The Cast & Characters of Jurassic World Rebirth, Explained
As long as genetically-engineered dinosaurs roam the Earth, there will be someone looking to capitalize on them. Humanity still hasn't learned its lesson on the dangers of greed and hubris, as audiences will see in Jurassic World Rebirth (opening wide July 2; tickets are now on sale here), hailing from Rogue One director Gareth Edwards.
Written by Jurassic Park and Lost World wordsmith David Koepp, Rebirth takes place five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion (which is currently streaming on Peacock in case you need a refresher). While most of the escaped dinosaurs have begun to die off as a result of our modern and inhospitable climate, there is one dino-biome left on Ile Saint-Hubert, InGen's research facility for the original Jurassic Park, along the equator.
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The place is teeming with colossal and mutated wildlife, whose genetic material may hold the key to a medical breakthrough. But who's gonna collect said DNA? Head below for a rundown on all the major players in Jurassic World Rebirth!
A former special forces operative and a top-notch extraction expert, Zora Bennett is tapped to lead the dangerous expedition to collect DNA samples from the largest dinosaurs inhabiting Ile Saint-Hubert. Of course, she and her teammates are promised a fat payday for their services. But while they're some of the toughest mercenaries around, nothing can prepare one for a dangerous environment where man-eating dinosaurs lurk around every corner.
'Zora is a gun for hire with a rich past and private pain, so it was important to me that you could believe she had lived that life,' Johansson says. 'I thought we could convey all that by creating a character who was at a turning point in her life, where she's ready to make a pivot. And there are personal stakes for her, too. That was something David and I talked about a lot. What is missing from Zora's life? She's made so many sacrifices for others; what is she ready to do for herself?"
Where you've seen Johansson before: , ,
An old friend of Zora's, Duncaid spends his days beachside in Paramaribo, Suriname, playing cards and downing Bloody Marys under the watchful gaze of a stuffed Plesiosaur. The maritime theme fits the character like a glove, owing to the fact that he captains a stripped-down military patrol vessel named The Essex. Reeling from a recent loss, Duncan agrees to transport the expeditionary forces to Ile Saint-Hubert and finds a new sense of purpose after rescuing the shipwrecked Delgado family (more on them below).
'Duncan felt so different from anyone else that I've played in recent years," notes Ali. "Duncan is a modern-day pirate, but with a good heart. He's very active, always in motion, driven by clear purposes. I was excited as an actor to hook into that and play that. I haven't read a lot of action-adventure scripts before, but this one struck me as a thrilling expression of that genre.'
Where you've seen Ali before: , ,
A former student of the legendary Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Loomis is a museum-based paleontologist with a speciality in oversized dinosaurs. Loomis agrees to serve as the expedition's chief science expert, eager to help cure disease and witness real-live dinosaurs in a modern backdrop approaching the creatures' natural habitats from millions of years ago. But as the mission progresses and dark — not to mention mutant — secrets are revealed to them, Loomis becomes the voice of the group's conscience.
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'To carry forward the baton of Alan Grant is special,' Bailey proclaims. 'And to play Henry, who embodies the love of nature and our best curiosities about it, was great fun. David Koepp's script was exciting and so fascinating in its ideas. It struck a chord in the part of me that's a bit of a nerd.'
Where you've seen Bailey before: , Bridgerton, Broadchurch
Molded in the vein of Lewis Dogdson (the man who hired Dennis Nedry to steal patented secrets from the original Jurassic Park), Martin Krebs is a representative of ParkerGenix, a pharmaceutical giant looking to cure heart disease with the help of dino-DNA. Motivated by a nasty combination of self-preservation, greed, and fealty to his corporate masters, Krebs stands as the true antagonist of the film and, indeed, the cautionary warning at the heart of the entire franchise.
'Krebs has an action-packed background in the secret service or paramilitary or both, and now he's a fixer for Big Pharma,' Friend teases. 'His job is to move in the shadows between the FDA world of drug testing and financing all that, and the slightly less legal world of how such materials might be obtained."
Where you've seen Friend before:, ,
The Essex's head of security, Bobby is described as "a very capable man" by Skrein, who "thought it would be funny if he presented as unassuming." As such, he worked with costume designer Sammy Differ to create a look inspired by Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski and Jason Momoa in Aquaman, compelte with flip-flops, baggy pants, and friendship bracelets.
Where you've seen Skrein before: , ,
'I was a 12-year-old kid growing up in Haiti, who didn't yet speak English, when I first saw Jurassic Park, and it blew me away," says Sylvain, who takes on the role of Essex co-pilot and deckhand. 'To now be part of this world, in a movie written by David Koepp, the original screenwriter, feels like a tremendous honor. Even more thrilling is that David Koepp wrote most of Leclerc's lines in French, which inspired me to approach our director, Gareth Edwards, with the idea of portraying Leclerc as Haitian. To my surprise, they all embraced the concept, and that was a monumental moment for me.'
Where you've seen Sylvain before: , ,
Recruited from the military at a young age, Nina shares an unbreakable bond with her fellow co-pilot and deckhand, LeClerc. "Where Nina will be running up and down the decks and doing whatever she can, LeClerc, although he's a step above her, is a lot lazier," Velge reveals. "He will do the smallest amount possible on the boat!" In addition, Nina has a number of nautical-themed tattoos, including the white whale from Moby Dick. Rather fitting, given the film's story about a perilous hunt for giant animals.
Where you've seen Velge before: Station Eleven, ,
Rueben is simply trying to enjoy a relaxing ocean voyage with his two daughters — and the eldest daughter's boyfriend— when the family finds itself shipwrecked on Ile Saint-Hubert following an unfortunate run-in with a Mosasaur. The Delgado clan, which gets to realize a previously unadapted scene from Michael Crichton's original novel, eventually crosses paths with Zora and her team.
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'The thing about Reuben is that, in the wrong hands, he could be boring, as his primary identity is that of a father,' Edwards explains. 'But the character that David wrote is fundamentally more interesting than that: As we find Reuben, he's somewhat alienated and distant from his kids. And Manuel was able to find a tone for playing that that elevated the part and made Reuben and his relationships really interesting. There are so many shots in this film where I just want to hug him because he's conveying so much with so few lines of dialogue."
Where you've seen Garcia-Rulfo before: , ,
Eighteen-year-old Teresa is preparing to go away to college and would much rather spend time with her boyfriend, Xavier (see below), than put up with her father's awkward effort to reconnect via an open-sea journey. 'She's young and innocent in a lot of ways, but when things go wrong, she's brave and self-reliant," teases Blaise. "She puts everything on the line to protect the people she loves, and that strength really resonated with me."
Where you've seen Blaise before: , ,
The youngest member of the Delgado family, 11-year-old Isabella contains a number of sly references to the 1993 film in her costume design — namely a yellow rain slicker (a nod to Wayne Knight's Dennis Nedry) and a Spanish phrase on her pelican logo T-shirt that reads "Life finds a way." She also ends up befriending an adorable Aquilops she names Dolores.
'Dolores reminded me so much of my dogs, so it made it easy for me to connect with this amazing animatronic,' Miranda says. 'She was cute and so realistic. When I first read the script, I had to do some research online, to see what an Aquilops looks like so I could visualize her while I rehearsed. When I finally met her, it was like the animatronics team who made Dolores turned those pictures into reality. Having Dolores on set was very helpful because it put me in the mind of Isabella and felt like I had a real dinosaur to interact with.'
Where you've seen Miranda before: ,
At first glance, Teresa's boyfriend seems like your dime-a-dozen teenage boy: handsome, yet completely useless. However, he ends up redeeming himself in Rueben's eyes when the danger ramps up.
'It didn't really require too much of my imagination to get into the world of this movie because of the places where we filmed,' Iacono says. 'The jungles and caves of Thailand, sailing on the Mediterranean Sea, it was all so unreal, and you could sink into the environments and just focus on the relationships and the words."
Where you've seen Dobbs before: , ,
Rebirth features a number of returning snouts, beaks, and jaws in the form of T. rex, Velociraptor, Dilophosaurus, Spinosaurus, Mosasaurus, Carnotaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Compsognathus (aka "Compy"), and Ankylosaurus. Newcomers to the franchise include Aquilops, Diabloceratops, Titanosaurus, Anurognathus, Mutadon, and the most feared of them all — Distortus Rex, a horrific lab reject that would make even Viktor Frankenstein squirm with mortal terror.
'I was out having dinner and Gareth called me to say, 'We only have six weeks to design all our dinosaurs. We're going to need an army of artists,'" recalls VFX supervisor David Vickery. "The next day, I was on a Zoom call with over 50 amazingly talented concept artists from around the world. Within a week, we had over 700 pieces of concept art for Gareth to start looking through. Gareth is so smart about design, he has an uncanny ability to look at hundreds of images and very quickly focus down on the elements he likes from each concept. That was the start of a very long and version-filled journey!'
Jurassic World Rebirth opens in theaters nationwide Wednesday, July 2. for tickets! If you'd like to catch up on the saga thus far, the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World trilogies are now streaming .
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Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Movie Review: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth' puts a wobbly franchise back on track with superb installment
If you've lately been feeling that the 'Jurassic Park' franchise has jumped an even more ancient creature — the shark — hold off any thoughts of extinction. Judging from the latest entry, there's still life in this old dino series. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' captures the awe and majesty of the overgrown lizards that's been lacking for so many of the movies, which became just an endless cat-and-mouse in the dark between scared humans against T-Rexes or raptors. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' lets in the daylight. Credit goes to screenwriter David Koepp, who penned the original 'Jurassic Park,' and director Gareth Edwards, who knows a thing or two about giant reptiles as director of 2014's 'Godzilla.' Together with director of photographer John Mathieson, they've returned the franchise to its winning roots. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' has nods to the past even as it cuts a new future with new characters. It's a sort of heist movie with monsters that's set on the original decaying island research facility for the original, abandoned Jurassic Park. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali — both very unshowy and suggesting a sort of sibling chemistry — play security and extraction specialists — OK, mercenaries — hired to get what everyone wants from dinosaurs in these movies: DNA. In return, there's $10 million. The movie is set five years after 'Jurassic World Dominion' and some three decades after dinosaurs were reanimated. They've lost their public fascination — a subtle nod perhaps to the films in the franchise — and have struggled with the climate, gathering at the equator. The Big Pharma company ParkerGenix has come up with a blockbuster idea: Take DNA from three colossal Cretaceous-period creatures — the flying Quetzalcoatlus, the aquatic Mosasaurus and the land-based Titanosaurus — to cure cardiac disease. Wait, how does that work? Don't ask us, something about hemoglobin. The trick is this: The dinos have to be alive when the DNA is extracted. Why? Because then there'd be no movie, silly. It would be a 10-minute sequence of a guy in a white coat and a syringe. This way, we celebrate three kinds of dinosaurs in three separate chapters. It may seem a little far-fetched, but may we remind you about the last movie, which involved a biogenetic granddaughter, a global pharma conspiracy, the cast members from both trilogies, a Giganotosaurus, giant locusts on fire and had the ludicrous decision to have Chris Pratt make a promise to bring home a baby dino — to its mother. The three-part quest at the heart of 'Jurassic World Rebirth' is interrupted by a family — a dad, his two daughters and a sketchy boyfriend — in a 45-foot sailboat that is capsized and need rescuing. They bring a dose of not-always-working humor and humanity to the extraction team, which also includes a too-easily-telegraphing baddie played by Rupert Friend — 'I'm too smart to die' — and a museum-based paleontologist played by Jonathan Bailey. The filmmakers include clever nods to other blockbusters — 'Indiana Jones,' 'Star Wars,' 'Jaws' and 'ET' — and thrillingly create a dinos-hunting-in-a-convenience-store sequence like a tribute to the original film's dinos-hunting-in-a-kitchen sequence. The shots overall are beautifully composed, from silhouettes on a boat in twilight to almost feeling the burn of the ropes as actors rappel down a 500-foot cliff face. The creatures here are made glorious — from a dozing T-Rex along a river bed to the ones twisting in the sea, pure muscle and heft. A highlight is a pair of long-tailed Titanosaurus entwining their necks as John Williams' familiar score plays, two lovers with thick, knotted skin utterly oblivious to the pesky humans who want some DNA. For some reason, candy is a touchstone throughout the movie, from the opening sequence in which a stray Snickers wrapper causes incalculable harm, to licorice fed to a baby dino and one character's fondness for crunching Altoids. Edwards' pacing is perfect, allowing dread to build with just the rustling of trees, and letting characters deepen between breathless, excellently filmed action sequences. The gorgeous landscape — Thailand's waterfalls, grassy plains, shoreline caves and mangrove swamps — should be used for a tourist campaign, well, as long as they remove the rapacious dinos. As if all this wasn't enough, there's a bonus bit at the end. The research facility that was abandoned years ago was cross-breeding dino species and making 'genetically altered freaks' that still roam around. Some look like a turkey-bat-raptor hybrid — gross and scary — and one is a 20,000-pound T-Rex with a misshapen head and a horrible roar. It's like getting a free monster movie. In many ways, the folks behind 'Jurassic World Rebirth' are trying to do the same thing as their mercenaries: Going back to the source code to recapture the magic of Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster original. They've thrillingly succeeded. 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' a Universal Pictures release that opens in theaters Wednesday, is rated PG-13 for 'intense sequences of violence/action, bloody images, some suggestive references, language and a drug reference.' Running time: 133 minutes. Three and half stars out of four.
Miami Herald
14 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Movie review: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth' brings renewed wonder, fun to franchise
"Jurassic Park" is literally about clones - dinosaurs brought back to life by DNA extracted from mosquitoes preserved in amber - and the many sequels in the franchise are the same thing: iterations upon iterations of the same ideas, genetic mutations either monstrous or awe-inspiring or both, as different filmmakers have tried to capture the magic that Steven Spielberg brought forth with the 1993 original. None have successfully achieved that nearly impossible task, and the "Jurassic World" films especially have seen diminishing returns. But along comes "Jurassic World Rebirth," which hones in on some of the key characteristics that made the original work. Director Gareth Edwards now steps into the lab, bringing his own pedigree, which includes epic sci-fi films featuring skyscraper-scale creatures, "Monsters" and "Godzilla," and an emotional, dystopian family story in "The Creator." He also has a not-so-secret weapon in screenwriter David Koepp, who wrote the first two "Jurassic Park" movies, and brings "Rebirth" back to the basics, while weaving in DNA strands from such classic monster movies as "Aliens" and "The Island of Doctor Moreau." Coupled with Edwards' excellent cinematic craft, and a complete cast overhaul, "Rebirth" turns out to be one of the best "Jurassic Park" sequels. It still has its issues, as any genetically modified clone might. The first act is a rocky one, as the world and new cast of characters is hastily introduced. It's been 32 years since "Jurassic Park" in our world, and in their world, too. Dinosaurs have become mundane to the viewing public, and due to climate change, can only survive near the Earth's equator, where travel is expressly forbidden. Our tough mercenary heroine, Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) is contracted by a slimy corporate pharma type, Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), for a dangerous retrieval and extraction mission to obtain blood and tissue samples from the most colossal dinosaurs living in the wild, in order to develop a drug to combat heart disease. Krebs wants to rake in trillions of dollars, Zora wants to make enough to get her out of this line of work and have a personal life again, while their third recruit, Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), who did his post-doc under Dr. Alan Grant, just wants to see a dinosaur. They assemble their crew, including captain Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) and a few obviously disposable soldiers for hire (Ed Skrein, Phillipine Velge, Bechir Sylvain), and set out to get that dino blood. The establishment of this setup is a tonal mess. Johansson's performance is strange, swinging from oddly perky to grief-stricken by both the loss of her mother and a colleague in a car bombing. The whole thing feels ungrounded, the world-building thin. But the film locks into place with the introduction of the Delgado family, who happen to be on a long-distance sailing trip when they run into an underwater mosasaur and have to call for help. They're picked up by Kincaid's boat and soon find themselves under attack from more aquatic monsters, then stranded on the abandoned island where genetic experiments with dino DNA once took place. The family embarks on a journey to find rescue, in a parallel but intersecting story with the professionals who remain hellbent on gathering their specimens, despite their dwindling numbers. The Delgado family - dad Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), teen daughter Teresa (Luna Blaise), her boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono), and little sister Isabella (Audrina Miranda) are an immediate correcting force on the story, because their motivation is clear and palpable. They want to survive together. It also introduces that awe and wonder element that is best seen through the eyes of children in these films. Much in the way that composer Alexandre Desplat interpolates John Williams' "Jurassic Park" theme, "Jurassic World Rebirth" interpolates many of the iconic moments and scenes from the original. Dr. Loomis (side note: using the name of one of the most memorable characters from the "Halloween" franchise should not be allowed) is moved to tears seeing dinosaurs in the wild for the first time the way his mentor Dr. Grant was. There are intense suspense sequences involving the Delgado children escaping dinosaurs that call to mind the glass of water vibrating with each T. rex stomp in the first film. In these moments, we see that "Rebirth" really can be a second coming of what made us fall in love with "Jurassic Park" in the first place. "Park" purists may nitpick, but fundamentally, "Rebirth" is a gorgeously rendered all-ages adventure film. Edwards and cinematographer John Mathieson shot on 35mm on location in Thailand, and the extra effort to shoot on film makes for a stunning spectacle, the perfect kind of summer escapism. If there are moments that don't quite hit right, the ones that do are impossible to forget. Remember, this is about having fun, and "Rebirth" is a blast. --- 'JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH' 3 stars (out of 4) MPA rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence/action, bloody images, some suggestive references, language and a drug reference) Running time: 2:14 How to watch: In theaters July 2 --- Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
San Francisco Chronicle
14 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Movie Review: 'Jurassic World Rebirth' puts a wobbly franchise back on track with superb installment
If you've lately been feeling that the 'Jurassic Park' franchise has jumped an even more ancient creature — the shark — hold off any thoughts of extinction. Judging from the latest entry, there's still life in this old dino series. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' captures the awe and majesty of the overgrown lizards that's been lacking for so many of the movies, which became just an endless cat-and-mouse in the dark between scared humans against T-Rexes or raptors. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' lets in the daylight. Credit goes to screenwriter David Koepp, who penned the original 'Jurassic Park,' and director Gareth Edwards, who knows a thing or two about giant reptiles as director of 2014's 'Godzilla.' Together with director of photographer John Mathieson, they've returned the franchise to its winning roots. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' has nods to the past even as it cuts a new future with new characters. It's a sort of heist movie with monsters that's set on the original decaying island research facility for the original, abandoned Jurassic Park. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali — both very unshowy and suggesting a sort of sibling chemistry — play security and extraction specialists — OK, mercenaries — hired to get what everyone wants from dinosaurs in these movies: DNA. In return, there's $10 million. The movie is set five years after 'Jurassic World Dominion' and some three decades after dinosaurs were reanimated. They've lost their public fascination — a subtle nod perhaps to the films in the franchise — and have struggled with the climate, gathering at the equator. The Big Pharma company ParkerGenix has come up with a blockbuster idea: Take DNA from three colossal Cretaceous-period creatures — the flying Quetzalcoatlus, the aquatic Mosasaurus and the land-based Titanosaurus — to cure cardiac disease. Wait, how does that work? Don't ask us, something about hemoglobin. The trick is this: The dinos have to be alive when the DNA is extracted. Why? Because then there'd be no movie, silly. It would be a 10-minute sequence of a guy in a white coat and a syringe. This way, we celebrate three kinds of dinosaurs in three separate chapters. It may seem a little far-fetched, but may we remind you about the last movie, which involved a biogenetic granddaughter, a global pharma conspiracy, the cast members from both trilogies, a Giganotosaurus, giant locusts on fire and had the ludicrous decision to have Chris Pratt make a promise to bring home a baby dino — to its mother. The three-part quest at the heart of 'Jurassic World Rebirth' is interrupted by a family — a dad, his two daughters and a sketchy boyfriend — in a 45-foot sailboat that is capsized and need rescuing. They bring a dose of not-always-working humor and humanity to the extraction team, which also includes a too-easily-telegraphing baddie played by Rupert Friend — 'I'm too smart to die' — and a museum-based paleontologist played by Jonathan Bailey. The filmmakers include clever nods to other blockbusters — 'Indiana Jones,' 'Star Wars,' 'Jaws' and 'ET' — and thrillingly create a dinos-hunting-in-a-convenience-store sequence like a tribute to the original film's dinos-hunting-in-a-kitchen sequence. The shots overall are beautifully composed, from silhouettes on a boat in twilight to almost feeling the burn of the ropes as actors rappel down a 500-foot cliff face. The creatures here are made glorious — from a dozing T-Rex along a river bed to the ones twisting in the sea, pure muscle and heft. A highlight is a pair of long-tailed Titanosaurus entwining their necks as John Williams' familiar score plays, two lovers with thick, knotted skin utterly oblivious to the pesky humans who want some DNA. For some reason, candy is a touchstone throughout the movie, from the opening sequence in which a stray Snickers wrapper causes incalculable harm, to licorice fed to a baby dino and one character's fondness for crunching Altoids. Edwards' pacing is perfect, allowing dread to build with just the rustling of trees, and letting characters deepen between breathless, excellently filmed action sequences. The gorgeous landscape — Thailand's waterfalls, grassy plains, shoreline caves and mangrove swamps — should be used for a tourist campaign, well, as long as they remove the rapacious dinos. As if all this wasn't enough, there's a bonus bit at the end. The research facility that was abandoned years ago was cross-breeding dino species and making 'genetically altered freaks' that still roam around. Some look like a turkey-bat-raptor hybrid — gross and scary — and one is a 20,000-pound T-Rex with a misshapen head and a horrible roar. It's like getting a free monster movie. In many ways, the folks behind 'Jurassic World Rebirth' are trying to do the same thing as their mercenaries: Going back to the source code to recapture the magic of Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster original. They've thrillingly succeeded. 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' a Universal Pictures release that opens in theaters Wednesday, is rated PG-13 for 'intense sequences of violence/action, bloody images, some suggestive references, language and a drug reference.' Running time: 133 minutes. Three and half stars out of four.
