Scarlett Johansson‘s tenure in the MCU (which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription) has reached an end, opening up her schedule for a variety of other projects. That includes the upcoming Jurassic World 4 movie, which will bring the beloved sci-fi property back to theaters after the ending of Jurassic World: Dominion. And here’s how Scarlett Johansson took a cue from Margot Robbie for her upcoming Jurassic flick.
Barbie rocked the box office when it arrived in theaters last year, and was nominated for a number of Academy Awards. The movie also made history thanks to having women behind the camera, including director Greta Gerwig and producer/star Margot Robbie. A report from Bang Showbiz (via Yahoo) offered a glimpse into the negotiations of Jurassic World 4, revealing that Johansson signed on as a producer and star, and also had a major say in the director. The report reads:
Scarlett has been in talks with the studio for months and made it clear that Gareth was her first choice to be the director. He wanted a big fee but has now signed. With him being her top pick, she is now far more interested in being part of the movie and her role as an actress and producer is justifiable.
ScarJo has a ton of star power behind, and she’s also been working as a producer on some of her projects, including the upcoming Tower of Terror movie. And like Robbie was able to use her voice for Barbie, the Black Widow actress put on her producer hat to negotiate and get Gareth Edwards in the JW director’s chair.
This report shows what happened before Scarlett Johansson started filming Jurassic World 4, doing double duty as a producer and actor. The contents of that blockbuster are a mystery at the time of writing this story, but folks are definitely interested now that the Black Widow herself is leading the cast… even if they didn’t love how Jurassic World: Dominion went down in 2022. Hopefully we get more dinosaurs and less bugs this time around.
Gareth Edwards does seem like an excellent choice to be behind the camera, and put a new spin on the Jurassic franchise. He was able to carve out a his own corner of the Star Wars franchise with Rogue One, and has credits both a director and visual effects artist. Since Jurassic World 4 will obviously require extensive CGI, it makes sense that Johansson fought hard for him to land the gig. And Edwards has already share his excitement to play in that sandbox.
Jurassic World 4 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on July 2nd, 2025. While we wait for information, check out the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater next year.