The Jurassic World franchise, once a cinematic juggernaut built on the shoulders of iconic characters and groundbreaking spectacle, has entered a new era with the release of Jurassic World Rebirth in 2025. While the original Jurassic Park trilogy gave audiences unforgettable characters like Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm, Ellie Sattler, and John Hammond, recent entries have struggled to create similarly memorable figures. According to Slash Film, even though Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have anchored the Jurassic World movies as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, their characters—and the supporting cast—haven’t quite achieved the same legendary status. The franchise’s tendency to bring back original Jurassic Park characters is perhaps a testament to this challenge, with newer faces struggling to carry the same cultural weight.
Still, there have been standout performances in the newer films. The 2015 Jurassic World, for instance, featured memorable supporting roles such as Vincent D’Onofrio’s Vic Hoskins and Jake Johnson’s comic turn as control room officer Lowery Cruthers. Johnson, known for his work on New Girl, was a particular fan favorite. Plans were in place for him to return to the franchise in Jurassic World Dominion (2022), but as reported by Slash Film and confirmed in an interview with Us Weekly, the COVID-19 pandemic upended those intentions. Filming for Dominion began just before the global lockdowns of early 2020, leading to a halt in production and a raft of new safety protocols. As Johnson explained, “I was in it in [the] script, and I was going to go do it, but then the pandemic happened. I mean, it’s fine. It was really disappointing.”
Director Colin Trevorrow, who had previously worked with Johnson on both Jurassic World and Safety Not Guaranteed, made efforts to keep the actor involved. But the logistical hurdles proved insurmountable. “Colin honestly tried everything in his power to make it work, but it was really tricky with the quarantines and leaving home at that time,” Johnson noted. The end result was a Dominion without Lowery Cruthers, a loss felt by fans who appreciated his unique blend of humor and humanity amidst the chaos of dinosaur mayhem.
The absence of such memorable supporting players has only sharpened the focus on the franchise’s ongoing struggle with character development. As Slash Film points out, the need to bring back classic characters over the course of the Jurassic World trilogy hints at a broader issue: the newer films have not succeeded in creating characters who can stand on their own, independent of nostalgia for the original trilogy. This is not to say that the films have lacked entertainment value—far from it. But the emotional resonance and iconic status of the original cast remain unmatched.
With the release of Jurassic World Rebirth, Universal Pictures has taken a bold step. Rather than continuing the stories of Owen and Claire, the new film introduces a fresh cast and a different narrative focus. Set five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, Rebirth follows covert operations expert Zora Bennett (played by Scarlett Johansson) and her team as they embark on a high-stakes mission to an InGen test site. Their goal? Steal dinosaur DNA from the island’s most formidable inhabitants. But as Screen Rant details, the plot takes a turn when the team, instead of handing the DNA over to the pharmaceutical giant ParkerGenix, decides to release it to the public, potentially unlocking life-saving medications for all.
This decision marks a thematic shift for the franchise, completing the main characters’ journeys while also setting up consequences for future stories. Yet, as Screen Rant argues, the specter of the “evil medical company” villain looms large. ParkerGenix, the would-be antagonist of Rebirth, is the third such corporation in the Jurassic universe obsessed with controlling dinosaur genetics. The previous film, Jurassic World Dominion, featured BioSyn Genetics—led by Lewis Dodgson—whose outlandish plan to use genetically engineered locusts to induce famine and control the world’s food supply was ultimately foiled. Both BioSyn and ParkerGenix are criticized for being “faceless company run by greedy suits who have nefarious plans for the dinosaurs,” making them feel like uninspired retreads of InGen, the original franchise’s corporate villain.
This repetition has not gone unnoticed by critics or fans. As Screen Rant notes, “After seven Jurassic movies, the franchise needs to move on from this storyline. ParkerGenix is not interesting, and after failing to create the BioSyn story, future sequels don’t need to revisit this trope.” The article suggests that the Jurassic World series has a wealth of untapped potential when it comes to antagonists. Instead of defaulting to evil corporations, future films could explore threats like dinosaur thieves, terrorist groups weaponizing dinosaurs, or even the long-rumored concept of human-dinosaur hybrids—a notion that, while never used in the films, has intrigued fans for years.
Despite these critiques, Jurassic World Rebirth has proven to be a commercial success, grossing over $800 million at the box office. Its new cast and standalone storyline have resonated with audiences, even as the film leaves the future of the franchise somewhat open-ended. There are currently no confirmed plans for a direct sequel, but given the enduring popularity of dinosaurs on the big screen, it seems inevitable that another installment will eventually materialize.
The creative team behind Rebirth, including writer David Koepp and producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, have set the stage for a new direction. The film’s plot—centered on the ethical implications of genetic technology and the dangers of unchecked corporate power—mirrors real-world debates about scientific responsibility and the commercialization of innovation. By choosing to release the dinosaur DNA to the public, the protagonists of Rebirth challenge the notion that such power should reside in the hands of a few, echoing broader societal conversations about access and equity.
Looking ahead, there’s no shortage of ideas for where the franchise could go. As Screen Rant observes, “There are all kinds of unique villain ideas that the Jurassic movies haven’t explored, and if the movies get a little more creative, they can finally move away from the evil corporation trope.” Whether it’s the return of fan-favorite characters like Jake Johnson’s Lowery Cruthers, or the introduction of bold new storylines that break free from formula, the future of Jurassic World remains as unpredictable—and thrilling—as the dinosaurs themselves.
For now, fans can only wait and wonder what the next chapter will bring. If one thing’s certain, it’s that the appetite for dinosaur adventures shows no sign of extinction.
