How to Get Cast in Jumanji: Open World (Jumanji 3)

The game isn’t over yet. Jumanji: Open World — the third installment of the modern Jumanji franchise — is currently dated for a December 2026 theatrical release from Sony Pictures (one trade report has suggested a possible move to December 25; treat the exact date as subject to studio confirmation). Director Jake Kasdan returns for the final chapter, which takes the game into an urban “open world” and reportedly includes a tribute to Robin Williams and the 1995 original — an Easter egg in every scene.

The ensemble is stacked: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black return, joined by franchise veterans Danny DeVito, Nick Jonas, Marin Hinkle, Bebe Neuwirth, Lamorne Morris, and Rhys Darby — plus newcomers Brittany O’Grady and Burn Gorman. The casting team: Nicole Abellera and Jeanne McCarthy.

If you want to understand how actors land roles on a $100M+ franchise film — or position yourself for the next one — here’s how this film’s casting worked.

Jumanji: Open World: What the Film Is

The modern Jumanji franchise — Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and The Next Level (2019) — reinvented the 1995 Robin Williams classic as a video-game adventure, earning over $1.7 billion combined at the global box office. The formula: four teenagers get sucked into a video game and emerge as adult avatars played by Johnson, Hart, Gillan, and Black, with DeVito and Danny Glover joining the chaos in the sequel.

Open World is billed as the final installment. The “open world” concept moves the game out of the jungle and into an urban environment — a deliberate expansion of the franchise’s playground. The Williams tribute, with its reported Easter egg in every scene, signals a finale designed to honor the full 30-year history of the property.

The honest framing this guide requires: principal casting on a film like this is complete long before release. A December 2026 tentpole finished its main casting in 2025. Nobody is holding auditions for speaking roles. But franchise films generate sequels, spinoffs, reshoots, and — critically — enormous background and stunt needs. Understanding how Abellera and McCarthy cast tells you how to enter the pipeline for the next tentpole.

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Who Cast It: Nicole Abellera and Jeanne McCarthy

Nicole Abellera and Jeanne McCarthy are credited on IMDb’s full cast-and-crew listing for the film (tt26735127). The verification runs deeper than a single credit: both also served as casting directors on Jumanji: The Next Level, the franchise’s previous installment — same director (Jake Kasdan), same producing team, returning casting team. When a franchise keeps its casting directors across installments, it tells you the studio trusts their judgment with a billion-dollar property.

That continuity matters for actors. Franchise casting directors build enormous files across installments — actors they liked for The Next Level who didn’t fit, actors who taped well but lost to a bigger name, day players who delivered on set. When Open World needed its newcomers (Brittany O’Grady, Burn Gorman) and its expanded ensemble, the office started from files built over years, not from scratch.

The deeper lesson: tentpole casting directors are among the most file-driven operators in the business. They see thousands of actors per film, across multiple films, for the same studio relationships. Every submission is a permanent record.

The Roles: What a Jumanji Film Needs

The avatars were never open. Johnson, Hart, Gillan, Black — these are the franchise. Their casting was decided at the green-light stage, driven by the $1.7 billion the first two films earned. No audition, no submission, no self-tape changes this tier.

The newcomers were the real casting. Brittany O’Grady and Burn Gorman joining the ensemble — these are the roles Abellera and McCarthy actually filled. Newcomers to a franchise need to do two things: hold the screen against four of the biggest comic performers alive, and feel like they belong in the world. That means the office looked for actors with real presence and specific energy, not just credits.

The supporting ensemble expanded. DeVito, Jonas, Hinkle, Neuwirth, Morris, Darby — a franchise finale brings back its bench. Supporting roles in tentpoles go to established actors with comedy chops and audience recognition, cast through agents and direct offers.

Day players filled the game world. An “open world” urban adventure needs civilians, gamers, city workers, and bystanders with lines — the one-to-five-line roles that go to local actors in the production city. These are the realistic speaking-role targets on a film like this.

Background and stunt needs were massive. A Jumanji film’s set pieces — chases, crowds, game-world chaos — require hundreds of background performers and a full stunt ensemble. Tentpoles are among the biggest background employers in the industry, and they’re cast through extras agencies and stunt coordinators, not the main casting office.

A note on the date: the film is currently dated December 11, 2026 by Sony, though at least one trade report has floated December 25. Studios shift tentpole dates for competitive positioning. The casting analysis here doesn’t depend on which Friday it lands on — but if you’re tracking the production, confirm the date against Sony’s official slate.

How to Apply: Step by Step

Step 1: Build a casting-ready profile on Project Casting

Tentpole productions and their satellite needs — day players, stand-ins, background, stunt performers — flow through casting platforms constantly. A complete profile (current headshots, full-body, measurements, reel, résumé) is the baseline. For action-adventure franchises specifically, list physical skills: stage combat, stunt training, athletics, dance, driving. These are searchable keywords.

Step 2: Get franchise-grade materials

Your headshot needs to read at thumbnail size — tentpole casting associates skim hundreds of submissions per role. Your reel should lead with your strongest 30 seconds. If you do action, show it: fight choreography, stunts, physical comedy. The Jumanji franchise specifically rewards performers who can do physical comedy at scale — Johnson, Hart, Gillan, and Black all move. If you move well on camera, prove it in the first 30 seconds of your reel.

Step 3: Understand the agent vs. self-submit split

• Leads and major supporting — agencies, negotiation, studio approval. Not accessible by submission.
• Newcomer and supporting roles — primarily through agents, but franchise offices pull from platform databases for specific types under time pressure.
• Day players — agents plus platform submissions. The realistic speaking-role target.
• Background and stunt — open access through extras agencies and stunt coordinators. The highest-volume opportunity on any tentpole.

Step 4: Target the franchise casting ecosystem

Abellera and McCarthy cast this franchise twice. Offices that handle tentpoles handle tentpoles repeatedly — the same teams cast across a studio’s slate. Getting seen by a franchise casting office on any project — even a different film — puts you in the file for the next one. The file is the whole game at this budget level.

Step 5: Build credits the tentpole world respects

Action comedies, adventure series, physical theater, stunt work — every credit that proves you can handle scale makes you more castable for the next franchise film. And don’t dismiss television: the streaming era’s big-budget series are cast by the same offices, with the same files, for the same skills.

our guide to action and stunt casting

Realistic Tips

Franchise offices never start from scratch. Abellera and McCarthy cast The Next Level before Open World. Every actor they liked last time started this time with a head start. Your submission for one tentpole is an investment in the next five. Never phone one in.

Physicality is a differentiator. The Jumanji franchise is built on performers who move — Johnson’s athleticism, Hart’s physical comedy, Gillan’s action chops, Black’s chaos. If you have real physical skills, you’re competing in a smaller, more valuable pool than the general submission pile. Train them, film them, list them.

The tribute detail tells you the tone. A finale honoring Robin Williams with an Easter egg in every scene is a film made with love for its history. Productions like this — legacy finales, passion projects at tentpole scale — tend to be good sets, and good sets rehire. The crew and casting relationships built here carry into whatever Kasdan and the producers do next.

Watch the date, not just the film. Tentpole release dates shift for competitive reasons. If you’re tracking productions for background or day-player work, the shoot already happened — but the next Sony tentpole is already staffing. Follow the studio slate, not the premiere.

Background on a tentpole is a masterclass. Hundreds of background performers, massive set pieces, top-tier assistant directors. If you’re building toward bigger work, a week of background on a production at this scale teaches you set etiquette, camera awareness, and professionalism at the highest level — and ADs remember reliable people.

One primary CTA — don’t skip it: tentpoles, franchise films, and their day-player, stand-in, stunt, and background needs post on Project Casting every day. Build your profile, list your physical skills, set your alerts — and be the obvious match when the next big-budget production drops its breakdown.

FAQ

Is Jumanji: Open World still casting?

No — principal casting is complete for a December 2026 release. Anyone claiming to hold auditions for speaking roles is running a scam.

Who are the casting directors of Jumanji 3?

Nicole Abellera and Jeanne McCarthy — credited on IMDb’s full credits for the film, and the returning team from Jumanji: The Next Level (same director, same franchise).

When exactly does Jumanji: Open World release?

Currently dated December 11, 2026 by Sony Pictures, though at least one trade report has suggested a possible move to December 25. Confirm against Sony’s official slate — studios shift tentpole dates.

Is this really the last Jumanji?

It’s billed as the final installment of the modern trilogy, with a tribute to Robin Williams and the 1995 original. Franchises have a way of continuing, but treat it as the finale until announced otherwise.

Do I need an agent for a franchise film?

For leads and major supporting roles, yes — those are negotiated. For day players, agents plus platform submissions. For background and stunt work, no agent needed.

What skills help for action-adventure casting?

Stage combat, stunt training, athletics, dance, physical comedy — anything that proves you can move on camera. List them on your profile; they’re searchable.

How do I avoid Jumanji casting scams?

Franchise films are prime scam bait. Real breakdowns come through casting offices, agents, and legitimate platforms — never through social-media DMs, and never with audition fees. No legitimate production charges you to audition.