Jumanji Page #2

The man in the bushes is pushed aside, causing the gun to shoot

off-course. The hog panics and runs away.

From out of the bushes, the first man stands up, angrily

brushing leaves off his clothes. He is COLONEL ALISTAIR

JOHNSTON (late 40s); a blonde, British big game hunter dressed

in common hunting garb.

ALISTAIR:

(in a rage)

You miserable bungler! That was a

near-perfect shot!

The second man, TIMOTHY VAN ALLSBURG (early 30s) rises from the

bushes, righting his askew glasses. He is tall and thin with

black hair.

TIMOTHY:

I specifically asked you to

refrain from shooting anything

unless it was absolutely necessary

to our survival.

Alistair glares daggers, not happy to be told what to do.

TIMOTHY (CONT’D)

We’ve been lucky not to have run into

many dangerous creatures thus far.

And in a jungle, there’s very little

luck to go around.

ALISTAIR:

When you’re a hunter, it’s best not

to rely too much on luck.

He c*cks his gun threateningly and narrows his eyes. Timothy

doesn’t even flinch.

TIMOTHY:

Conceding that, it would be most

prudent to save your, ah... expertise

until we’re closer to our destination.

We don’t know what we may come up

against.

At first, Alistair looks ready to shout again. Instead, he

adopts an oily, condescending tone.

ALISTAIR:

And where is our destination, Mister-...

Oh, pardon me! Professor Van Allsburg?

Where is it that we’re all heading?

What are we trying to find? After all,

trekking through uncharted territory in

a savage, hostile land populated by

equally savage and hostile natives, I

should think that our rewards would

certainly be worth the risks that we’ve

taken upon ourselves.

TIMOTHY:

Colonel-

ALISTAIR:

Particularly since I have not been

allowed the privilege... No, the right

to fire a single shot and let perfectly

good game go to waste!

TIMOTHY:

As I explained before-

ALISTAIR:

(losing his composure)

What is it that we seek, sonny Jim?

Where are you leading us?!

Alistair calms himself down a little. Timothy takes a deep

breath.

TIMOTHY:

I understand your frustration, Colonel,

but as I explained before we all left

America, this is a search to find a

lost tribe.

ALISTAIR:

When I agreed to finance this idiotic

expedition, I did so only under the

assurance that I would be permitted to

shoot and claim the rarest, most sought

after trophies seen by the eyes of man!

TIMOTHY:

And so you shall be, but not until

we’ve found what I’m looking for.

He takes out a tattered old map from his pocket and studies it.

TIMOTHY (CONT’D)

If we just keep heading southeast

for another day or two, we should

find some clues that will assist us.

If the legends are true, that is.

Alistair rolls his eyes and mops his brow.

ALISTAIR:

So, with you as our leader, we’ve been

traveling all this time within unknown

territory in who knows what direction

for the chance to uncover some alleged

clues which might assist us in finding a

people that might not even exist? Just

so I’m perfectly clear.

Timothy opens his mouth to protest, but suddenly there is a wild

RUSTLING from the foliage. Timothy looks terrified, but

Alistair readies his gun.

ALISTAIR:

Stay down! Don’t move!

From out of the foliage stumble two men, both are looking

panicked. The first is NIGEL DAWSON (30s), a man of medium

height with a lean build. The other is HASANI (mid 20s), an

African native guide. He is short, but has a gymnast’s build.

NIGEL:

Good heavens, is everything alright?

We heard a gunshot!

Timothy calms down at the sight of the duo.

TIMOTHY:

Yes, yes. Everything is perfectly

fine. The Colonel just got a tad

overzealous; that’s all.

NIGEL:

Oh, that’s a relief. Er... Hasani.

Nigel briefly speaks a few words in Hasani’s native language to

him, who nods in understanding.

NIGEL:

(to Timothy)

Poor lad... he thought you’d

encountered a leopard.

ALISTAIR:

If only...

The foliage RUSTLES again, and Alistair once again raises his

gun.

Out steps FELIX J. KAUFFMAN (early 30s); a tall, overweight man

with light brown hair concealed under a derby. He wears a vest

that is bulging from countless items stuffed into its pockets.

Although Felix is breathing heavily, his Cheshire Cat grin

remains constant.

ALISTAIR:

(lowering his gun; sotto)

Might need something larger to

take this one down...

FELIX:

Hello, all. Nothing the matter,

I hope.

NIGEL:

No, no. Actually, we’re all ready

to continue on our way.

(to all)

Hasani and I have just scouted the area

where the river meets those cliffs we

saw earlier. We’re at the proper

angle, so we just need to continue on

a straight path for another day. After

that, Hasani says we should reach the

Za’ru’a village. Once there, we can

reconnoiter and regroup.

TIMOTHY:

Splendid. Let’s make sure we have

everything we need to avoid delay.

ALISTAIR:

(to Felix)

We’d avoid delay a lot more if you

didn’t keep scuttling off to search

for your frivolous little keepsakes!

FELIX:

Frivolous? What renaissance man of

the United States wouldn’t be intrigued

by strange oddities and mementos from

a world practically unknown?

Alistair shakes his head in disbelief.

FELIX (CONT’D)

And as I have said before and will

say again, Felix J. Kauffman never

trades less than his best!

NIGEL:

Help Hasani with our supplies, will

you, Felix?

Felix, Nigel and Hasani begin gathering up their gear. Alistair

wanders over to Timothy.

ALISTAIR:

(to Timothy)

I can tolerate being in a jungle with

two Yankees and... Mowgli there, but

why did you and Professor Dawson have

to bring that duffer? He’s a

hindrance more than a help.

TIMOTHY:

Nearly every article and tool we have

in our possession was very generously

donated by that man. It was too good

an offer to pass up.

Timothy turns to face Alistair one on one.

TIMOTHY:

Colonel, I realize this is not the

manner to which you are accustomed,

but try to remember, we all have

our own roles to fill on this

expedition.

Felix suddenly appears at Timothy’s side and drapes an arm

around his shoulders, smiling unctuously. Alistair sneers.

FELIX:

And sir, I can think of no better

leader for such an incomparable

voyage into the heart of Africa.

The perfect liaison between us and

my soon-to-be newest customers, the...

(frowns)

Er... what is this tribe called,

again?

Timothy gently disengages Felix’s arm from his shoulders.

TIMOTHY:

They call themselves Jumanji, Felix.

Jumanji.

The group gathers up their packs of gear, and marches onward

into the eerie, rampant jungle.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. ERIC’S HOUSE – NEXT DAY

It’s a medium-sized house with an attached two-car garage. The

house sits in the center of two spacious, wooded acres of land.

INT. ERIC’S HOUSE – FAMILY ROOM – DAY

Eric is seated on a beanbag, talking into a headset phone. He

stretches and twists a rubber band in his hands.

ERIC:

So, how’s Chicago been treating you?

(beat) Right... Right... (beat) Well,

I’ll bet Grandma’s happy to have her

kids there. (beat) Well, that’s our

family for you. (beat) You know, I

wanted to come with... (beat) Right,

right; I know. Senior year, I can’t

miss anything....

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