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Credit: Universal PicturesAs we near the end of 2024, Jurassic World Rebirth is a bit like an object in the rearview mirror—it suddenly seems a lot closer. The film is one of three Jurassic Park/World sequels set to arrive next year, but let’s keep the focus on the only one with a release date.
Set for release on July 2, 2025, the highly anticipated sequel follows Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park III (2001), Jurassic World (2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and Jurassic World Dominion (2022) but marks the beginning of “a new Jurassic era.”
Starring 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), Rebirth takes place five years after the latest sequel, Dominion.
Looking back at how Rebirth has progressed since it was first announced in January, it’s now clear those reports that Universal Pictures was “fast-tracking” it for a summer 2025 release were true: Jurassic World Rebirth has now wrapped filming, and though we’ve only seen two official screenshots and a lengthy synopsis so far, the first trailer is imminent.
The film is directed by Gareth Edwards, whose credits include Monsters (2010), Godzilla (2010), and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), and written by David Koepp, who penned the screenplays for the two first films, Jurassic Park and The Lost World.
Related: ‘Jurassic World’ TV Series Reveals Connection With New Movie ‘Rebirth’
Now, in an exclusive interview with Empire Magazine, Edwards talks about the upcoming sequel and shares titbits about Scarlett Johansson’s character Zora Bennett, a covert operations specialist who’s sent on “a top-secret mission to secure genetical material from the world’s three most massive dinosaurs” from an island where “a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades” awaits, per the official synopsis.
“It goes back to what I loved about the original [Jurassic Park],” Edwards says of Jurassic World Rebirth in Empire’s latest Andor Season 2 issue, “with an embarrassment of riches of different set-piece-type scenarios and tense, fun action moments. There were a lot of opportunities as a filmmaker to have a lot of fun and try and play games with the audience.”
After Jurassic World Dominion, which grossed over $1B worldwide, received mixed to negative reviews for its convoluted plot about genetically engineered prehistoric locusts, fans will probably be pleased to hear that the new Jurassic sequel is taking things back to basics.
Related: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Official Teaser Arrives Online
Edwards also teased Scarlett Johansson’s lead character in the film, who, apart from the covert specialist stuff and the top-secret mission she’s sent on, we know nothing about.
“She’s looking for meaning in her life after leaving the military, and this opportunity comes along where [after it] basically she’d never have to work again. But through that journey, she starts to question the ethical rights and wrongs of what they’re doing.”
The exclusive also includes a brand-new still of Bennett (Johansson) which shows her holding a rifle in the long grass (not a good idea in this franchise).
Johansson, 39, who’s a lifelong Jurassic Park fan, admitted in an interview earlier this year that she’s been trying to get into the franchise for 10 years.
Her character Zora Bennett will lead a new ensemble, replacing the likes of Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), none of whom are expecting to return in the upcoming film.
You can read more about Jurassic World Rebirth in Empire’s “Ultimate 2025 Preview”, led by Andor Season 2–in the January 2025 issue.
Related: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ First Teaser Finally Arrives
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
Are you suddenly more excited about Jurassic World Rebirth like we are? Let us know in the comments down below!