Mahershala Ali in Talks to Join the ‘Jurassic World’ Franchise

The next installment in the Jurassic World franchise continues to build its main cast, with THR reporting today that Mahershala Ali (Marvel’s upcoming Blade) is now in talks.

Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer), Rupert Friend (Asteroid City) and Jonathan Bailey (Wicked) are also on board to star.

Gareth Edwards (2014’s Godzilla, The Creator) will be directing the new installment, with original Jurassic Park writer David Koepp returning to write the screenplay.

Jurassic World returns to theaters on July 2, 2025. Stay tuned for more.

The new movie is expected to usher in a brand new Jurassic Era with Jurassic World cast members Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard not expected to return. Don’t expect the original trilogy’s Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern and Sam Neill, either. The new Jurassic World, from what we gather, plans to take the franchise in a new direction, with plot details under wraps.

The next Jurassic World film will be executive produced by Steven Spielberg through Amblin Entertainment. Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley will produce and David Leitch and Kelly McCormick will also produce through 87North.

Executive Vice President of Production Development Sara Scott and Creative Executive of Production Development Jacqueline Garell will oversee the project for the Studio.

This news comes in the wake of Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World: Dominion, a trilogy of sequels to the original classic that concluded in 2022. The last entry, Jurassic World: Dominion, brought in a billion dollars at the global box-office, all but ensuring Universal would want to continue this franchise.