Credit: Inside the MagicMore casting news for Jurassic World 4.
Though there has been plenty of Jurassic World 4 (2025) news since the project was announced in January, we’re yet to get any solid confirmation on casting. It was recently revealed that actress Scarlett Johansson is in talks with Universal Pictures to star in the new film, but we’re still waiting to see whether or not the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) alum will end up leading what is being described as “a new Jurassic era.”
Actors from the previous Jurassic Park/Jurassic World films, such as Chris Pratt (Owen Grady), Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm), and Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), are not expected to return. In separate interviews that were unrelated to the upcoming Jurassic sequel, Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire Dearing), DeWanda Wise (Kayla Watts), and Sam Neill (Alan Grant) have each said they probably won’t be returning to reprise their respective characters.
Related: Universal Studios’ Jurassic Park Attractions May Be Doomed, New Report Suggests
So, with no legacy characters in sight, it looks like Jurassic World 4 will untether itself from previous films by featuring all-new characters. And now, according to industry insider Daniel Richtman (via World of Reel), British actor Dev Patel, who’s best known for the Danny Boyle-directed film Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and directs and stars in the brand-new actioner Monkey Man (2024), is also expected to appear in the upcoming sequel.
While this is just a rumor, with filming for Jurassic World 4 set to get underway at Sky Studios Elstree in the UK and other worldwide locations this summer, we’ll likely get some concrete casting news in the coming weeks and months. But for now, we do know that the project reunites several creatives from past films: Jurassic Park (1993) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) screenwriter David Koepp, Jurassic World producers Patrick Cowley and Frank Marshall, and executive producer Steven Spielberg, who directed the first two films. Paleontologists Steve Brusatte and Jack Horner are also returning as on-set advisors.
The film is being directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla 2014, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). There’s no official word on what Jurassic World 4 is about, however, rumors suggest it will revolve around a “hybrid human-dinosaur serum” and that it is titled Jurassic City.
Related: ‘Jurassic’ Star Killed in ‘The Lost World’ Returning for ‘Jurassic World 4’
There’s a lot more Jurassic content on the horizon. The new animated series Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024) will stream on Netflix on May 24, and there’s also a first-person, action-adventure video game titled Jurassic Park: Survival (TBA) in the works.
Check out the trailer for Jurassic Park: Survival, which is a direct sequel to the 1993 film:
Check out the new trailer for Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, which follows on from Netflix’s Jurassic World: Cretaceous (2020 — 2022), taking place between the two latest sequels, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022):
While you wait for all these upcoming projects, be sure to check out the likes of Jurassic World: The Exhibition, Jurassic World Live Tour, and the popular Universal Studios attractions such as Jurassic Park River Adventure, Jurassic World: The Ride, and VelociCoaster.
Would you like to see Dev Patel star in Jurassic World 4 alongside Scarlett Johansson? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!