‘Jumanji’ Sequel Scene Filmed North of Hilo

The set of the sequel “Jumanji” at a Papaikou waterfall on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, on Nov. 10, 2016. Photo: Crystal Richard.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black were among the cast and crew members shooting an action scene at a waterfall in Papaikou, just north of Hilo, on Nov. 10 for the sequel of Jumanji, expected in theaters Dec. 22, 2017.

The sequel also stars Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas.

In a September satellite interview, “The Rock Live in Hawaii,” Johnson told Good Morning America the new movie is a “continuation of the Jumanji [1995] we all love.”

A few weeks ago, a casting call went out for Hilo stand-ins meeting the physical description of four lead actors.

The Rock posted to his Instagram early on Nov. 10 that he was heading to Hilo for the one-day shoot.

Photographs of Black and Hart with Hilo fans are circulating in social media.

Johnson spent much of his youth in Hawai‘i, attending Honolulu’s McKinley High School.

A short action scene where Johnson and Hart jump a Papaikou waterfall was filmed on Hawai‘i Island on Nov. 10, 2016, for the sequel “Jumanji,” due in theaters Christmas 2017. Photo: Crystal Richard.

“On a personal level, for me to be able to come back here to Hawai‘i, my Polynesian culture, this is where I grew up,” explained Johnson, “I got in a lot of trouble here when I was a kid trying to stay on the right path, and just to be able to come back these days, with who I am today and bring a movie like this, this size and magnitude to Hawai‘i… The jobs that it creates for all the hardworking locals is such a cool thing.”

Johnson is now one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, with around 20 upcoming movies.

Johnson is the voice of Maui, the ocean demigod, in Disney’s animated adventure Moana,” which is hitting theaters nationwide on Nov. 23.

The Papaikou waterfall was also used for the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Championships in 2010.

The majority of the film was shot on O‘ahu over the last two months.

The film is scheduled to continue production in Atlanta later this month.