Director Jake Kasdan Talks Love for Dwayne Johnson, 'Red One' and 'Jumanji 3'

It's been a whirlwind for Jake Kasdan. After directing two Jumanji movies in quick succession, he was ready for a change of pace. So when Dwayne Johnson's collaborator Hiram Garcia pitched the idea for 'Red One', Kasdan jumped at the chance to give it a unique twist. The film, now in theaters, is a Yuletide action-comedy that imagines Santa's operation as a government-like organization. When the Christmas witch Gryla (Kiernan Shipka) kidnaps Santa (J. K. Simmons), Dwayne Johnson's Drift (an elf and head of security) and his team partner with Lucy Liu's M. O. R. A. authority to save Christmas. Kasdan specifically wanted to play with the visual of a tiny, proportionally strong Dwayne Johnson, a sight gag he's been years waiting to create. Meanwhile, plans for 'Jumanji 3' are moving forward with Kasdan set to direct in 2026. While Sony has been slow to fully merge the storylines of the original 1995 film and the reboots, Kasdan has been careful to honor the legacy while forging a new path. Adding complexity, the original film's ending resets most characters' memories, which makes continuing seamlessly a challenge. Kasdan has been trying to find creative solutions to maintain fidelity to the original story. Throughout it all, Kasdan has been a staunch defender of Dwayne Johnson against reports of misbehavior, crediting him as a model co-worker. In Kasdan's eyes, Johnson's professionalism and positive demeanor are unparalleled.