After the success of his Christmas comedy “Elf,” Jon Favreau decided to switch things up by taking on “Zathura.” While “Jumanji” leans into its source material’s comedic aspects, “Zathura” is a much more mature production focusing on the challenges of growing up. In fact, “Zathura” is filled with things that only adults will notice, as it’s ripe with symbolism and themes that might go over children’s heads.
While both projects come from the same author, it was important for Favreau that “Zathura” was seen and interpreted as a project separate from the ’90s comedy. “It’s confusing because [the books are] written by the same guy and they both share the motif of fantastic events emanating from a game,” he told The Los Angeles Daily News in 2005 when discussing the similarities between both films “But, by the same token, ‘Zathura’ has a very different sensibility, shares none of the same characters, and takes place on the other side of the country.”
While many have debated for years if “Zathura” is a stealth “Jumanji” sequel, Favreau cleared the confusion up years ago. “I don’t want to mislead people to think this is a sequel, whether you liked the first movie and hope to see more of it, or didn’t like it and wouldn’t want to see anything related to it,” he said, definitively confirming that “Zathura” is a standalone spin-off.
