There is no question that Jurassic World Rebirth remains one of the most exciting releases of 2025. Continuing 5 years directly after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, Jurassic World Rebirth has so far remained mostly enigmatic regarding the plot, despite releasing a partial plot synopsis and cast list a few months ago.
This week however, Entertainment Weekly released four new images and an interview with Gareth Edwards which has now shed more light on the film’s dinosaur-sized mysteries. The four new images showcase a markedly different perspective on the film than the other previously released images. Screenrant also released a new still today of Zora, which we will discuss.
The first picture shows Scarlett Johannsson’s Zora Bennett and Jonathan Bailey’s Henry Loomis wading through the swamp with Bechir Sylvain’s unnamed character. This indicates a swamp scene in the film, and that there is a reason these characters need to traverse this terrain. Interestingly enough, there does seem to be something submerged behind Zora, possibly the briefcase seen in the fourth picture (which we will get to in a bit.)
The second picture seems to show Zora Bennett, and Henry Loomis engaged in conversation over a briefcase. The window appears to be a ship’s porthole, meaning they could be well on their way to the mysterious Island. There are maps and charts underneath the briefcase, indicating that the crew knows where exactly they intend to go to achieve their objectives.
The third picture has Rupert Friend’s character Martin Krebs , Mahershala Ali’s character Duncan Kincaid, and Bechir Sylvain’s unnamed character looking upwards with smiles on their faces in what appears to be a patch of tall grass. This scene is presumably set on the Island, and it has been speculated by many that they are all staring up at a dinosaur. This does give a sense of that ‘awe and wonder’ from the beginning of the original ‘Jurassic Park’.
The fourth still features Zora Bennett running with a briefcase in hand, with a vehicle blurred behind her. It is possible that in this scene that she might be in a hurry. We know from the official synopsis that the group needs to collect dinosaur DNA, so that is presumably what is safely guarded in the briefcase.
The last still features Zora Bennett kneeling down before the open case. She is looking up at something, and there are three empty slots in the case, presumably for the DNA of the largest dinosaurs. This may imply that the three prehistoric creatures that the team needs to extract DNA from may be on the island.
No less exciting is the interview that Gareth Edwards gave Entertainment weekly in conjunction with the first four pictures. While much of his conversation focuses on the stuntwork that the cast and crew did (which is a fascinating conversation in and of itself), he also gets into the meat and potatoes of the plot.
“I can’t speak for Universal, but it did feel like a new trilogy, in a way,” Edwards says. “I’m not sure what their plans are, but it felt like the beginning of a brand-new chapter in this franchise. To me, it’s a giant love letter to Steven Spielberg and his earlier films. There are moments in this movie that remind me very much of Jaws. It’s like little greatest hits of all those aspects of his films that I loved growing up as a child. It’s essentially a little adventure odyssey across this island, a survival story, really.””
It certainly does sound like Jurassic World is in good hands with Gareth Edward’s in the way he describes this new sequel. The Jaws comparison is extremely intriguing, and something he expands on later on when talking about the characters. In addition, the film being a love letter to Spielberg and his earlier films also indicates that Edwards understands the Jurassic franchise, as well as Spielberg’s earlier filmography.
Gareth also goes on to describe the characters:
“Zora Bennett (Johansson), who Edwards describes as “a special-ops, ex-CIA type,” is contracted by said company to infiltrate the region and extract the DNA from these monoliths. She has a sibling-like bond with Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala), her most trusted ally who captains their team’s ship — “He’s kind of like the Ahab of our movie,” Edwards says. Bailey is the paleontologist, Dr. Henry Loomis. “He’s out of his depth in terms of the military element of the mission,” the director explains. “He’s very comfortable on digs and expeditions but not the life-and-death risks that Kincaid and Zora are getting into.”
Edwards likens the trio’s dynamic to Brody, Hooper, and Quint from Jaws, played in that 1975 Spielberg classic by Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw — disparate individuals hunting a prehistoric creature. “It’s that kind of triangle between three different overlapping characters,” he says. “There’s a lot of fun between the three of them that really popped out to me. It’s less of a love triangle and much more of a competitive ‘who’s the alpha in the group?’ kind of way.”
And that guy walking through wetlands in a white collared shirt? That’s Martin Krebs (Friend), a representative of Big Pharma, on-site to ensure his company’s interests. But even he, Edwards points out, isn’t the cliched corporate figure. “Rupert’s got a little bit of James Bond about him,” he says. “They all tried to play a little bit against type slightly.”
Once again, the JAWS comparison are extremely intriguing, especially as it’s described as a platonic, more competitive triangle. Zora comes from a special ops, CIA background, which certainly means that she is more than well equipped to handle the leadership of this mission. It will be interesting to see how this team dynamic is fleshed out in the film.
Martin Kreb’s character description portrays him as more than what he seems. While the full scope of his character has yet to be seen, the picture being painted does prop him up as perhaps one of the more complex characters in this film.
Jurassic World Rebirth releases on July 2, 2025 in theaters everywhere. Are you excited for the film? Let us know on our social media pages! We at Jurassic-Pedia are really excited for this film so we can continue our mission of detailing everything about the Jurassic franchise for the fans.
Source: Entertainment Weekly, Screenrant
