Credit: Universal StudiosJurassic World 4 (2025) is set to ignore the events of the last two movie sequels.
When the upcoming Jurassic movie was announced in January, we weren’t entirely sure whether it was going to be a reboot of the original 1993 film or a sequel (or prequel) set in the same universe as the previous six films, which collectively grossed over $6B worldwide.
We now know that the tentatively titled Jurassic World 4 is part of the series, even if none of the actors from the previous films — Chris Pratt (Owen Grady), Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire Dearing), Sam Neill (Alan Grant), Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm), BD Wong (Henry Wu), and Isabella Sermon (Maisie Lockwood) — are returning.
Several names have been announced for the project in recent months. Scarlett Johansson (the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Wicked), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer), and Rupert Friend (Obi-Wan Kenobi) are all set to star.
Mahershala Ali (The Green Book, Leave the World Behind), Luna Blaise (Manifest), and David Iacono (Dead Boy Detectives) are also expected to round up the cast.
Now, we have even more news about Jurassic World 4 — but for once, it isn’t casting-related.
Per Variety, the upcoming film, which is directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla 2014, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), will be “a completely fresh take launching a new Jurassic era, following three adults and three teens getting stuck on the island.”
No other plot details have been revealed but we do know that the film is set to start shooting on location in Thailand and at studios in Malta and the UK.
This new character and plot information aligns with a recent online rumor, but whether or not the film is titled Jurassic City, per a separate rumor, remains to be seen. The same can be said about a rumored plot involving a “human-dinosaur hybrid serum.”
But what does this logline mean? What island is this?
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Official Sequel: Everything We Know
Assuming the new film is indeed a sequel to 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion (it hasn’t been confirmed yet), Isla Nublar is surely out of the question as it was blown up in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018). So is the series returning to Isla Sorna, AKA Site B?
The franchise could easily introduce new islands previously hinted at/explored in tie-in media. Previous films (Jurassic Park through Fallen Kingdom) have been shot on location in Hawaii, so the decision to shoot in Thailand does suggest a brand-new environment.
But by “brand-new,” we mean geographically. Conceptually, an island setting is an idea the franchise has beaten to death.
Fallen Kingdom might have had no reason to exist other than to blow up Nublar with a volcano and get dinosaurs onto the mainland ready for Jurassic World Dominion (2022), but at least it looked like the franchise was taking strides to distance itself with the islands.
However, despite all the reassurance (via the marketing) that the 2022 sequel would focus entirely on dinosaurs living on the mainland and causing problems for humans, it took place in yet another island-esque environment (the Biosyn facility in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains).
Related: All 4 Upcoming ‘Jurassic Park’/’Jurassic World’ Sequels Explained
So, why should we be excited about Jurassic World 4?
Doesn’t it sound like the same old thing but with a fancy new cast? Regardless of whatever the plot turns out to be, if Jurassic World 4 really is the fourth film in the Jurassic World series, then what was the point in the last two movies, exactly?
With several creatives from previous installments involved (Jurassic Park and The Lost World scribe David Koepp and executive producer Steven Spielberg — who also directed the first two films — among many others), we can only hope the film will offer something new.
But until we get something a bit meatier in terms of plot details, this elevator pitch-style logline doesn’t exactly scream originality. That said, let’s be careful what we wish for because those “human-dinosaur hybrid” rumors could be true.
Jurassic World 4 will be released in theaters on July 2, 2025.
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