Actor Scarlett Johansson is a huge fan of Jurassic Park and said she's always wanted to be a part of the movie franchise in some capacity, even joking she would do craft services if that's what it took to be a part of the iconic dinosaur films.
Well, her dino dreams came true (not about joining craft services).
ScarJo had been cast in a new Jurassic Park film focusing on an entirely new storyline separate from the rebranded Jurassic World soft reboot trilogy from the early 2010s that starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Johansson, who was promoting her latest rom-com Fly Me to the Moon, was welcomed into the JP family during a broadcast on NBC's Today Show on Monday from none other than Dr. Ian Malcolm himself—a.k.a. actor Jeff Goldblum.
Goldblum famously played mathematician and chaos theorist Dr. Ian Malcolm in the original Jurassic Park movie directed by Steven Spielberg in 1994. He went on to reprise the snarky chaotician in the sequels The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
Goldblum, who will not be in the new sequel, recorded a special message for Johansson welcoming her into the Jurassic Park family.
He told her:
“Dr. Johansson, this is Jeff Goldblum. Here’s what I want to say to you. This I know: Scarlett will find a way."
The last phrase was a nod to Dr. Malcolm's iconic “life finds a way" line from the first Jurassic Park movie.
Goldblum added:
“Don’t get eaten, unless you want to. I love you.”
You can watch a clip of the surprise message from Goldblum here.
The message ended with Goldblum blowing a kiss to his friend and former Asteroid City co-star.
Johansson was overjoyed and told morning news host Savannah Guthrie:
“Oh my god, I can’t believe Jeff said that to me. I think my life is complete now. I can retire.”
Fans were also thrilled about the continuation of the monster franchise.
Johansson will lead a cast that includes Jonathan Bailey, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Luna Blaise, and David Iacono.
The new film will be helmed by Rogue One and Godzilla director Gareth Edwards from a screenplay written by David Koepp, who co-wrote the original Jurassic Park movie script with the author of the eponymous 1990 novel on which it was based, Michael Crichton.
According to Variety, the new storyline was described as “a completely fresh take launching a new Jurassic era, following three adults and three teens getting stuck on the Island.”
Filming for the production commenced on June 13 in Thailand and will continue in studios located in Malta and the U.K.
Fans are already champing at the bit.
Johansson expressed her enthusiasm for the new project and return to blockbuster franchises after her last tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films as Avenger Natasha Romanoff—a.k.a. Black Widow.
"I'm an enormous Jurassic Park fan," she told ComicBook, confirming her casting in the unnamed Jurassic World 4 movie, two years after the reboot trilogy wrapped up with Jurassic World Dominion.
She continued:
"It's one of the first films I remember seeing in the theater."
"I remember seeing it so vividly. It was like life-changing. It was mind-blowing. I cannot express how excited I am."
She added:
"The script is so incredible. David Koepp wrote it. He returned after like 30 years to write the script. He's so passionate about it, which is so awesome."
The chaos will be unleashed once more when the yet-to-be-titled Jurassic World sequel hits theaters on July 2, 2025.
