Universal and Amblin aren’t wasting any time revamping the dinosaur-centric “Jurassic World,” “Jurassic Park” franchise, as the two studios are looking to begin shooting the seventh film in the series. To be directed by Gareth Edwards (“Rogue One,” “The Creator”) and already starring Scarlett Johansson (“Black Widow,” “Marriage Story“), Deadline reports that Jonathan Bailey (“Bridgerton,” “Fellow Travelers”) is in early talks to join “Jurassic World 4,” which has been described as a soft reboot without any characters or actors from the other films expected to appear (although that could change).
Franchise producers Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall are still very much involved as the next phase of the story will continue via a script penned by David Koepp (“Mission: Impossible“), who previously adapted the Michael Crichton novels “Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World” as the screenwriter of the first two installments.
We’re still in the dark about the ultimate direction of “Jurassic World 4” as the studio hasn’t made plot beats official. Still, the film has been rumored to be titled “Jurassic City,” which would move the dinosaur mayhem into America’s various metropolises. Other rumblings and rumors suggest leaning into the horror genre and another island rescue story with a whole new set of facing the lab-created dinosaurs.
Some other names rumored online for the dino pic include Dev Patel (“Monkey Man”) and Colman Domingo (“The Color Purple”). However, we’ll have to wait a little longer to see who else is officially joining the lineup. Previously, Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence (“No Hard Feelings,” “X-Men: First Class“) had also been linked but ultimately passed on the project, which means that the studio is looking at a wide range of actors to fill roles.
“Jurassic World 4” has a tentative release date of July 2, 2025, placing the rebooted adventure flick in the same month as James Gunn’s “Superman” and Marvel‘s “Fantastic Four.”