As a follow-up to The Insneider's initial early-March report that Scarlett Johansson was being pursued by Universal to headline the studio's next Jurassic World entry, The Hollywood Reporter and Puck have both confirmed the news.
This latest development follows the surprise news back in February that Universal was moving forward with another dinosaur flick, with a rapidly approaching July 2, 2025 release date.
In order to make that ambitious release date, it seems Universal is taking the unusual route of creating animatronics and VFX for the next installment first and then working a script around what's already been completed.
David Koepp, who wrote the original screenplay for 1993's Jurassic Park and its sequel, 1997’s Jurassic Park: The Lost World, is currently working on the script for the latest installment.
David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Bullet Train) was initially attached to direct but dropped out as he felt that the ambitious schedule and pre-completed work left little room for him to put his own personal stamp on the film.
Leitch was quickly replaced by The Creator director Gareth Edwards, who previously stated, "I was about to take a break and I started writing my next idea for a film and this is the only movie that would make me drop everything like a stone and dive right in."
"I love Jurassic Park. I think the first movie is a cinematic masterpiece…so this opportunity is like a dream to me. And to work with Frank Marshall and Universal and David Koepp, who's writing the script, I think they're all legends. So I'm just very excited."
The interesting tidbit from Puck's report on Johansson's casting is that she reportedly was not the first choice, as Universal has already pursued and been rebuffed by Jennifer Lawrence.
That's unsurprising as Lawrence has shied away from big franchises after devoting a chunk of her career to Fox's X-Men films and Lionsgate's Hunger Games films.
On the flip side, Johansson may be looking to fulfill her star power with another big tentpole now that her time as Black Widow in the MCU is over.
The upcoming film will feature a brand new cast as previous trilogy stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are not expected to return.
Likewise, the OG Jurassic Park trio- Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, who returned in the latest trilogy alongside Pratt and Howard, are also said to be absent in this latest iteration.
Currently, Jurassic World 4 is aiming to hit theaters on July 2, 2025, just a little over a week before Warner Bros. reboots its DC Comics cinematic universe with Superman: Legacy which hits theaters on July 11, 2025.