Will Scarlett Johansson Lead The Next Jurassic World Film? Here's What Reports Suggest

According to reports, Scarlett Johansson is getting ready for a dinosaur adventure, with the Jurassic World franchise.

Published on Mar 26, 2024  |  10:06 PM IST |  124.9K
Is Scarlett Johanssen Starring In The Next Jurassic World Film?
Scarlett Johanssen (PC: IMDb)

The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline have reported that the 39-year-old actress from Avengers is in talks to play the lead role in the upcoming Jurassic World film. A Universal Pictures representative opted not to respond. PEOPLE's request for comment was not immediately answered by a representative for Johansson.

Is Scarlett Johansson starring in The Jurassic franchise?

The film is being directed by Gareth Edwards and is scheduled for release on July 2, 2025. Godzilla (2014), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), and The Creator (2018) are his previous films. The script for the 1993 Steven Spielberg film Jurassic Park, which was based on Michael Crichton's novel, and its 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, were both written by David Koepp, who will pen the upcoming Jurassic film.

Scarlett Johanssen

Though this new entry is supposed to have a completely fresh plot for the franchise, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard appeared in the last trilogy of massive Jurassic World films that started in 2015. In 2022's Jurassic World Dominion, which wrapped up the trilogy, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum returned to their original roles. Having received two Oscar nominations, Johansson spoke with Variety last year about her "bittersweet" farewell to the part of Natasha Romanoff, better known as Black Widow, in the Marvel Studios film franchise.

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Of course, I am sad. At the time, she declared, "I adored the character Natasha and I had an incredible time filming every experience I had during my ten years with Marvel and that incredible cast. I have a lot of empathy for her, and it was amazing to build that character over such a long period of time."

Scarlett Johanssen

Johansson returns to the franchise realm in this movie. She played Black Widow in several Marvel Studios films, including the Avengers films, however, in contrast to some of her co-stars in the superhero genre, she has not had any trouble making a name for herself in other ventures. She is nominated for two Oscars: Jojo Rabbit and Marriage Story. She is slated to voice a character in the upcoming animated film Transformers One. Additionally, this year she will be seen in a high-profile Apple film costarring Channing Tatum.

ALSO READ: SNL Cold Open: Scarlett Johansson Plays ‘Scary Mom’ Katie Britt In Hilarious Spoof Of GOP Senator’s State Of The Union Response

Will Scarlett return to the MCU?

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After more than ten years of portraying one of the original Avengers, Scarlett Johansson's tenure as Black Widow in the MCU has lately come to an end. Johansson played Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 from the beginning till the end of her character's story in Avengers: Endgame. She made a final cameo in Black Widow, the solo picture serving as the character's formal farewell from the ongoing MCU narrative. Though Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, is Natasha's sister, the torch has now been symbolically passed on to her. However, Black Widow has not yet been replaced by an actual character in the MCU.

Scarlett Johanssen

Phase 4 witnessed the departure of a number of other original Avengers, including Chris Evans as Captain America and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. While the farewells to these two characters were spectacular, Johansson's more subdued departure had a significant effect all by herself. At the conclusion of Black Widow, Natasha reconciled with her sister Yelena and released the Widows from Dreykov's authority. Although it is a fitting end to the character's intricate story, Johansson's potential comeback to the MCU as Natasha seems to be limited.

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Johansson gave credit for her contract evolution on the TSC Podcast, citing her status as an original member of the MCU cast as a factor. Since Marvel Studios was still establishing itself and didn't yet have a "knowledge of what they were doing," she claimed that there was greater leeway for talks during that period. Johansson's official departure from Marvel is widely acknowledged, despite the fact that the exact date of her contract's termination has never been announced. One can assume that Johansson's contract expired after the movie was completed, given her statements regarding the conclusion of her stint in the MCU with Black Widow.

Scarlett Johanssen

A portion of the box office earnings are awarded to actors under contract, therefore Johansson's Disney complaint contended that Black Widow was not able to reach its full box office potential because of the simultaneous release. A legal dispute ensued between the two parties as a result of Disney's opposition to the case and its assertion that Johansson continued to receive additional pay through Premier Access. In September 2021, The Hollywood Reporter stated that the lawsuit had been settled for unknown sums of money. Johansson claimed that her bond with Disney is still strong, but it makes sense that she would want to take a vacation from Marvel and the business.

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Johansson, though, has declared that her tenure in the MCU is coming to an end. The MCU co-star Gwenyth Paltrow hosts The Goop Podcast, where Johansson states that the "chapter is over." I completed everything I was required to. Johansson explains that, although it has been an honor to play the adored character repeatedly over the past ten years, her life has changed since she first began appearing in the MCU. It appears that the moment is ripe for her to move on, as she is now married, has a child, and has access to many new options.

ALSO READ: Scarlett Johansson praises ex Ryan Reynolds; Talks about her marriage and husband Colin Jost

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