After years of sequel speculation following 2019's Jumanji: The Next Level, I wasn’t sure we’d ever see another movie in the franchise. It didn’t feel real until Jumanji 4 got a real title (which is Open World) and the actors actually started filming. As a result, series co-lead Karen Gillan reunited with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jack Black and Kevin Hart and the usual shenanigans ensued. However, this time, the actress’s return to set felt a little different now that she’s a mother to a young daughter, who had a major effect on her co-stars.
After having her baby, Gillan took a year off to focus on being a mother, but the actor came roaring back into acting with multiple projects. She even took little Clementine to meet her A-list co-stars. Funny enough, when Gillan brought her baby to the Jumanji set, Johnson, Black and Hart were huge suckers for the little one. The actress dished to Rayo:
Everyone loves having a baby on set. All the actors are trying to make her laugh, competing with each other. She doesn't care about who anyone is, obviously, because she's a baby, which is very funny. But especially my co-stars, like Dwayne (Johnson), Kevin Hart and Jack Black, they're so sweet with her, and it's so lovely. And they're trying to entertain her and sing songs to her. It's really nice. I'm so fortunate that she's able to be there.
Is it too much to hope that there’s some BTS footage of this adorableness? Hearing these stories makes me excited for the movie to come out, and it makes the prospect of its release feel more real after waiting for so long. The next film was teased with an interesting cliffhanger at the end of The Next Level, and fans will finally have answers when Open World comes out later this year as part of the 2026 movie schedule.
The Jumanji cast has been teasing fans since filming started, and this continued until a cute car selfie indicated the end of filming. However, Johnson said goodbye to his smoldering character with a fitting Robin Williams tribute. Even before that, Johnson revealed he was honoring Williams by wearing one of the dice used by his character, Alan Parrish, in the original 1995 film.
Meanwhile, Gillan found other ways to make the most of her return to acting aside from taking her daughter to set. The actor has been an absolute maniac on set, in the best way, with impromptu dance parties. These have become some of the most iconic BTS moments. It’s nice to see the Scottish star enjoying time back at work after recently opening up about how hard it can be to find a balance between acting and motherhood. She explained the difficulty she had:
But then I started on Jumanji again, and then I was back into my life as an actress. It's just this ongoing thing of trying to find the balance. But I'm really really lucky in that I'm able to have my baby at work with me.
Based on how Gillan describes it, I imagine her co-stars consider themselves lucky to have had a little visitor on set. I can only imagine how her presence brought out each of their dad sides. Perhaps dealing with her male scene partners gave her the experience she needed before having a small child? After all, Johnson has playfully described Gillan’s time on set as dealing with "three idiots."
As for wrapping Jumanji 4, Karen Gillan said that was an emotional experience. She described the original film as one of her "top three films" and, as someone who grew up with the movie, I completely get it. I'm excited to see what adventure the next film has in store for her character. And, hopefully, at some point, Gillan will release some videos of her co-stars hanging out with her baby.
Check out Jumanji: Open World when it hits theaters on December 25, 2026 and closes out the franchise.
