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Credit: Universal PicturesNext year, the seventh installment in the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise will arrive in theaters. Set to be a soft reboot of sorts with “an ingenious new direction,” it will be the first film in the series since 2015’s Jurassic World to bridge that gap between the old and the new by featuring an entirely new lineup of characters,
But while Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) is set to launch “a new Jurassic era” with an all-new cast that includes Scarlett Johansson (the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Wicked), and Mahershala Ali (The Green Book), a beloved legacy actor from Steven Spielberg’s original 1993 film has reconnected with the long-running franchise.
Related: All the Main Heroes From the ‘Jurassic Park’ Movies Ranked
A Jurassic Park Legend
Per People.com, Ariana Richards, 45, best known for portraying John Hammond’s granddaughter Lex Murphy in the 1993 film and the sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), recently enjoyed a trip down memory lane when she visited the world-famous attraction Jurassic World: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on October 2, Richards can be seen waiting on the side-lines where she watches the log flume ride make its terrifying plunge before turning to the camera with a big smile. “Incognito at the park!!” she captioned the video. “Did any of you take the Jurassic World plunge on Monday?? Love Universal Studios Hollywood.”
Incognito at the park!! Did any of you take the Jurassic World plunge on Monday?? Love Universal Studios Hollywood
Incognito at the park!! Did any of you take the Jurassic World plunge on Monday?? Love Universal Studios Hollywood ❤️🌎 pic.twitter.com/R3p6jCg3Te
— Ariana Richards (@GalleryAriana) October 2, 2024
Jurassic World: The Ride is a “reboot” of Jurassic Park: The Ride (which still exists at Universal Studios Orlando and in slightly different forms in other Universal Studios resorts around the world).
Echoing the franchise’s mega-rebranding that came with the 2015 blockbuster of the same name, Jurassic World: The Ride offers guests sleeker new aesthetics while, of course, featuring dinosaurs from the film, such as Indominus Rex and Mosasaurus, along with original fan-favorites like Tyrannosaurus Rex.
But this isn’t the first time Ariana Richards has openly celebrated the Jurassic Park franchise — last year, she joined her fellow castmates in enjoying the film’s 30th anniversary by re-creating the iconic “Jell-O scene.”
Whether or not Richards will ever reprise her role as Lex Murphy remains to be seen. So far, she has only appeared in the first two films, Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, alongside Joe Mazzello, who plays her on-screen brother, Tim Murphy.
Other legacy actors, however, such as Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm), Sam Neill (Alan Grant), Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), and BD Wong (Henry Wu), have enjoyed numerous appearances throughout the franchise. Although none of them are expected to appear in Jurassic World Rebirth.
Either way, it’s just nice to see Lex Murphy enjoying dinosaurs for once.
When Can I Watch Jurassic World Rebirth?
Jurassic World Rebirth will be released in theaters worldwide on July 2, 2025.
Check out the film’s new logo below, per the official Jurassic World X (Twitter) account:
Jurassic World Rebirth. In theaters July 2025.
Jurassic World Rebirth. In theaters July 2025. pic.twitter.com/CLUdLQPPfO
— Jurassic World (@JurassicWorld) August 29, 2024
Jurassic World Rebirth stars Scarlett Johansson (Avengers: Endgame), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer), Rupert Friend (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Mahershala Ali (The Green Book), Luna Blaise (Manifest), David Iacono (Dead Boy Detectives), Audrina Miranda (Lopez vs Lopez), Philippine Velge (Station Eleven), Bechir Sylvain (BMF), and Ed Skrein (Deadpool).
Would you like to see Ariana Richards return in Jurassic World Rebirth? Let Inside the Magic know your thoughts in the comments down below!