Credit: Universal PicturesUntil a few months ago, it seemed as though the Jurassic Park film series was inexplicably dead in the water, despite the latest film, Jurassic World Dominion (2022), grossing over $1 billion worldwide and bringing the six-picture franchise past the $6 billion mark globally. Now, we know that Universal Pictures had been quietly sitting on the seventh installment, which is being directed by Gareth Edwards and will hit theaters in July next year.
The sequel reunites several creatives from previous installments: screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park), producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Cowley (the Jurassic World trilogy), and executive producer Steven Spielberg (director of the first two films and EP on the last four). However, with filming for Jurassic World 4 (2025) not set to begin until this summer, it will be some time before we see a trailer.
There’s also another “Jurassic” movie in development, which hits theaters in May, 2025.
Fortunately, the trailer for another Jurassic World sequel recently premiered online. The Netflix animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020 — 2022) might not be for everyone (it’s targeted primarily towards younger audiences), but its new follow-up, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024), promises to be darker than its predecessor, which showrunner Scott Kreamer confirmed in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly.
The trailer is full of surprises, so let’s take a closer look.
Related: Universal Studios’ Jurassic Park Attractions May Be Doomed, New Report Suggests
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Trailer Breakdown
There are now two trailers for Jurassic World: Chaos Theory. The first, which premiered in November last year, is merely a teaser that reveals an older Darius Bowman (Paul-Mikél Williams) and the return of the original Jurassic Park T-Rex, which can be seen roaming around the Sierra Nevada forest, as depicted in the Jurassic World Dominion prologue:
The brand-new trailer, which dropped on March 28, has much more meat on the bone. Not only does it confirm the return of another Camp Cretaceous character — Darius’ fellow Isla Nublar survivor, Ben Pincus (Sean Giambrone) — it also teases the premise as well as other potential returning characters, including a human villain from the latest movie sequel:
Following a brief recap of events that detail how “The Nublar Six” — Darius Bowman, Ben Pincus, Yasmina “Yaz” Fadoula (Kausar Mohammed), Kenji Kon (Ryan Potter), Sammy Gutierrez (Raini Rodriguez), and Brooklynn (Jenna Ortega) — survived after being trapped on Isla Nublar for a year, the trailer sees Darius reunite with Ben many years later. But this is no heart-warming reunion, as Ben warns his friend that “someone” is “hunting” them before we cut to several carnivorous dinosaurs that are hot in pursuit of the two teens.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Characters
The only confirmed returning Camp Cretaceous characters are Darius Bowman and Ben Pincus. While we see the others appear in the trailer via a newsreel, Chaos Theory will seemingly only feature the two leads — although Ben does tell Darius, “We need to warn the others before it’s too late,” which suggests their fellow campmates may return at some point in the series.
So, Yasmina “Yaz” Fadoula, Kenji Kon, Sammy Gutierrez, and Brooklynn may return to complete “The Nublar Six.” However, Brooklynn star Jenna Ortega’s hectic schedule over the past year (Wednesday Season 2 and Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice) could mean that her return is unlikely (although her exit from Scream 7 may have freed her up).
We may also see characters from the film series undergo the animated treatment. Camp Cretaceous only gave us animated versions of Henry Wu (BD Wong) and Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott), but we may finally see the likes of Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), and Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) appear.
While none of these characters are anywhere in sight in the Chaos Theory trailer, it does seem to hint at the return of Dominion‘s dinosaur black market dealer Soyona Santos (Dichen Lachman), as Darius and Ben are pursued by what appear to be the same Atrociraptors the James Bond-esque villain controls during the Malta sequence in the film.
Related: ‘Wednesday’ Star May Lead All-New Cast in ‘Jurassic World 4’
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Cast
Though it’s possible some characters from the films will appear in Chaos Theory (looking specifically at Owen, Claire, and Maisie, who are living in the Sierra Nevada area at the time the new series takes place, but perhaps also legacy characters like Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm, and Ellie Sattler, etc.), it’s unlikely the actors who play them in the films will return to lend their vocal talents.
In Camp Cretaceous, Henry Wu and Lewis Dodgson are voiced by Greg Chun and Adam Harrington, respectively — not BD Wong and Campbell Scott, who play them in the films. Also taking into account the fact that animated shows rarely see the return of the actors from the films, the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World legacy characters would likely be recast.
Related: Upcoming ‘Jurassic Park’ Sequel Confirms Several Dinosaurs
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Timeline and Setting
As confirmed in the new trailer, Chaos Theory takes place six years after the events of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Season 1. This places the new series three years after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and one year before Jurassic World Dominion, which explains why dinosaurs are now living on mainland America.
Camp Cretaceous Season 1 dovetails off the events of Jurassic World (2015), and seasons 2 through 5 take place between the 2015 film and Fallen Kingdom, spanning roughly one year. However, the epilogue to the Season 5 finale, “The Nublar Six,” takes place two years after the events of that season, bringing the series up to speed with the end of Fallen Kingdom.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Dinosaurs
The two Chaos Theory trailers feature plenty of dinosaurs between them. The teaser has the original Jurassic Park T-Rex and the new trailer reintroduces the Atrociraptors from Dominion. Darius and Ben are also hunted by a normal-sized Velociraptor (although it doesn’t look like Blue), while two other mysterious dinosaurs can also be seen briefly.
Chaos Theory Synopsis
Per Universal Pictures, the synopsis for Chaos Theory reads, “After the park has closed, after the kingdom has fallen, a new era of chaos begins.”
When Is the New Series Out?
Chaos Theory streams on Netflix on May 24.
Other Jurassic Content and Experiences
There are even more Jurassic projects in development.
There’s the upcoming first-person, action-adventure video game Jurassic Park: Survival (TBA), which is a direct sequel to the original 1993 film. Check out the trailer below:
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Official Sequel: Everything We Know
While you wait for the new film, the television series, and the video game, you can enjoy real-world experiences such as Jurassic World: The Exhibition, Jurassic World Live Tour, and the Universal Studios attractions Jurassic Park River Adventure and Jurassic World: The Ride.
Camp Cretaceous seasons 1 — 5 and the interactive adventure experience Hidden Adventure are now streaming on Netflix. It stars Paul-Mikél Williams (Darius Bowman), Sean Giambrone (Ben Pincus), Kausar Mohammed (Yasmina “Yaz” Fadoula), Ryan Potter (Kenji Kon), Raini Rodriguez (Sammy Gutierrez), and Jenna Ortega (Brooklynn).
Are you excited about Chaos Theory? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!