‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ – Alex Wolff Reveals Why Spencer Is Missing In New Trailer
Sony Pictures released a new trailer for Jumanji: The Next Level today. The longer preview of the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle reveals that Spencer has gone missing, so his friends and their grandfathers (Danny DeVito and Danny Glover) go back into the game to rescue him. They also switch characters so Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) is not DeVito’s avatar, Shelly Oberon (Jack Black), Mouse Finbar (Kevin Hart) and Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) have switched characters too.
Spencer (Alex Wolff) doesn’t appear in the trailer, although some other familiar faces do. Wolff spoke with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his latest movie, The Cat and the Moon, which he wrote and directed. Wolff spoke about how Spencer is different in Jumanji: The Next Level which helps explain a little bit about why he’s missing from the trailer. Jumanji: The Next Level is in theaters Friday, December 13.
‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ takes Spencer to the next level after high school
Jumanji transformed itself from a board game into a video game to attract high school teenagers to play it. Now the sequel evolves those high school characters into the next phase of their lives. That phase hits Spencer pretty hard, Wolff said.
“What happens is Spencer actually went to college and actually was having what I think a lot of kids his age are going through,” Wolff said. “I think everyone’s going to be shocked by how much more this is similar to The Graduate than it is like the first Jumanji. Although I think it will be funny like the first one. I think this one’s going to be hilarious too. I just think there’s some poignancy in it.”
Alex Wolff doesn’t know how much screen time he has in ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’
Alex Wolff definitely filmed scenes for Jumanji: The Next Level. None of them appeared in the trailer and Wolff doesn’t know how much he’ll feature in the final cut. That’s just the nature of editing a major motion picture.
“I don’t know,” Wolff said. “I haven’t seen the movie yet so I’m not sure but I know that my role is definitely a little deeper than it was in the first movie. Not just doing a cash grab imitation version of the first movie, instead it’s kind of the opposite.”
Alex Wolff does have scenes with Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito and Danny Glover join the cast of Jumanji as grandfathers, and Johnson makes jokes passing his driving test and looking like a stud as DeVito’s avatar. Wolff did reveal he has some scenes with DeVito, which would mean they meet in the real world. Whether that’s before Spencer disappears or after they rescue him, you’ll have to see Jumanji: The Next Level to find out.
“Oh, it was so fun,” Wolff said. “I thought it was more fun than the first one. I thought the first one was a lot of fun but this one was more like loose and working with Danny DeVito was so fun. That guy is amazing. He’s such a fun guy.”
