2
Credit: Universal PicturesIt looks like Jeff Goldblum has finally left the Jurassic Park franchise behind.
Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) is getting closer by the minute, like the booming footsteps of a mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex (or “maybe it’s just the power trying to come back on…” as InGen lawyer Donald Gennaro would say). With the first trailer likely to drop any day now, anticipation for the seventh film in the long-running series couldn’t be higher.
But while the film’s cast (Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey), its intriguing synopsis, and the creative team (2014’s Godzilla and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards and Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp) have left us intrigued, several characters will be sorely missed.
None of the actors from the previous Jurassic Park/Jurassic World films are expected to return. This includes Chris Pratt (Owen Grady) and Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire Dearing) from the Jurassic World trilogy, and the OG Jurassic Park ensemble, Sam Neill (Alan Grant), Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), and Ian Malcolm (the one and only Jeff Goldblum).
Related: Jeff Goldblum Confirms Dr. Ian Malcolm’s Fate After ‘Jurassic World Dominion’
Johansson will lead an all-new cast into “a new Jurassic era,” playing skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett who’s sent on a top-secret mission to secure DNA from the three massive dinosaurs across land, sea, on air, but eventually finding herself–and her team–on a mysterious dino-inhabited island where “a sinister, shocking discovery” awaits.
While Jeff Goldblum, in particular–who returned alongside his Jurassic Park co-stars Sam Neill and Laura Dern for 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion–will be deeply missed by fans, the iconic actor is now passing the torch to his Wicked (2024) co-star Jonathan Bailey.
“The hope of the world resides, and I can think of no better baton receiver to carry on the ‘da da da da da,'” Goldblum told Variety, championing Bailey and adding those iconic notes from the John Williams’s Jurassic Park theme. “It’s Jonathan Bailey! It’s like no other!”
Related: All 3 Upcoming Back-To-Back ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘World’ Sequels Explained
Currently best known for the Netflix series Bridgerton, Bailey, 36, joins a star-studded in Jurassic World Rebirth, alongside new franchise lead Scarlett Johansson. We don’t know anything about his new character, paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis, although he does appear in a still from the film that was shared alongside the synopsis by Universal Pictures.
Goldblum played mathematician expert Dr. Ian Malcolm in the original 1993 film Jurassic Park, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion. Sadly, it doesn’t look like he’ll ever return to the Jurassic franchise as he recently told Total Film that he thinks his character “may have ridden off into the sunset” after the events of Dominion.
Bailey said that he spoke about his mysterious new role with the Jurassic Park icon for the first time at CinemaCon earlier this year. “I had the invitation to join the Jurassic world, to join the conga line led by Jeff,” he said. “The original film was a seminal cinematic moment, purely because of Jeff, but also, I went with my family, and the multi-sensory experience of going to see a film so perfectly realized.”
“There’s so much that I am so proud to join,” he added. “But obviously, much like with Wicked, there is a sense of responsibility. And if I can match half of what Jeff and Sam Neill and Laura Dern achieved, I’ll be very lucky.”
Related: How ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Connects to 1993 Film Explained by Director
While Bailey doesn’t portray a “Chaos Theory” expert like Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm, he’ll likely be Rebirth‘s character equivalent by dropping one-liners designed to serve as stark warnings about messing with nature, with plenty of charisma and humor thrown in for good measure (although he has some pretty big boots to fill).
In Wicked, which is based on the 2003 stage play of the same name (based on the 1995 book of the same name, which in turn is based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and the 1939 film adaptation), Goldblum plays the iconic Wizard of Oz and Bailey plays Fiyero. The film will be released in theaters on November 22.
Jurassic World Rebirth will be released in theaters worldwide on July 2, 2025.
The film 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).
Are you still going to watch Jurassic World Rebirth without Jeff Goldblum? Let us know in the comments down below!