An Academy Award winner might be joining the ranks of the “Jurassic World” franchise. According to various trade reports, two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (who won Academy prizes for “Moonlight” and “Green Book”) is in talks to join the untitled “Jurassic World” film due in the summer of 2025.
The film has been described as a sequel but also a “semi-reboot” starting from the events of “Jurassic World: Dominion,” but integrating new characters, locations, and dinosaurs. Gareth Edwards, known for directing, “Godzilla,” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” is behind the camera, and the script is from David Koepp, who wrote the original “Jurassic Park” screenplay that Steven Spielberg directed in 1995.
So far, the cast includes Jonathan Bailey (“Bridgerton”), Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (“Lincoln Lawyer”), and now, Ali. It’s unclear who Ali will play, but most of the details have been kept under wraps.
Along with his Oscar-winning roles, Ali is known for his breakout turn in Netflix’s “House Of Cards,” which earned him Emmy and SAG nominations, the third season of “True Detective,” two “The Hunger Games” film appearances, and the voice of Uncle Aaron in the ‘Spider-Verse’ films. He is expected to also star in Marvel’s “Blade” movie, but it’s seemingly been stuck in a world of rewrites for years (though it still has a fall 2025 release date; we’ll see if that sticks, however).
This new ‘Jurassic’ film has been rumored to be called “Jurassic City” with a screenplay set in a metropolis, rather than Isla Nubar, or remote areas outside where the ‘Jurassic’ films generally take place.
Produced by ‘Jurassic’ mainstay producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, this new film is set for release by Universal on July 2, 2025.
By all accounts, the film came together really fast, and action franchise filmmaker David Leitch (“Deadpool 2,” “Bullet Train” and “The Fall Guy”) almost directed the blockbuster but bailed at the last minute, the filmmaker suggesting in interviews that it just wasn’t the right fit for him.
There are dozens of rumors of cast members for this new ‘Jurassic World’ iteration, names like Dev Patel, Colman Domingo, “One Piece” star Iñaki Godoy, Tobin Bell, Lily Collins, and many more, but none are confirmed. It’s possible that some were in the mix but have fallen out as new actors have been cast, such as Ali, Bailey, and Garcia-Rulfo.
Time will tell if any of these names make the cut, but production has to shoot soon and this summer in order to be ready for summer 2025. [Variety]
