Actress Isabela Moner would like to star in a college-themed Dora and the Lost City of Gold sequel, the rising star said during an exclusive interview with Screen Rant. Based on Nickelodeon’s popular animated television series Dora the Explorer, James Bobin’s film adaptation continues the storyline.
After growing up in the jungle, Dora (Moner) learns that her parents Cole (Michael Peña) and Elena (Eva Longoria) have made familial plans for the future. However, Dora will move to California to attend high school while her parents research a historical mystery. The energetic Dora subsequently reunites with her cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg) and attempts to assimilate into her new environment, only to be kidnapped during a class trip and returned to the jungle. Thanks to some timely assistance, Dora embarks on an exciting journey with her classmates, hoping to find her parents and to learn the truths about a lost Inca civilization. Dora and the Lost City of Gold releases August 9 in the United States.
In an exclusive Screen Rant interview, Moner and co-star Wahlberg discussed a possible sequel to Dora and the Lost City of Gold. When asked about the franchise’s potential, and how it could be the Indiana Jones for a new generation, Moner revealed that she already has a specific storyline in mind: “Japan, Brazil. I don’t know, college? That would be fun.”
Given the early rave reviews for Dora and the Lost City of Gold (the film currently holds a 78 percent tomatometer score at Rotten Tomatoes), it appears that Paramount Pictures has a legit hit in the works. The movie was produced for just $49 million, a modest budget when compared to the average blockbuster. If critics love Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and fans embrace Moner as the franchise star, then numerous installments over the next decade will only be inevitable. A college-themed premise in an international location would fully expand the scope of the Dora the Explorer franchise, and would allow for opportunities to address timely issues as Moner’s international fanbase steadily increases.
At only 18-years-old, Moner has already established herself as one of the industry’s most promising young actresses. From 2014 to 2016, she headlined the Nickelodeon series 100 Things to Do Before High School, and then landed roles in high-profile mainstream features such as Transformers: The Last Knight and Sicario: Day of the Soldado. In 2018, Moner starred alongside Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne in the hit comedy Instant Family, and she’s currently filming the Christmas movie Let It Snow with Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Odeya Rush (Lady Bird), and Shameik Moore (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse).
Assuming that Dora and the Lost City of Gold becomes a commercial success, screenwriters Nicholas Stoller and Matthew Robinson will likely begin writing a sequel in the near future. And given Moner’s suggestion for a possible storyline, now seems like the right time to further develop her character in a college setting.
More: Isabela Moner & Jeff Wahlberg Interview: Dora and the Lost City of Gold
