Trivia / Zathura

The book

• Sequel Gap: Picks up the sequel hook at the end of Jumanji after a 21 year gap.

The film

• Divorced Installment: The original book was a sequel to Jumanji with two neighbor kids finding the boardgame which turned itself into a space game because they had no interest in jungle adventures. That said, the Chinese title is still Jumanji 2: Zathura.
• Screwed by the Network: Putting this up against Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was a surefire way to ensure that the film wouldn't be a box-office success.
• What Could Have Been: Dax Shepard (who plays the Astronaut) said once that when he signed on to the film, the script was meant to be more of a sci-fi action epic, with the two young brothers fighting and trying to get along being more of a subplot. Executives later decided the boys learning to get along should be the core of the film, and a lot of the space fight sequences were eliminated.