After about three years on ice—at least, in terms of movies—the Jurassic World series is returning with 2025’s Rebirth. While it may be continuing on from the events of the last trilogy, a new set of characters take center stage here, and director Gareth Edwards is hoping the film offers something for everyone, particularly longtime Jurassic fans.
Talking to Empire Magazine, Edwards discussed how the film is aiming to go back to what he loved about the first Jurassic Park. As he described it, Rebirth contains “an embarrassment of riches of different set-piece-type scenarios and tense, fun action moments.” It was already clear this movie wanted to get back some of that old magic, hence original Jurassic Park writer David Koepp being brought in to write the script. But it doesn’t sound like the sequel will be just another nostalgia play like the first Jurassic World: Edwards said he was provided several opportunities to “have a lot of fun and try and play games with the audience,” which might excite fans of his previous monster films, Godzilla and Monsters.
Jurassic World Rebirth picks up five years after Jurassic World Dominion, and sees the dinosaurs now living in isolated environments more similar to their original homes. Scarlett Johansson has the lead role as Zora, a former undercover operative tasked with heading to one such island in the hopes of acquiring the genetic samples of three of the planet’s biggest dinosaurs. For Zora, the job is a chance to find meaning again after being discharged, and comes with the kind of pay that ensures she’ll be set for life. But wouldn’t you know it, taking dino DNA has her growing a conscience and “questioning the ethical rights and wrongs of what they’re doing,” explained Edwards. If that weren’t enough, a civilian family winds up shipwrecked on the same island. Now it falls to Zora and her squad to carry out their mission (or not) while also keeping the family alive and making sure they don’t all become dino food.
And speaking of the beasts, Edwards simply said it’d be a “crime against cinema” to not feature certain dinosaurs. Let the speculation flow for what we may see as we await Jurassic World Rebirth to hit theaters on July 2, 2025.
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