At this point just about the only image that we have of Karen Gillan in the new Jumanji movie is a picture of her in really short shorts and a crop top. The outfit has been criticized for being unnecessary, but the actress promises that it is. Gillan has taken the comments about the costume in stride because it's not the first time that she's had to deal with it, but she says that she wouldn't have accepted the role if the point was simply to be gratuitous sex appeal.
I've experienced something similar when I worked on Doctor Who and there was such an uproar about my costume when that was first revealed, so I thought it was happening all over again. But I have to say, I'd never take on a role that was truly gratuitous for no reason. There's a really valid reason why she's wearing that. My character is really not happy about it!
This isn't the first time that Karen Gillan has had to defend the Jumanji wardrobe. While it's difficult to know for sure why the costume exists, there does seem to be one compelling argument based on what we already know. We know that this new version of Jumanji will not take place around a board game, but rather inside a video game version of the title. The four main actors that we see are, from what we understand, avatars being controlled, or more likely, inhabited, by four teenagers who are playing the game. It's for this reason that Karen Gillan looks like an old school Lara Croft, because that's exactly the character trope that it is being represented here.
Based on what Karen Gillan tells The Hollywood Reporter, it seems the joke will apparently be that whoever ends up controlling Karen Gillan as a video game avatar doesn't like the look. It could be one of the female players who is critical of the unnecessary sex appeal. Alternatively, it could be one of the male characters who gets to experience what it would be like to actually be dressed like that, which could be an entertaining, and possibly informative, move.
Joining Karen Gillan in Jumanji will be Dwayne Johnson, who's perfect because basically, he actually looks like every over-muscled video game hero ever created, Jack Black and Kevin Hart. This time we will travel inside of Jumanji itself, rather than having the game come to life out in the real world. The Rock has spoken about how important it is to him to properly honor the original Robin Williams film. As such, this movie is set to be a sequel to the original, rather than a reboot that starts the story over.
We're looking forward to getting out first look, beyond The Rock's behind the scenes Instagrams, at Jumanji soon. The film is currently set for release this December.
