Mahershala Ali to join Scarlett Johansson in new Jurassic World movie

We’ve been waiting a few years to see if and when the Marvel Cinematic Universe Blade reboot that’s set to star Mahershala Ali of Green Book is going to go into production – and while we continue to wait, Ali is in talks to join former MCU star Scarlett Johansson in the new Jurassic World movie that’s in the works at Universal! As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Ali tends to be very selective and usually avoids Hollywood blockbuster-type projects (aside from Blade), so getting him to sign on for a role would be a big “get” for this project.

If Ali’s deal closes, he’ll be sharing the screen with Johansson (Black Widow), Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Rupert Friend (Anatomy of a Scandal), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer), and a bunch of hungry dinosaurs. This new Jurassic World movie will have Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One) directing the film from a screenplay by original Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp, who returns to the franchise for the first time since The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Details on the plot have not been revealed.

Glen Powell recently mentioned that he had been offered a role in this film, but turned it down because he didn’t feel his presence would add anything to it. That said, “The script’s great. The movie’s going to fucking kill.” Previous reports have said that the new film isn’t going to star any of the leads from previous movies, so Jurassic Park stars Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern are out, along with Jurassic World stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

The new Jurassic World movie will be at least partially filmed at Sky Studios Elstree in the UK. Cameras are expected to start rolling sometime next month. The film is aiming for a July 2, 2025 theatrical release – so, as The Hollywood Reporter put it, “it will be hustling like a velociraptor in post-production.”

Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley are producing the film for Kennedy/Marshall. Steven Spielberg is executive producing through Amblin Entertainment. Universal’s executive vp of production development Sara Scott and creative executive Jacqueline Garell are overseeing the project for the studio. 

Are you looking forward to the new Jurassic World movie? What do you think of Mahershala Ali joining the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.