Back in January, Universal Pictures made a surprising announcement: not only did they have a new Jurassic World movie in development, but the screenplay – by original Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp, returning to the franchise for the first time since The Lost World: Jurassic Park – had already been written, and the movie was on the fast track to production. Soon after, we learned that it’s aiming for a July 2, 2025 theatrical release. The project has been assembled in a mad scramble over the last five months. At one point, The Fall Guy director David Leitch was in talks to direct, but he had a different vision than Universal was looking forward, so they turned to Godzilla director Gareth Edwards. And with Edwards at the helm, the movie officially went into production today, filming in Thailand.
According to Variety, the new Jurassic World movie will be filming in Thailand through July 16th, with locations including Bangkok, Trang, Phang Nga, Phuket, Chiang Mai and the Huai To Waterfall, which is within the Khao Phanom Bencha National Park in Krabi province. Filming at the waterfall is expected to take a full week. Outside of Thailand, the movie will be filming at studios in Malta and the U.K.
Through equipment rentals, accommodation, venue hire, transportation, and catering services, the production is expected to bring $18 million of economic benefit to Thailand. It’s also expected to seek local subsidy through Thailand’s 20% production spending rebate system. That system is open to international productions that spend more than $2.75 million in the country.
The Variety article mentions that Koepp’s script is a completely fresh take, launching a new Jurassic era, following three adults and three teens getting stuck on the Island. Apparently the project is being referred to as Jurassic World 4 and/or Jurassic City by those who are working on it… but I wouldn’t expect either of those to stick. The previous Jurassic World sequels didn’t have numbered titles, so why would they drop a number in there at 4? And if the story is once again set on “the Island,” why would it be called City? We’ll have to wait and see on the title issue.
We do know that this new Jurassic World movie won’t be featuring any returning lead characters from the previous Jurassic Park / Jurassic World movies. Those played by Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern are out, as are the ones played by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. The new characters are set to be played by the likes of Mahershala Ali (Green Book), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Rupert Friend (Anatomy of a Scandal), and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer) – all of whom had their roles directly offered to them. Luna Blaise (Manifest), on the other hand, had to (according to Deadline) “beat out a number of actors” to land her role. This new Variety article adds that David Iacono of The Summer I Turned Pretty is also in the cast… along with a bunch of hungry dinosaurs.
Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) was also offered a role, but he turned it down because he felt his presence in the movie wouldn’t help it. He did say that the script is great, though.
Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley are producing the film for Kennedy/Marshall. Steven Spielberg is executive producing through Amblin Entertainment. Universal’s executive vp of production development Sara Scott and creative executive Jacqueline Garell are overseeing the project for the studio.
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