Credit: Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment / Saber InteractiveIs the new Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movie a sequel or a reboot?
Last month, it was confirmed that a new Jurassic movie is in development, with several franchise veterans attached to the project, including Jurassic Park (1993) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) screenwriter David Koepp, Jurassic World trilogy producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Cowley, and executive producer Steven Spielberg.
Paleontologist Steve Brusatte, who was an on-set advisor on the most recent movie, Jurassic World Dominion (2022), and fellow dino-expert Jack Horner, who has consulted on every entry in the Jurassic series so far, have also announced their return. However, no actors from the previous movies are confirmed to be reprising their roles in the new installment.
Related: ‘Jurassic World 4’ Will Completely Ignore ‘Dominion’, New Report Suggests
Though very little is known about the new movie, Universal Pictures is reportedly “fast-tracking” it for a July 2, 2025 release. Deadpool 2 (2018) director David Leitch was recently in talks to helm the seventh entry in the franchise, but he exited the project days after the announcement due to reportedly having “different visions” with the studio.
Said to be the start of “a new Jurassic era” with “an all-new storyline,” it is widely assumed that the new movie is a sequel. However, conflicting information implies that it is actually a (hold onto your butts)… reboot.
Shortly after The Hollywood Reporter broke the news in January, Deadline reported that the movie is “a complete reboot,” saying, “We’ve confirmed that a new Jurassic World movie, a complete reboot, is being fast-tracked at Universal with the franchise’s original Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp.” A Jurassic Park reboot? Yep, pure blasphemy.
It’s worth noting that the word “reboot” has become a loose term in recent years (the first Jurassic World is considered a “soft reboot”), and while there has been no other mention of the movie being a reboot, it has also yet to be confirmed that Jurassic World 4 is even a sequel. As such, until further details are unearthed, many fans remain as confused about the project as they did when they saw a Velociraptor speak English in Jurassic Park III (2001).
That said, there are plenty of clues all over the place, so let’s get digging.
What’s Canon in the Jurassic Park Franchise?
First, let’s address what’s canon in the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise.
The six Jurassic movies, the short film Battle at Big Rock (2019), and the animated series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020 — 2022), are all 100% canon. However, the two novels by Michael Crichton, any existing video game that isn’t part of the Jurassic World Evolution series, the LEGO movies and shows, and all the comic books, are not.
Other novels, such as the Jurassic Park III spinoff series by Scott Ciencin and The Evolution of Claire and Maisie Lockwood Adventures by Tess Sharp, are canon, as is the upcoming video game Jurassic Park: Survival (TBA). Even the live-action miniseries on the Jurassic World Dominion Dino Tracker website is part of the official continuity.
Related: 5 Ways ‘Jurassic World’ Can Move Forward After ‘Dominion’
Universal Would Have Confirmed It’s a Reboot
If the new film is indeed a reboot, the announcement would have included this vital detail — just imagine how much more attention it would have gotten. So we doubt Universal Pictures simply “forgot” to tell us. These days, even bad publicity is good — unless of course the movie underperforms at the box office following some good old-fashioned boycotting from fans.
We’re not suggesting that rebooting the franchise has never been discussed in the boardroom, but the studio may have already looked back at other remakes in recent years (with 2016’s Ghostbusters: Answer the Call being the only stern warning one needs) and decided to press on with the continuity established in the original 1993 film.
It’s also worth noting that the project is tentatively called Jurassic World 4, which lends to the fact that it’s a sequel and not a reboot.
Related: Did Universal Just Foreshadow a Live-Action ‘Jurassic World’ TV Series Set on the Mainland?
Two Other Upcoming Jurassic Sequels Are Canon
It’s not unusual for a franchise to have more than one continuity in the mix, though — you only need to look at Marvel, DC, and Sony’s Spider-Man universe movies to know this. On the other hand, why would Universal Pictures bother developing two canon sequels set in the existing timeline when they’re going to be wiping the slate clean in 2025?
The upcoming animated series Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024) is a sequel to Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, while the in-development video game Jurassic Park: Survival is a direct sequel to the original 1993 film. Rebooting the film series while the small-screen side of the franchise is ongoing makes as much sense as a laser-guided Indoraptor.
Related: Every Upcoming ‘Jurassic Park’ Installment Confirmed
The Franchise Has Plenty of Storytelling Potential
While fans and critics tore the last two Jurassic World films apart faster than Eddie Carr (Richard Schiff) is by two T-Rexes in The Lost World, it makes no sense to start over. Jurassic World 4, as we’ll continue to call it for now, can go anywhere it wants within the franchise. Jurassic is a bit like Star Wars in that sense — there’s a lot of uncharted territory throughout the timeline.
Dominion may have written the series into a bit of a corner, not only by hastily unleashing dinosaurs into the world but also by prematurely concluding that they’re now essentially living in harmony alongside humans and modern-day animals, but who says it needs to go forward from there? For all we know, the new film might even be a prequel of some kind.
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Sequel Could Mean ‘Jurassic World’ Doesn’t Exist in New Timeline
There’s No Reason to Reboot Jurassic Park
Lastly, there’s no good reason to reboot the franchise. Not only would Universal Pictures completely alienate the entire fandom and, in turn, jeopardize the success of their new film, the latest sequel, Jurassic World Dominion, followed its two predecessors, Jurassic World (2015) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), by grossing over $1 billion worldwide.
Collectively, the franchise has grossed over $6 billion worldwide. Though it’s likely studios pay some attention to reviews, ultimately, money talks (and raptors, too, apparently), so it’s unlikely they’d ignore the success of Dominion. That said, the studio and the filmmakers may still opt for a different approach to help preserve the IP’s success following all the negative feedback.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory
Check out the trailer for Chaos Theory below:
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’s New Theme Park Experience May Include Original 1993 Attractions
Per Universal Pictures, here’s the synopsis for the animated series:
After the park has closed, after the kingdom has fallen, a new era of chaos begins…. Jurassic World: Chaos Theory is coming to Netflix in 2024.
Chaos Theory is expected to release on Netflix during the first half of this year.
Jurassic Park: Survival
Check out the trailer for Survival below, per Jurassic World YouTube:
Related: ‘Jurassic Park: Survival’ Trailer Breakdown
Per the official website, here’s the synopsis for the game:
Return to Isla Nublar the day after the events of the beloved 1993 Jurassic Park film in an original adventure 65 million years in the making.
Survive thrilling first-person action as InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who was unable to,” evacuate Isla Nublar, in this single-player action-adventure game and discover a never-before-told story.
Through thrilling encounters, experience the wonder and danger of dinosaurs, each with their own distinct and adaptive behaviors brought to life by John Hammond’s vision.
There’s no release date for Survival.
The Jurassic franchise is enjoying a second heyday 31 years after the first film was released. Chaos Theory will soon arrive on Netflix, while the action-adventure video game Survival will finally allow fans to explore “a fully realized Isla Nublar,” while also reuniting them with the glory days of the original park. Here on the other side of the screen, Jurassic World: The Exhibition, Jurassic World Live Tour, and Universal Studios’ theme park attractions such as Jurassic Park River Adventure and Jurassic World: The Ride continue to thrill fans.
Do you think the seventh Jurassic movie should be a reboot? Let Inside the Magic know your thoughts in the comments down below!