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Dwayne Johnson wanted to be ‘respectful’ of Robin Williams in new Jumanji film

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle revisits the 1990s cult classic.

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Graham Norton and Dwayne Johnson (right) during filming of the Graham Norton Show at the London Studios, south London, to be aired on Friday.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has said he wanted to respect the late Robin Williams while making the latest Jumanji film.

The Mrs Doubtfire star, who died in 2014 after battling mental health issues, also appeared in the original version of the cult classic Jumanji in 1995, playing Alan Parrish, a boy who gets stuck in a board game for more than two decades.

Johnson told the Graham Norton Show: “We wanted to do something that was respectful of the work of Robin Williams as well as creating something fresh.

“Once we figured out the new take on it we just did it. It was great fun.”

(left to right) Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Jessica Chastain, and Dawn French during filming of the Graham Norton Show at The London Studios, to be aired on BBC One on Friday.
Johnson appeared on the Graham Norton show with his co-stars (Isabel Infantes/PA)

And while Johnson said he loved making the film in Hawaii, Hart said: “I didn’t like it at all. I particularly didn’t like the jungle.

“I am not an outdoors guy because there are too many spiders and centipedes.”