'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle' will feature a tribute to the late Robin Williams.

Jack Black

Jack Black

The late actor and comedian - who passed away in August 2014 - played Alan Parrish in the 1995 original movie and Jack Black has confirmed the new film will pay homage to the legendary actor's character.

He said: "We're exploring this jungle and trying to conquer the game; it's life or death. But while we're there, we find clues left behind by [Williams' character Alan Parrish].

"He built up a full-blown jungle house, similar to a Swiss Family Robinson situation. It's like he's there helping us without actually being there."

Black also revealed the new movie will be quite different from the 1995 version.

He added to The Hollywood Reporter: "[In the original] you never got to see the inside world. But this one takes place primarily inside the jungle of Jumanji. That's the coolest part of the film - we're able to transport the audience to that secret and wondrous land, with the danger and the beauty."

However, the film's director Jake Kasdan previously insisted that the new film - which also stars Karen Gillan, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart - will pay tribute to the original one.

He shared: "'Jumanji' is the kind of movie that I think people shouldn't out-and-out remake. To me, a big part of its power is in the unique elements of its original execution. Within that, I think there's this central idea and mythology that's mysterious, but powerful, and commands a powerful part of the imagination.

"I was a fan of the original movie, and I felt like this [Jumanji update] really honoured it, and included a lot of the stuff that I loved about the original movie, but did it in a really new way. It really holds up. You go back and watch it - it's a very unusual and original kid's movie. It's unusually scary and magical, in a way that's different from a lot of other magical kid's movies."

'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle' is slated for release on December 20, 2017.