Ahead of starring in Greg Berlanti's rom-com "Fly Me to the Moon," Scarlett Johansson has confirmed rumors that she's set to front "Jurassic World 4."
As someone who really didn't love "Jurassic World: Dominion", I was pretty hesitant about any further installments in the franchise, at least for a while. Even though we've had a number of sequels, I just don't think anything's managed to capture the magic of Steven Spielberg's original adventure.
However, Johansson's recent comments to ComicBook.com (which revealed what made her want to board the project) might have changed my mind, at least a little bit, as the star couldn't sound more enthusiastic about her latest role.
Johansson was asked what about the new "Jurassic Park" sequel had convinced her to return. "Everything", she said. "I'm an enormous "Jurassic Park" fan. It's one of the first films I remember seeing in the theater. I remember seeing it so vividly. It was like life-changing. It was mind-blowing. I cannot express how excited I am."
Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Jones in "Fly Me to the Moon", in theaters July 12. (Image credit: Dan McFadden/Sony Pictures)
She went on to admit that she's been trying to land a role in a "Jurassic World" movie for a long time coming, adding: "I'm such an enormous fan of the franchise and huge nerd for it. I'm just like, I can't even, I'm pinching myself. I've been trying to get into this franchise in any possible way for over 10 years.
"I'm like, 'I'll die in the first five minutes! I can get eaten by whatever! I'll do the craft service!' I'll do anything for it. The fact that it's happened in this way at this time just is actually unbelievable. I can't believe it," she added.
On top of her own personal excitement, Scarlett Johansson was also keen to hype up the script, which already had me intrigued seeing as it's being penned by the original "Jurassic Park" writer, David Koepp. "The script is so incredible", she said. "David Koepp wrote it. He returned after like 30 years to write the script. He's so passionate about it, which is so awesome."
When you combine all that hype with director Gareth Edwards' comments earlier this year — "This is the only movie that would make me drop everything like a stone and dive right in" and "The opportunity is like a dream to me" (via Collider) —it's really starting to sound like this next trip to Isla Nublar (or wherever else the dinosaurs might be next time around) could be a worthwhile continuation after all.
What else do we know about "Jurassic World 4"
At the time of writing, "Jurassic World 4" is currently slated to hit theaters on July 2, 2025, meaning it'll go toe-to-toe with James Gunn's "Superman" (which releases just a few days later) next summer. Principal photography is currently underway in Thailand, at the time of writing, and will also shoot in Malta and the UK.
Plot details for the movie are mostly under wraps, but (per Variety) we know the movie has also been touted as "Jurassic City", and has been touted as "a completely fresh take launching a new Jurassic era, following three adults and three teens getting stuck on the Island".
As that description might suggest, we're not expecting to see any of the stars of the previous movies here, especially since a number of new stars have already been confirmed for the project.
In addition to Scarlett Johannson, the movie is also set to star Jonathan Bailey ("Bridgerton") Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Rupert Friend, Luna Blaise, Mahershala Ali, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda. Their roles have not been disclosed just yet.
If you want to revisit the most recent movie, you can stream "Jurassic World Dominion" on Starz.
