Lost in Space

If the thought of returning to the CG-happy jungle that brought us Joe Johnston's lamentable Jumanji makes you want to lay down on the nearest railway line then fear ye not. Despite its ostensible status as sequel to the board-based wildlife romp, kiddie space adventure Zathura is a million light years from the former film. Having anounced Tim Robbins as the first cast member to put pen to paper, Zathura is scheduled to begin shooting in August under the watchful eye of director Jon Favreau, which, let's be honest, is a pretty good start. We'll operate under the assumption that you aren't exactly au fait with the story, written by Chris Van Allsburg (also responsible for the book behind Tom Hanks upcoming festive animation, The Polar Express) a full twenty years after he churned out Jumanji. As you may recall, the first story ends with the two traumatised children dumping the magical board game in a bin before embarking on a life punctuated by therapy and prescription drug use. Zathura begins when two brothers discover the game and make the dubious decision to take it home. Unenthralled by the jungle board, the pair discover - hidden beneath it - a second board with a more intergalactic theme. When pieces are put to board, the kids' house is magically transported to the planet Zathura, leading to peril at the roll of a dice and a struggle to get themselves home despite the machinations of killer robots and evil space pirates. Robbins has been cast as the boys' father. Obviously not too inclined to be associated with the 1995 flop, the powers that be have decreed no formal association with Jumanji and are pitching the film as a standalone project. You see? There's no need to disrupt Britain's rail service any more than you have to.