The dinosaurs are roaring back to life, and the first trailer for Jurassic World: Rebirth, released today, May 20, 2025, is an absolute thrill ride. Dropped on YouTube, watch here, the 2-minute-30-second preview unveils the seventh Jurassic Park film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey. Hitting theaters July 2, 2025, this standalone sequel, directed by Gareth Edwards, introduces terrifying mutant creatures like dino birds and a massive sea beast, sparking a frenzy on X for its fresh, heart-pounding take on the franchise.
A Bold Mission in a Dino-Scarce World
Set five years after Jurassic World: Dominion (2022), Rebirth is set in a world where dinosaurs are nearly extinct, surviving only in remote equatorial jungles. The trailer reveals a high-stakes mission to harvest DNA from the last major dinosaurs—across land, sea, and air—to create a life-saving medical drug. Scarlett Johansson stars as Zora Bennett, a covert ops expert leading the charge, declaring, “We move things in and out of places they shouldn’t be.” She’s joined by Mahershala Ali as Duncan Kincaid, her tough-as-nails team leader, and Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis, a paleontologist with crucial dino know-how. The cast also features Rupert Friend as a shady pharma exec, plus Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Philippine Velge, Bechir Sylvain, and Ed Skrein.
The team ventures to the original Jurassic Park research island, where they stumble upon a shipwrecked family and a chilling secret: mutated dinosaurs thriving in isolation. A standout is the Distortus rex, a six-limbed, nightmarish T. rex variant that producer Frank Marshall described as one of “the dinosaurs that didn’t work.”
Dino Birds, a Monstrous Whale, and Non-Stop Action
Gareth Edwards, known for Godzilla and Rogue One, brings his monster-movie magic to Rebirth. The trailer features classic dinos like T. rex, Velociraptor, and Dilophosaurus—now in sleek CGI—but the new creatures steal the show. A Quetzalcoatlus, a giant pterosaur with a menacing wingspan, chases the team through misty skies as they try to nab its eggs. A Mosasaurus, described as a “dinosaur whale,” attacks a boat in a chaotic, Jaws-like sequence. Johansson called filming on a rocking ocean rig “brutal,” with water cannons and relentless sun adding to the intensity.
The Distortus rex is the trailer’s creepiest moment, its warped form charging through the jungle as Bailey’s character warns, “Survival is a long shot.” A baby Triceratops offers a fleeting dose of charm, but the vibe is pure suspense, with eerie labs and lush jungles evoking the original’s terror. Shot in Thailand, Malta, and the UK, the film mixes practical sets with next-gen VFX, though some X fans noted slight CGI tweaks needed, with one tweeting, “Those dino birds are wild, but polish those effects!”
Recapturing the Jurassic Magic
Written by David Koepp, who crafted the first two Jurassic films, Rebirth aims to revive the primal fear and wonder of 1993’s Jurassic Park, moving away from Dominion’s mixed-reception global sprawl. Edwards emphasized tapping into “that deep, animal fear” of being hunted, while a haunting remix of John Williams’ iconic theme amps up the trailer’s chills. Executive producer Steven Spielberg and producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley leaned on Koepp’s script to ground the story in the franchise’s roots, with the derelict Jurassic Park lab feeling like a haunted relic.
Scarlett’s Dino Obsession Comes to Life
Johansson, a lifelong Jurassic fan, called the role a dream come true. “I was obsessed with Jurassic Park as a kid,” she said. “Leading this is unreal.” Her character, Zora, is a complex hero driven by a personal mission, not just dino-dodging action. Bailey, hot off Wicked, adds wit and grit, while Ali brings gravitas. The trailer hints at a corporate conspiracy, with Friend’s pharma exec echoing the franchise’s cautionary themes about greed and science.
Jurassic World: Rebirth charges into theaters July 2, 2025. With mutant dino birds, a monstrous Mosasaurus, and Johansson leading the fight, it’s ready to make the franchise roar again.