The Jurassic franchise is known for killing off newly introduced characters, but Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) might dispose of its most decorated star just minutes into the film!
Jurassic World Rebirth is now filming at Sky Studios Elstree in the UK after finishing an on-location shoot in Thailand and studio filming in Malta. While the film is still the best part of a whole year away, Universal Pictures has given us plenty to sink our teeth into while we wait, including a meaty synopsis that promises an “ingenious new direction.”
“This action-packed new chapter sees an intrepid team racing to secure DNA samples from the three most colossal creatures across land, sea, and air,” it reads, adding that dinosaurs now “exist in isolated equatorial environments” with most of them having seemingly died due to the planet’s unsuitable ecology in the five years that have passed since 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion.
Apparently, those three colossal creatures “hold the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind,” and it’s up to covert operations expert Zora Bennett (played by Scarlett Johansson) to “lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure [the] genetical material.” But, of course, in true Jurassic Park fashion, things go south quickly.
“When Zora’s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos,” the blurb continues, “they all find themselves stranded on an island where they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades.” But the film may start with an equally big twist.
While Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) veteran Scarlett Johansson’s covert operations expert Zora Bennett is the franchise’s new lead protagonist (the nickname “Zora the Explorer” seems inevitable) and the new Jurassic era’s answer to Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady, she may be killed off early on in the film, according to director Gareth Edwards‘ track record.
Of course, Edwards didn’t write the script for Jurassic World Rebirth — that credit goes to Jurassic Park (1993) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) scribe David Koepp. But, for all we know, the acclaimed director may have been allowed some creative control given his impressive resume, which boasts two massive franchise blockbusters from the last decade.
After directing his breakout indie hit Monsters (2010), Edwards was brought in to helm the 2014 Godzilla reboot under Legendary Pictures. The film grossed $529.1M worldwide and spawned the ongoing shared cinematic universe dubbed the “MonsterVerse,” which features several successful movies, TV shows (animated and live action), and video game entries.
But while Godzilla was a monster hit for the former indie director, it isn’t without flaw. One major drawback for fans is the premature disposal of beloved actor Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), who’s killed off early on in the film despite being introduced as the lead.
Godzilla also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Ford Brody) and Elizabeth Olsen (Elle Brody), but Cranston (Joe Brody) was the heart and soul of the film — at least during the first act.
While it’s worth pointing out that the screenplay for Godzilla was written by Max Borenstein with a story by David Callaham, there’s no telling who was behind Cranston’s untimely demise. But if we were to hazard a guess, it would be Edwards, because you start to notice a pattern in all of his work.
The British director went from helming the Godzilla reboot to directing the second Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), which grossed $1.059 worldwide and remains the most critically acclaimed and fan-favorite film from the Disney Star Wars era.
Related: New ‘Jurassic Park’ Sequel Likely To Be R-Rated, Features Content “Inappropriate for Children”
Again, the film wasn’t written by Gareth Edwards — John Knoll and Gary Whitta wrote the story and Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy penned the screenplay — but isn’t it a coincidence that the film kills off all of its main characters including Felicity Jones’ lead protagonist Jyn Erso?
With all that said, all we need to do is look at Edwards’ science-fiction drama Monsters, which centers on two people (Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able) who are forced together in an effort to escape a “quarantine zone” that’s teeming with alien lifeforms in Mexico.
During the opening sequence — later revealed to be the series of events that follows the film’s ending off screen — the co-lead character Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) is seemingly killed in the crossfire between the US military and one of the giant alien creatures (although this death isn’t made clear until the end of the film reveals its connection with the prologue).
Related: All 4 Upcoming ‘Jurassic Park’/’Jurassic World’ Sequels Explained
Jurassic World Rebirth star Scarlett Johansson herself has even dropped a potential clue about the fate of her character Zora Bennett, telling ComicBook.com earlier this year that she’s “been trying to get into this [the Jurassic franchise] for the last, you know, over 10 years” after revealing that she’s a lifelong Jurassic fan, adding that she’d gladly “die in the first five minutes” if it meant securing a role in the film series.
Of course, she was only joking, but between this comment and Gareth Edwards’ track record in killing off major characters in his films, we’re a bit worried about Zora Bennett.
Best stay out of that long grass, Zora.
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
Jurassic World Rebirth stars 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). None of the actors from the previous films are expected to return.
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