Jurassic World Rebirth

''Jurassic World Rebirth'' is an upcoming American science fiction action film directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp. It is a standalone sequel to ''Jurassic World Dominion'' (2022), the fourth ''Jurassic World'' film and the seventh installment overall in the ''Jurassic Park'' franchise. The film will star a new ensemble cast led by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey.

Development of the film was reported in January 2024, and had been underway for some time. Edwards was hired as director a month later, and casting commenced shortly thereafter. Principal photography took place in Thailand, Malta, and the United Kingdom from June to September 2024. Koepp previously co-wrote the original ''Jurassic Park'' film (1993) and wrote its sequel, '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997).

''Jurassic World Rebirth'' is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 2, 2025, by Universal Pictures.

Premise

Five years after the events of ''Jurassic World Dominion'', Earth's environment has largely proven inhospitable to dinosaurs and other de-extinct prehistoric animals. The surviving creatures now reside in remote, tropical locales, reminiscent of the environments where they once flourished. Zora Bennett, a covert operative, is recruited by ''Parker-Genix Pharmaceutical Engineering'', a pharmaceutical company to collaborate with paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis and team leader Duncan Kincaid on a top-secret mission.

They infiltrate Ile Saint-Hubert, a forbidden island in the Atlantic Ocean, once used by InGen as a dinosaur research facility. The team's objective is to locate the three largest remaining prehistoric species from land, sea, and air. The biomaterials of these creatures hold the key to a revolutionary drug capable of saving countless human lives. Along the way, the team encounters a shipwrecked civilian family, and both groups find themselves stranded. They discover that the island is home to mutated, failed dinosaur experiments that have thrived in isolation for decades. Among them is one of the main antagonists of the film – ''Distortus rex'', a deformed, mutant ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' with six limbs.

Cast

* Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett, a covert operation expert
* Mahershala Ali as Duncan Kincaid, Zora's team leader
* Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis, a paleontologist
* Rupert Friend as Martin Krebs, a pharmaceutical representative
* Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Reuben Delgado, the father of a shipwrecked civilian family
* Luna Blaise as Teresa Delgado, Reuben's eldest daughter
* David Iacono as Xavier Dobbs, Teresa's boyfriend
* Audrina Miranda as Isabella Delgado, Reuben's youngest daughter
* Philippine Velge as Nina, a member of Zora's team
* Bechir Sylvain as Leclerc, a member of Zora's team
* Ed Skrein as Bobby Atwater, a member of Zora's team

Production

Background

David Koepp co-wrote the first film, ''Jurassic Park'' (1993); he shared screenplay credit with Michael Crichton, who authored the novels ''Jurassic Park'' (1990) and '' The Lost World'' (1995). Koepp returned as sole writer on the latter's film adaptation, '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997). Steven Spielberg directed both films and would return for further sequels as an executive producer.

Koepp initially turned down the chance to write another installment, believing he had nothing left to contribute to the series. He was still consulted for subsequent films and eventually did uncredited script work on ''Jurassic World Dominion'' (2022). Colin Trevorrow spent nine years working on the ''Jurassic World'' trilogy as a director and co-writer, and said he would likely not return for another film, except in a possible advisory role.

Development

Development on ''Jurassic World Rebirth'' began shortly after the release of ''Dominion'', with an early story idea from Spielberg that features heavily in the final film. Spielberg had brought his idea to Koepp and asked him about writing a new film in the series, which led to an exchange of other ideas. They wanted to return the series to the tone of the original ''Jurassic Park'' trilogy, particularly the first film. Koepp also said, "We decided early on that, because the first and second trilogies have concluded their stories, let's not restrict ourselves in any way – let's have all-new characters in an all-new location."

Koepp wanted to revisit the concept of humans in a dinosaur environment, whereas the two preceding films had shifted toward the animals living among people. He and Spielberg devised a story involving a secret island facility, used for dinosaur research and development, then sought to determine why characters would visit such a place. According to Koepp, "While doing research, I found that certain dinosaurs, larger ones in particular, did have extraordinarily long lifespans and the reason was they had remarkably low incidences of heart disease. That led to the idea that a drug could be synthesized from their DNA, because the greatest killer of humans is heart disease."

Before writing the script, Koepp rewatched the preceding six films in the franchise, and also reread Crichton's ''Jurassic Park'' novels, incorporating concepts from both books. ''Rebirth'' includes a sequence from the first novel that was cut from its film adaptation, in which characters in a raft must escape from a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. Aside from the inclusion of dinosaurs, Koepp had no story requirements to follow in writing the script, although he did compile a list of rules for himself; among these was that the film be based on accurate science, that it not retcon any events from the previous films, and that humorous dialogue be included.

By September 2023, Koepp had begun writing the screenplay in earnest, turning in a draft three months later. Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, producers of the ''Jurassic World'' trilogy, would return for ''Rebirth''. Although another installment was expected at some point, Marshall and Crowley were unaware that Spielberg was already working on the project until the first draft was turned in. With a mid-2025 release date being targeted, the producers were surprised by the limited amount of production time, but they soon determined it to be adequate.

Pre-production

The project was unveiled in late January 2024, when it was reported that a new ''Jurassic World'' film was in development by Universal Pictures. Like the previous ''Jurassic World'' films, the new installment would be produced by Marshall and Crowley through The Kennedy/Marshall Company, while Spielberg would executive produce through Amblin Entertainment. Development of the project had been underway for some time, with several drafts already written by Koepp. The producers had also done some pre-production work, including dinosaur designs, meaning that any creative input from the eventual director would be minimal. The position was reportedly described as being "more shooter than auteur", as the producers sought to have more creative control than ''Jurassic World Dominion'', which earned mostly negative reviews.

David Leitch was briefly in talks to direct the film during early February 2024, but negotiations broke down after several days, as the project's progress up to that point left little room for his creative input. Gareth Edwards was announced as director later that month, having been selected because of the visual style he used in his previous films, which was considered ideal for the ''Jurassic World'' series. His experience with computer-generated imagery (CGI) was also a factor in his selection. Furthermore, Spielberg enjoyed Edwards' film ''Godzilla'' (2014) and Edwards is a fan of the original ''Jurassic Park''.

After completing the 2023 film '' The Creator'', Edwards planned to take a break from studio filmmaking to focus on his own projects instead. He was busy writing a new film when he was offered the ''Jurassic World'' project, which he described as "the only movie that would make me drop everything like a stone and dive right in". Feeling depleted after finishing ''The Creator'', he hoped that Koepp's draft would give him reason to turn down the directing job but was instead won over. A scene involving a ''Quetzalcoatlus'' nest was among those modified by Edwards; originally written to take place in a cave, he changed the setting to an abandoned ancient temple. James Clyne, production designer for ''The Creator'', would join Edwards again for ''Jurassic World Rebirth''.

Casting

''Jurassic World Rebirth'' is the first film in the series to not include any returning actors from previous installments. Casting was underway in March 2024, and continued over the next three months.

The character Zora was not written as a gender-specific role. Various actors were considered to play Zora, including Jennifer Lawrence, who turned down the role. Scarlett Johansson is a fan of the franchise and hoped to join it for more than a decade. While ''Rebirth'' was in development, she arranged a meeting with Spielberg and pitched the idea of joining the cast in some capacity. Edwards, after signing on as director, learned of Johansson's interest and immediately cast her as Zora. She worked with Koepp to further develop her character.

Edwards cast Manuel Garcia-Rulfo after seeing him in an episode of the television series ''The Lincoln Lawyer''. Likewise, he cast Rupert Friend after being impressed by a performance he gave in an episode of ''Homeland''. Friend worked with Koepp to make his character more dimensional.

Other actors cast in the film included Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, and Béchir Sylvain. Glen Powell, who voiced Dave in the animated series ''Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous'' (2020–2022), turned down a role.

Filming

John Mathieson served as the cinematographer. For the first time in his career, Edwards shot the project using 35mm film, in order to harken back to the look of the first film, with cameras and anamorphic lenses from Panavision.

Costa Rica was strongly considered as a filming location to depict Ile Saint-Hubert, although other possible locations included the Dominican Republic, Mauritius, and Panama. Once Edwards was hired, he suggested shooting in Thailand, where he filmed ''The Creator''. Spielberg and the producers immediately approved the idea, finding the country's landscapes ideal for depicting Ile Saint-Hubert. Also filmed in Thailand, at a small fishing village, was a beach bar scene set in South America where Zora meets with Duncan. Edwards sought to do as much on-location filming as possible.

Principal photography began in Thailand on June 13, 2024, under the working title ''Saga'', with filming lasting a month in the country. Locations included Khao Phanom Bencha National Park in Krabi, Ko Kradan at Hat Chao Mai National Park in Trang, and Ao Phang Nga National Park in Phang Nga. Sunset Beach on Ko Kradan was used for scenes in which the Delgado family arrives on Ile Saint-Hubert. While in Thailand, the use of film presented a downside as the dailies had to be shipped to England for processing. According to executive producer Denis Stewart, "It was five days of wondering if that film was going to get there okay, wondering if we could move on and strike the set and let an actor leave or if we were going to need to reshoot a scene or let it go. But not a single problem arose."

Filming moved to the Malta Film Studios in Kalkara, Malta in July 2024. Filming there included boat attack sequences involving a ''Mosasaurus''. Some of the stunts were filmed in water tanks at the studio site, and ocean shooting took place on the nearby Mediterranean Sea. Edwards acknowledged that filming the sequence was a "very difficult" experience. For complex shots, boats were placed on large hydraulic gimbals in the tanks. Johansson said, "There was no escape from the sun. It was just baking every day. And you're on this rig, 30 feet in the air or whatever it is, and it's moving up and down and sideways, and there's all this water being shot out of these cannons towards you. It was brutal."

In August 2024, filming moved to London and Sky Studios Elstree in the United Kingdom. The InGen facility, including research rooms and a network of tunnels, was constructed on three sound stages at Sky Studios. An artificial jungle, a gas station mini mart, and the interiors of Zora's boat and the ancient temple were among other sets constructed at Sky Studios. Also built there was a 70-foot cliff wall for when Zora's team rappels down to the temple. A waterfall was added to this scene through visual effects, using footage of a waterfall in India. The ''T. rex'' river chase was filmed at a flooded quarry in Thailand, and in the U.K. at Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire. Garcia-Rulfo performed several of his own stunts, and he and Iacono learned scuba diving for the film's aquatic scenes. A museum scene was shot at the U.K.'s University of Greenwich.

Filming wrapped on September 27, 2024, although pick-up shots were made in New York City three weeks later.

Creatures on screen

Like previous films, the dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals were created through a mix of animatronics and CGI, with Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) returning from previous installments to handle the latter. John Nolan returned from ''Jurassic World Dominion'' to build practical dinosaur parts, including heads, limbs and claws. These were primarily used as lighting and eyeline references, and would be replaced with CGI dinosaur models in post-production, as Edwards sought to maintain design consistency by avoiding an on-screen combination of production methods. Unlike previous films, ILM had only six weeks to finalize the dinosaur designs for ''Jurassic World Rebirth'' as a result of its truncated pre-production. Paleontologist Stephen Brusatte returned from ''Dominion'' as a dinosaur consultant.

The design of the ''Distortus rex'' was inspired by the xenomorphs in the '' Alien'' franchise and the rancors in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. With its bulbous head, ILM's visual effects supervisor David Vickery said, "It's as if another animal has been wrapped around the T-Rex. Gareth wanted us to feel sorry for it as well as terrified, because its deformities have caused it some pain, and there's an encumbrance to it." Edwards was heavily involved in the design of the ''Distortus rex'', whose traits include gorilla-like arms and movements at his suggestion.

Another type of mutant animal, the flying ''Mutadons'', are a combination of a pterosaur and ''Velociraptor''. They were inspired by an encounter that Koepp had with a bat on his porch. Koepp described the ''Mutadons'' as a failed early attempt by InGen to create hybridized dinosaurs. The ''Mutadons'' underwent many design changes, some depicting the creature with multiple heads and varying limb configurations.

The film includes the return of ''Spinosaurus'', a dinosaur previously featured in the film ''Jurassic Park III'' (2001). For ''Rebirth'', the ''Spinosaurus'' was redesigned to reflect newer research which determined the animal to be primarily semiaquatic. According to Vickery, "We've given it more powerful hind limbs, a much bigger, broader tail, webbing in between its feet, and the appearance of a shorter more powerful neck by adding fatty deposits and extra skin folds." To determine the design and behavior of the ''Spinosaurus'', ILM studied crocodiles and grizzly bears.

Other returning species include ''Ankylosaurus'', ''Carnotaurus'', ''Compsognathus'', ''Dilophosaurus'', ''Mosasaurus'', ''Parasaurolophus'', ''Pteranodon'', ''Quetzalcoatlus'', and ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. To establish it as a different individual than the ones depicted in the previous films, the ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' was redesigned to draw influence from the 1969 film ''The Valley of Gwangi''. Edwards described it as "a healthier, heavier, more muscular, more bull-like" animal, while retaining the typical look of a ''Jurassic Park'' ''T. rex''. The raft sequence proved challenging for ILM as the team had to determine how the animal would move while it is underwater. Like all previous installments, the film also features the return of ''Velociraptor'', with a new design inspired by the raptors in ''Jurassic Park III''.

''Rebirth'' introduces new species such as ''Titanosaurus'', ''Diabloceratops'', and the pterosaur ''Anurognathus''. The film will also feature ''Aquilops'', which used three on-set animatronics, each measuring 18 inches in length and operated remotely by a team of puppeteers. The primary animatronic had numerous motors to simulate movements such as breathing, blinking, and tail wagging. This was used for close interactions with the cast, while another animatronic was used in scenes where characters pick the creature up, and a third was used for lighting reference. Because of their abundant use of 3D-printed parts, these puppets weighed less than typical animatronics.

Music

In April 2025, Alexandre Desplat was confirmed as the composer for ''Jurassic World Rebirth''. It marks his second collaboration with Edwards, after ''Godzilla''. Desplat replaces previous ''Jurassic World'' composer Michael Giacchino in a contrasting parallel to ''Rogue One'' (2016), another film directed by Edwards, in which Giacchino replaced Desplat as composer due to reshoots which left the latter unavailable.

Desplat recorded the score at Abbey Road Studios in London, with a 105-piece orchestra and a 60-piece choir. The score is partially inspired by the music of John Williams, who composed the scores for the first two ''Jurassic Park'' films.

Marketing

The film's title and a pair of first-look photos were unveiled on August 29, 2024. ''Jurassic World Rebirth'' was promoted as a homage to the first ''Jurassic Park'' and was marketed toward fans of that film. The first trailer was released on February 5, 2025, preceded by multiple film stills. Discussing the trailer, Ben Travis of ''Empire'' felt the film was "visually stunning" and reminiscent of the first ''Jurassic Park''. A 60-second TV spot was broadcast at Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025. The second trailer was released on May 20, 2025.

Mattel and Lego produced a line of film-based toys as part of the promotional campaign. Other marketing partners include 7-Eleven and Funko. Professional basketball player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also appeared in an television commercial that aired during the 2025 NBA playoffs. Universal wanted Johansson to join the social media website Instagram to promote ''Jurassic World Rebirth'', but she declined, believing the film would be successful without her doing so. She did appear in an online video to promote the Mattel toyline.

Release

''Jurassic World Rebirth'' is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 2, 2025.

Reception

Box office

On June 12, 2025, ''Deadline'' projected the film to have a domestic 5-day opening weekend ranging from $115–135 million. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' projected a $100–$125 million opening weekend.

See also

* List of films featuring dinosaurs

References

External links

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2020s American films
2020s English-language films
2020s monster movies
2025 3D films
2020s science fiction adventure films
2025 science fiction action films
4DX films
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Fiction about pterosaurs
Films about animal cruelty
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Films about genetic engineering
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Films based on science fiction novels
Films directed by Gareth Edwards
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Films with screenplays by David Koepp
Films scored by Alexandre Desplat
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