The Jurassic World franchise said farewell to Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing, but the star isn’t ready to leave the dino drama behind. With a new chapter of the prehistoric saga — the upcoming Jurassic World: Rebirth — on the horizon, the Help actress shared some thoughts about her successor, Scarlett Johansson — who’s joining the forthcoming seventh entry, helmed by Gareth Edwards. Naturally, Howard had plenty to say about the MCU alum stepping into the spotlight, and even joked about how Johansson could top her work.
During a recent red carpet chat with Entertainment Tonight, the Jurassic alum lightheartedly joked about Scarlett Johansson’s fitness levels. While the Argylle star is no stranger to outrunning dinosaurs in heels, she couldn’t help but poke fun at that during the chat:
Oh, she would out run me. Oh, yeah! I know! … She’s my neighbor. I know. She’s fit. She’s perfect.
The Rocketman actress’s playful jab is not just about fitness rivalry. She expressed genuine enthusiasm for the team assembling behind the next installment, highlighting the high-profile talent both in front of and behind the camera. She continued:
The thing that I’m most excited about is that the team that has come together to create that film are a lot of the people that created the original Jurassic Park. David Koepp is writing the script, obviously [producer] Frank Marshall’s involved. Scarlett Johansson’s in it. Mahershala Ali – I mean, they’re gonna kill it!
As a lifelong Jurassic Park fan, I share Bryce Dallas Howard’s excitement about the team reuniting behind the camera for the next chapter. The original JP is widely regarded as one of the best science fiction movies of all time, and for good reason. Knowing that so many creative minds from that groundbreaking film are returning for the next Jurassic World installment is enough to spark excitement.
It’s clear the Mandalorian director is passing the torch with pride. While fans might miss the dynamic duo of her and Chris Pratt, the new team is poised to breathe fresh energy (and plenty of teeth) into the Jurassic franchise. With Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali joining the cast and talents like David Koepp and Frank Marshall returning behind the scenes, my excitement is through the roof.
Adding to that, the film’s director recently teased his plans to honor the roots of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic while infusing the story with a touch of modern star power. The result promises to be a thrilling evolution of the beloved series.
With Bryce Dallas Howard rooting for the former MCU actress to shine (and outrun the competition), it seems the next Jurassic Park sequel is shaping up to be another thrilling action movie. Let’s just hope those dinos keep things interesting once the film storms onto the 2025 movie schedule.
While you wait for the next movie to hit theaters, you can revisit the original JP trilogy of films, which are available to stream with a Max subscription.