams in May after starting work on the sequel. Williams died of suicide at age 63 in August 2014, a year before Sony Pictures Entertainment announced plans for the new movie.

"The love and respect I have for this man is boundless," Johnson previously said. "You have my word, we will honor his name and the character of Alan Parrish."

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"I have an idea of what to do and I think his family will be proud," the actor added. "I also think Robin is somewhere lookin' down and laughing, remembering the first time we met backstage and I (for the first time ever) was a star struck bumbling idiot."

Yo.. Lots of positive 👍🏾 chatter now on something I should've clarified months ago when we announced we were making JUMANJI. This new movie will NOT be a remake or reboot of the original. It will be a CONTINUATION of the awesome JUMANJI adventure 20 years later. As a producer on this movie and someone who loves the original, you have my word we'll honor the legend of "Alan Parrish" and properly introduce a whole new generation to the fun and crazy JUMANJI universe that so many of us loved and grew up on. Our director Jake Kasdan and lead producer Matt Tohlmach are focused and ready go. They also have no f*cking idea what they've gotten themselves into by hiring Me, Kevin Hart and Jack Black aka "The Cray Cray Triplets" as the stars of this movie.😂💀 Shooting begins in 4 weeks. And on a personal note, it's such a cool thing for me to bring the production of this movie to Hawaii. The positive ripple effect it has on local businesses and families in terms of creating jobs and additional income makes me very happy. I grew up on the island thru hard times and good times, so it means a lot to this local boy. Hell, I used to steal a Snickers candy bar every day from 7-11 when I walked to the gym as my pre workout meal when I was 14yrs cause I was too broke to buy one. When I return to Hawaii, I will go back to that 7-11 (on Kapiolani Blvd) and finally buy that Snickers bar after all these years. Then I'll proceed to my psychiatric therapy session cause clearly I'm still messed up over that broke time in my life. #JUMANJI #HAWAII #SonyPictures #SnickersForTheWholeCrew

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A photo posted by therock (@therock) on

Jumanji is scheduled for release July 27, 2017. Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Nick Jonas will reportedly co-star.

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