Credit: Universal PicturesLast summer, Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) grossed $869.1 million worldwide, making another sequel in the long-running series likely. Reports claim that director Gareth Edwards and actors Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey are in negotiations to return, but until Universal makes an official announcement, that remains purely speculative.
Is It Time for a Jurassic Park Prequel?
Should another film happen, then it’s also likely to continue pushing the franchise forward, continuing a tradition set by the series’ first sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997).
So far, every new Jurassic installment has followed on from its predecessor. But is it high time for a prequel? Of course, prequels exist all over the franchise — in other media, that is.
There are tie-in novels, video games, and animated shows, although technically, they’re “in-between-quels”, as none of them actually predate the original 1993 film.
The only additions that come remotely close are the 2011 Telltale title Jurassic Park: The Game, which takes place during the events of the first film, and the upcoming first-person action-adventure Jurassic Park: Survival, which is set 24 hours after the dinosaur breakout.
On the big screen, the only content we’ve had that predates the events of Jurassic Park (1993) is the Jurassic World Dominion (2022) prologue — but that’s set during the Cretaceous Period, where Rexy’s ancestor faces off against a Giganotosaurus.
Fans have long wanted a prequel that leads directly into Spielberg’s classic for years.
Jurassic Prequel With a Young Hammond Could Happen
More specifically, we want to see a story in which a young John Hammond (the InGen CEO who’s played in the 1993 film by the late Richard Attenborough), sets about bringing to life his dream of seeing living, breathing dinosaurs in a theme park for the whole world to enjoy.
While the concept had already been floating around online for a few years, in 2023, Jurassic Park fan site Jurassic Outpost revealed that they had been given exclusive details from a proposed unofficial script for a prequel that would have actually centered on Hammond.
The pitch revealed a gallery of concept art and an excerpt from the script itself, which you can view here. The script details a twenty-something Hammond presenting the “flea circus” he mentions to Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) during the park’s power outage in the 1993 film.
Whether or not such a prequel will ever get greenlit by Universal Pictures remains to be seen; however, someone has now shared an AI-generated concept trailer for a Hammond-focused prequel, flea circus and all. While there’s absolutely no charm to AI-generated movie or TV show trailers, this one does at least give plenty of food for thought.
As is the case with AI trailers, there are plenty of horrible moments (the dinosaurs look awful for starters). But there are some things it gets right: the young Hammond (Attenborough) is convincing, and, as a proof of concept, it leaves you hoping Universal will take note.
The comment section is also flooded with fans keen on the idea for an official project. “This needs to be made for real,” one says. Another writes, “I’d go to an actual theater to see this.” One fan even thinks that actor Simon Pegg “would make a good young Hammond.”
You’ll spot many references to the 1993 film too, including characters Dr. Henry Wu and Dennis Nedry (played in real life by BD Wong and Wayne Knight), and a sign that reads “The Greatest Show on Earth” — a precursor to the iconic “When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth” banner in the 1993 film.
Jurassic World Rebirth 2 Could Be the Answer
Taking all this into account, could a Jurassic Park prequel work? If done right, then absolutely. The film series ran out ideas a long time ago now. Rebirth even lazily opted to go back to a jungle island setting despite Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) going to great lengths to sever ties with Isla Nublar. While a prequel centered on John Hammond would undoubtedly feature that island, it needn’t be exclusively limited to it.
It wouldn’t need to be a film, either — a TV series could work better. The next Rebirth sequel could even test the water with audiences by featuring flashback sequences with Hammond.
While Universal hasn’t confirmed anything regarding a Jurassic Park prequel, life will probably find a way. For now, here’s hoping the upcoming game Jurassic Park Survival has found a way to bring Hammond back — and a few other familiar characters, too.
Jurassic Park stars Sam Neill (Alan Grant), Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm), Ariana Richards (Lex Murphy), Joe Mazzello (Tim Murphy), Richard Attenborough (John Hammond), Wayne Knight (Dennis Nedry), Bob Peck (Robert Muldoon), Samuel L. Jackson (Ray Arnold), Martin Ferrero (Donald Gennaro), and BD Wong (Henry Wu).
Would you like to see a Jurassic Park prequel about John Hammond? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!