Mahershala Ali Joins New ‘Jurassic World’ Film — World of Reel

A great actor is now part of the “Jurassic World” franchise. According to various trade reports, two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight” and “Green Book”) is in talks to join the untitled “Jurassic World” film due in the summer of 2025.

The film is being described as a “semi-reboot,” starting from the events of “Jurassic World: Dominion,” but with new characters, locations, and dinosaurs. It’s promising that the talented Gareth Edwards (“The Creator” and “Rogue One”) is helming the ship as director, and the script is from David Koepp, who wrote the original “Jurassic Park.”

Ali joins a cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, Jonathan Bailey, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. Plot details are being kept under wraps. Other rumored names included Dev Patel, Colman Domingo, “and Lily Collins, but none of them have been confirmed. It’s possible that some were in the mix but couldn’t get a deal done.

This new film in the franchise is rumored to be called “Jurassic City” and is supposed to take place in a metropolis. However, I’m hearing that some of the production, set to commence on July 1, will be located in Thailand.

If you remember, David Leitch was originally set to direct this movie. Four days later, Leitch dropped out over “creative differences.” This, temporarily, set back plans for the movie to hit its targeted 2025 date. However, it turns out that it didn’t take too long for Universal to find a replacement, and it was Edwards. This was a great pick by the studio. Given his background in both sci-fi and monster movies, Edwards, more so than Leitch, is a perfect match for the ‘Jurassic World’ franchise.

Produced by veteran ‘Jurassic’ producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, this new film is set for release by Universal on July 2, 2025.