Jurassic World sequel is eyeing Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey for its lead

Life is finding a way to fill the cast of the new Jurassic World sequel from the original Jurassic Park co-writer David Koepp. The new film has been courting actors like Scarlett Johansson, and recently, it is being rumored that Dev Patel and Colman Domingo are being sought out for roles. It’s a new era for dinosaurs. Jurassic World: Dominion concluded the sequel trilogy and in their alternate universe, humans and Earth’s prehistoric creatures are now living side-by-side in the modern world. But hey, at least we don’t have to worry about locusts anymore, right?

Sources have recently told Deadline that Jonathan Bailey, known for projects such as Bridgerton and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, is currently in talks with Universal about possibly taking the lead role in the popular dinosaur franchise. Bailey is also coming off the recent series Fellow Travelers, in which he co-stars with Matt Bomer, and the actor is due to be seen in the upcoming film adaptation of the broadway hit musical, Wicked.

Plot details for the continuation have yet to be announced, so it is not yet known who Bailey would be playing in this entry. The film is expected to start filming this summer in the UK. Universal’s new Jurassic World movie is being hailed as launching a “new Jurassic era,” with an all-new storyline. This detail implies that characters like Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) won’t be returning for the sequel. It’s also assumed that Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum won’t return either. Gareth Edwards (Rogue One) signed on the direct the new Jurassic World movie after talks with David Leitch (Bullet Train) fell through, and with the movie already slated for a July 2, 2025 release, Edwards will have to get to work pretty quick. 

In addition to penning the Spielberg classic Jurassic Park, David Koepp wrote the scripts for The Lost World: Jurassic Park, David Fincher’s Panic Room, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Presence, and more. Presence premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Steven Soderbergh directed Presence from Koepp’s script.