Danny DeVito is set to star in 'Jumanji 2'.
Danny DeVito
The 74-year-old actor has been lined up for a role in the sequel to Sony's 2017 movie 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle', which was in itself a sequel to the 1995 movie 'Jumanji', which starred the late Robin Williams and was based on the 1981 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg.
News of DeVito's casting, which was first reported by Variety magazine, follows the recent addition of 'Crazy Rich Asians' star Awkwafina, who will be joining a star-studded cast of returning faces from the 2017 flick, with Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan all reprising their roles.
Speaking about the casting choice, Johnson told Variety: "The magic of 'Jumanji' is who becomes who. And the idea of Danny DeVito joining our cast was too irresistible and something we knew we wanted to deliver to our audience this upcoming Christmas. Dwanta Claus loves everyone."
Plot details for the new movie are not yet known, but the original book and 1995 movie both told the story of a magical board game in which wild jungle animals came into the real world.
In 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle', that concept was updated by making the game into a video game and having four teens transported into its world, where the kids then transformed into avatars portrayed by Johnson, Black, Hart and Gillan.
As of the time of writing, both DeVito and Awkwafina's roles are not known to the public, but sources recently claimed the 29-year-old actress was set to have a "key" and "significant" part.
Directed, written, and produced by Jake Kasdan - who also worked on 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle' - the sequel will be co-written by Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, and co-produced by Matt Tolmach and Johnson's Seven Bucks.
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