In 1993, Steven Spielberg unleashed the most realistic-looking dinosaurs ever put to screen across cinemas worldwide. As we know now, it was a colossal hit, but not for the sole reason of being able to see a Tyrannosaurus rex rampaging around a park. Jurassic Park was a sound all-around film and, to this day, stands as one of the top science-fiction novel adaptations.
Since then, Universal has been keen to try to recapture the magic of that first outing. Five attempts later, and it’d be fair to say that, in terms of writing, none of the subsequent films have matched the 1993 outing. Yet, the Jurassic brand remains absurdly strong, so, of course, there’s a seventh instalment in the works!
A cast of incredibly talented actors on board
Since the turn of the summer, news of the next Jurassic World’s cast has been coming thick and fast. Set to be directed by the man behind Rogue One, Godzilla, and The Creator, English filmmaker Gareth Edwards, it was first revealed that Academy Award nominee Scarlett Johansson will be joined by a two-time Oscar winner, Mahershala Ali. Just those two on the cast list makes for an incredibly talented line-up to rely on.
Joining Johansson and Ali will be Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (Lincoln Lawyer), Luna Blaise (Manifest), and David Iacono (Cinnamon). Importantly, penning the plot will be the original screenwriter of Jurassic Park and The Lost World, David Koepp. It should be a good sign, but Koepp’s record isn’t exactly without misfires, which includes the two most recent Indiana Jones outings, the Tom Cruise-led The Mummy, and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
The new Jurassic World flick is lined up for a summer 2025 release, marking the fourth film of the reboot series and the seventh overall. Undoubtedly, Universal will be eyeing up at least $1 billion at the box office worldwide, especially as they’re investing in two big-name actors, an experienced sci-fi director on the rise, and the writer of the original blockbuster sensation from the 90s.
Why is there another Jurassic movie coming?
As a brand, the Jurassic label with the skeletal Tyrannosaurs rex is indomitable. Its massive footprints remain strong in just about every corner of entertainment and merchandising. Perhaps most surprisingly, Jurassic Park and Jurassic World games remain huge hits among the most popular slots at the fast withdrawal casino. Whether it’s Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park Gold, Jurassic World, or Jurassic World: Raptor Riches, slot gamers keep coming back to play.
Essentially, the popularity of Jurassic Park, its groundbreaking visuals, and the extensive efforts of the marketing team and primary merchandising partner (which was Hasbro) have made Jurassic Park the brand of dinosaurs. Even once Jurassic World arrived, it helped to boost the massive toy maker’s sales to beat market expectations. This was despite the film essentially being a less well-written retread of the 1993 classic.
In 2018, after switching to Mattel, Jurassic World sales even outdid those of the imperious Star Wars brand, and just after the second film in the sequel trilogy was released. In the colossal business of video games, Jurassic Park games still go strong. Jurassic World Evolution broke two million units sold in just seven months in 2019, with its sequel recovering from a somewhat underwhelming start to soon eclipse one million. Even the Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection launched in November 2023 went down very well with players and critics.
The fact is that the Jurassic brand prints money. Across six films so far, $6 billion has been made worldwide. Each of the reboot movies blazed past $1 billion despite not being anywhere near as good as Jurassic Park or The Lost World. As such, what was revived in the 90s will continue to make the ground tremble through the 2020s.