Report: ‘Jurassic World 4’ Recasts Two Original Characters

in Movies & TV

L to R: Lex Murphy in the kitchen in 'Jurassic Park', Scarlett Johansson in 'Lucy', and Tim Murphy in the jeep in 'Jurassic Park'

Credit: Inside the Magic

Is Jurassic World 4 gearing up to be the most controversial entry in the film series?

Production on the upcoming sequel Jurassic World 4 (2025) is well underway. After filming on location in Thailand and underwater studio shoots in Malta, the cast and crew have now arrived at Sky Elstree Studios in the United Kingdom for further indoor shoots.

Though it hasn’t been revealed how the new film fits in with the rest of the Jurassic franchise, which started with Steven Spielberg’s iconic sci-fi blockbuster masterpiece Jurassic Park in 1993, Jurassic World 4 will be the seventh entry in the long-running series.

Plot details are also slim, with the only morsel of information that’s been shared being a brief logline from Variety which says that the film is “a completely fresh take launching a new Jurassic era, following three adults and three teens getting stuck on the island.”

(L to R) VelociCoaster concept art for Universal Studios, Jurassic Park logo, Scarlett Johansson in 'Lucy'
Credit: Inside the Magic

Related: ‘Jurassic Park: Survival’ Trailer Breakdown

Jurassic World 4 Cast

We also know that Jurassic World 4 stars Scarlett Johansson (the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer), Rupert Friend (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Luna Blaise (Manifest), David Iacono (Dead Boy Detectives), Audrina Miranda (Lopez vs Lopez), and Mahershala Ali (The Green Book).

No actors from any of the previous five films in the series (Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic World Dominion) are expected to return in the upcoming sequel.

But what about their characters? While Jurassic World 4 cast’s character details also remain undisclosed, many fans are now starting to suspect that the film’s two lead stars, Scarlett Johansson, 39, and Jonathan Bailey, 36, are playing two existing Jurassic characters.

Front: John Hammond, Claire Dearing, and Owen Grady looking shocked Background: Jurassic Park attraction at Universal Studios
Credit: Inside the Magic

Related: All 4 Upcoming ‘Jurassic Park’/’Jurassic World’ Sequels Explained

Who’s Scarlett Johansson Playing in Jurassic World 4?

We previously speculated that Johansson could be playing Lex Murphy, who was portrayed by Ariana Richards in Jurassic Park (1993) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1993). While that was purely speculative, it turns out that it may actually hold some stock.

Not only do many other fans think this might be the case, but they also think that Johansson’s co-star, Jonathan Bailey, could be playing Lex’s brother Tim Murphy, who was played by Joe Mazzello in those first two films alongside Ariana Richards.

In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz, the Bridgerton actor is quizzed about the new film (jump to 36:23), although he can neither confirm nor deny the rumored title Jurassic World: Rebirth. Naturally, he is equally cagey about character details when asked.

However, at one point, when referring to the iconic “Jell-O” scene in the 1993 film — in which Lex Murphy’s hand is trembling while holding a spoonful of the dessert when she catches sight of a Velociraptor — Horowitz jokingly asks “Wait, are you that girl grown up?”, at which Bailey laughs, saying, “I’m not saying anything.”

Obviously, Bailey isn’t playing Lex, but it seems the interviewer may be digging a little too close to who he might actually be playing: Lex’s brother, Tim.

(L to R) The Mosasaurus in 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Scarlett Johansson from 'Lucy', and the Megalodon from "Jurassic World Evolution 2"
Credit: Inside the Magic

Related: ‘Jurassic World 4’ Everything We Know: Plot, Cast, Release Date, Trailer, and News

But it looks like the conversation was already taking place on Reddit, where one user has posited the question, “How would you feel about Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey playing grown-up Lex and Tim?”, which has resulted in a lengthy back-and-forth.

“I mean, at this point why not just get Ariana Richards and Joe Mazzello?” one responds. “I don’t know what Ariana Richards is up to, but Joe Mazzello is still acting AND he’s excellent at it, so if Tim was to come back I’d want him to play the role,” another says.

Richards retired from acting in 2001 and is a long established artist whose incredible work you can check out on her official website. Mazzello, however, continues to perform on screen, having previously starred in the Freddy Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).

(L to R) Lex (Ariana Richards) and Tim (Joe Mazzello) hiding in the kitchen in 'Jurassic Park'
Credit: Universal Studios

Does this rumor hold any stock, though? The ages certainly line up. There’s only a two-three-year difference between Johansson, 39, and Bailey, 37, which is similar to the Murphy siblings’ age gap, with Lex being 13 in the original film, and Tim being 9.

“Nah, this franchise should move on,” an unimpressed fans says. “I think we’ve had enough of returning characters in the last few movies.”

They certainly make a good argument — the latest sequel Jurassic World Dominion (2022) brought back Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), Alan Grant (Sam Neill), and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) for seemingly one last hoorah alongside the Jurassic World ensemble (Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady, Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing, and BD Wong’s Henry Wu).

(L to R) Ian Malcolm, Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, Claire Dearing, Owen Grady, Maisie Lockwood, and Kayla Watts in 'Jurassic World Dominion'
Credit: Universal Pictures

Previously, Malcolm was the main star in 1997’s The Lost World, and Grant and Sattler both returned for 2001’s Jurassic Park III.

But Lex Murphy (Ariana Richards) and Tim Murphy (Joe Mazzello) have only enjoyed one brief cameo since 1993’s Jurassic Park. They returned for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene in The Lost World but haven’t been seen or mentioned since — not even in extended canon.

But it all really depends on when the film is set. If Johansson and Bailey are playing recast versions of Lex and Tim, the film would need to take place in the present day. Either way, if this turns out to be the case, we can’t imagine fans responding well to the news.

On the other hand, if Ariana Richards and Joe Mazzello were to reprise their roles as Lex and Tim, how would fans respond? They’d obviously receive a much warmer welcome than if their characters were recast, but the film would probably be accused of nostalgia-baiting.

More Upcoming Jurassic Park Sequels

While there’s no Jurassic World 4 teaser available yet, in the meantime you can check out the trailer for the upcoming first-person action-adventure video game sequel “Jurassic Park: Survival” (TBA), which takes place 24 hours after the events of the original 1993 film:

Other upcoming Jurassic sequels include the second season of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024), which premieres on Netflix on October 17, and the third installment in the “Jurassic World Evolution” video game series, which will release before May 2026.

Jurassic World 4 stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Rupert Friend, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, and Mahershala Ali.

The film is being directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), with a script by screenwriter David Koepp ( Jurassic Park, The Lost World). Jurassic World trilogy producers Patrick Crowley and Frank Marshall, and EP Steven Spielberg (who directed the first two films and executive-produced the last four) also return to the fold.

It will be released in theaters on July 2, 2025.

How would you feel about Lex Murphy and Tim Murphy being recast in Jurassic Park? Let Inside the Magic know down below!

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