Movies How Jack Black became a teenage girl in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle By Devan Coggan Devan Coggan Devan Coggan (rhymes with seven slogan) is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly. Most of her personality is just John Mulaney quotes and Lord of the Rings references. EW's editorial guidelines Published on August 17, 2017 10:30AM EDT To read more from our Fall Movie Preview, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands now, or buy it here. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW. It’s been more than two decades since a bearded Robin Williams emerged from the jungle, and now a new Jumanji is heading back into the wild. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle follows four teenagers who stumble upon a dusty old videogame, only to find themselves trapped in the bodies of their avatars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan. Dangerous animal encounters and tropical peril ensue. “I thought it was a really fun way of continuing the mythology of the original,” director Jake Kasdan (Bad Teacher) says. “This game finds people who need it and sucks them in.” He pauses. “Literally.” The body-swapping element means that most of the stars are playing against type: Johnson is a self-conscious gamer, Hart is a cocky football player, and Black is the most popular girl in school. So how did the 47-year-old Black tap into his inner teenage girl? “You watch a few episodes of Teen Wolf,” he explains. “And you also listen to some John Mayer. Then you really start to feel it.” Frank Masi/Sony Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle will hit theaters Dec. 20.