ENTERTAINMENT

Whether you’re a fan of the Jurassic World movies or not, it’s hard to argue that there’s never a bad time for dinosaurs. It’s for that very reason that I’m never not going to be excited about the announcement of a new addition to the Jurassic franchise, locusts and all.

The first Jurassic World Rebirth trailer kept things pretty vague, as it had to spend time introducing characters the audience has no real connection to yet. But, even with the limited details, we know that we’re getting some new dinosaurs alongside some old favorites (hello, dilophosaurus!), a new location, and a new crew of humans that may or may not be eaten by the aforementioned dinosaurs.

Let’s dive into what we know and what we don’t about the upcoming Jurassic World film.

Who Are Jurassic World Rebirth’s New Characters?

Let’s start with one that we can definitively answer, yeah?

First up we have Zora Bennett, played by Scarlett Johansson. Turns out Johansson is a huge Jurassic Park fan and has wanted to be involved in the franchise for some time. The actor told Vanity Fair that her opportunity finally came to be thanks to Black Widow reshoots taking place right next door to Jurassic World Dominion’s soundstage. After a meeting with Spielberg himself, Johansson was eventually cast as Zora who she ultimately helped writer David Koepp develop. With some fine-tuning and collaboration, Zora shifted from a straight-up mercenary to a more well-rounded adventurer with personal stakes in Rebirth’s quest for a cure for heart disease.

Next we have Jonathan Bailey’s Dr. Henry Loomis who, to the chagrin of some fans online, is not a grown up Tim from the first Jurassic Park. That said, Henry does, in fact, have ties to the one and only Dr. Alan Grant. We don’t know those details just yet, but I am enthusiastic for any opportunity the film is willing to take to tie back to Sam Neill’s beloved character. Henry may not have the combat readiness of his two counterparts, but he makes up for it in smarts, a good heart, and a genuine reverence for dinosaurs.

The final addition to the new Jurassic World trio is Mahershala Ali himself as Duncan Kincaid. The trailer shows us a good-natured navigator, but Ali implies to Vanity Fair that there’s a hardness to Duncan that will be present in the film as well — one that’s shared between he, Zara and even Henry. As evident in the trailer, Duncan is a longtime friend of Zora. Hopefully this won’t be their last covert adventure together!

Will Any of the Original Jurassic Park Characters Return?

One of the joys of Jurassic World Dominion was the return of Sam Neill’s Alan Grant and Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler. (We were also happy to see Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm, of course, but he’d been around more frequently.) Unfortunately, the answer here is a very definitive “we don’t know but probably not.”

There are plenty of ways for any member of the original three to come into play as cameos before or after Zora, Henry and Duncan make it off of the island, but it seems unlikely that they’ll play any kind of meaningful role beyond “don’t go on the danger island, morons.”

What Is the Scene from Crichton’s Jurassic Park Novel They’ve Been Hinting At?

This is another question we got answered thanks to the Vanity Fair interview, and we see a brief moment of it in the trailer as well.

In Crichton’s Jurassic Park novel, Dr. Alan Grant and the two kids try to sneak past a sleeping T-Rex in nothing but a rubber raft. This obviously goes awry, resulting in Grant and the kids swimming for their lives thinking that the T-Rex can’t swim once the water gets deep enough. But the water never does. The T-Rex’s nostrils are high enough in its head that it can float toward them like the scariest, largest crocodile ever seen (move over, Lake Placid) as the giant reptile simply walks towards them instead of attempting to use its stubby arms to swim.

It is, simply put, shit-your-pants terrifying in the novel. Writer David Koepp has wanted to use it since the first Jurassic Park and, given the additional layers he’ll have to play with in a visual medium, this is easily my most anticipated scene of the film.

Which of the Five Deaths Are They On in Rebirth?

The ominous islands known as the Five Deaths — sometimes also called the Five Fates — have been shrouded in mystery for much of the Jurassic Park franchise with the notable exception of Isla Sorna (Site B), the largest of the Death Islands which appeared in both The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III. Isla Nublar, the most famous island which is now devoid of life after a tragic volcano eruption, is not one of the Deaths. It’s about 200 miles away. However, Nublar was made in the same InGen purchase from the Costa Rican government that included the Five Deaths in a 99-year lease.

So, this takes us to the key question: which of the Five Deaths does Jurassic World Rebirth take place on? The remaining islands include Isla Matanceros, Isla Muerta, Isla Pena and Isla Tacano. There’s also a slight possibility that they go the Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous route and take them off of the Deaths entirely after Isla Nublar’s destruction. But, my guess is actually Isla Tacano.

Tacano has only been explored in the video games thus far, but the history of the island, while sparse, notes two key details that could hint at this being Rebirth’s location. The first is that there was an attempt to build an operation on this island in the past, but the terrain was too rugged and made construction nearly impossible, with the second being the footnote that most Costa Rican fishermen fear the island despite a lack of any notable InGen operations. We see in the trailer that the terrain they’re dealing with is pretty dicey, with only one shot taking place in relatively small, grassed flatland, and Duncan makes it very clear no one else is trying to get to this island but them.

Where Did These Children Come From?

No one’s trying to get to this island but there are somehow kids on their boat? Obviously they’ll need a team to get in and out of whichever test facility they’re working through, but how did kids get involved?

These munchkins aren’t just on the boat, they also appear on the island as Zora, Duncan, Henry, and the rest of the field team rush to get to the boat. They are intercepted by a very large foot that appears to be attached to a very large but currently unknown dinosaur.

Kids of one kind or another have appeared in every Jurassic Park movie, but it remains my recommendation that we, uh, stop that practice. For my money, they haven’t been a worthwhile addition since Tim, Lex and Malcolm’s daughter Kelly. And, in a film that seems less about the wonder of exploring a new theme park and more about the extreme dangers of an unknown island, it doesn’t make any real sense for them to be around. Sure, they could stow away in the same way Kelly did in The Lost World but, given the Jurassic World half of the franchise’s struggle to introduce interesting characters, maybe we just skip this part?

Who Does Martin Krebs Work For?

From what we currently know of the film’s synopsis, the mission of Jurassic World Rebirth is largely a noble one. Zora, Henry and Duncan are on an expedition to source the D.N.A. from three of the world’s largest dinosaurs to cure heart disease according to producer Frank Marshall. Of course, the company that’s discovered this is the employer of Rupert Friend’s Martin Krebs. Look at that man in this trailer and tell me he doesn’t scream “I’m the bad guy!”

At the moment, it appears that Krebs simply showed up out of the blue and gathered a team with the notion that he could cure heart disease — the leading cause of death in the United States. But, as myself and many others have already pointed out, “we need the D.N.A. of the three largest dinosaurs on land, sea and air” is a nebulous and almost silly goal. That’s like a Pokemon side-quest or a Dora the Explorer-level adventure. Which takes us to the real question: which evil genetics corporation is chasing this D.N.A, and what do they really want it for.

The three key corporations at play in the Jurassic franchise are InGen (Hammond’s baby), Mantah Corp, and BioSyn. All of them suck for various reasons, but each represents the hubris of man and our absurd belief that we will always remain at the top of the food chain. InGen has most certainly had its time in the sun across the various film entries, Mantah Corp came into play in the animated Camp Cretaceous as a key competitor to InGen, and BioSyn is the rival corporation that convinced Denis Nedry to betray John Hammond in the first Jurassic Park film that also happened to responsible for much of the disaster in Jurassic World: Dominion.

Based on what we know about the three corporations, Biosyn does seem to be the most likely evil here, especially given their subsidiary PharmaSyn and the company’s “noble” effort to create refuge in a remote area of Italy to house the displaced dinosaurs of Isla Sorna and Isla Nublar. While the company is believed likely defunct after their responsibility for that whole locust pandemic, evil corporations have come back from worse. BioSyn’s pharmaceutical arm seems like an easy cover for Krebs given that all three of Rebirth’s leads seem to be rather savvy with varying ranges of high intellect. As for what BioSyn really wants with the dino D.N.A., we’ll just have to wait and see!

When Does Jurassic World Rebirth Take Place?

It’s been confirmed that Rebirth is about five years after the events of Dominion. This gives the franchise a little space from Owen Grady and Claire Dearing and, if the above theory is correct, gives BioSyn a little time to get out of whatever legal trouble they got in after unleashing a plague of locusts.

That said, it does appear that we’ll be getting a flashback of sorts. In the trailer, we see a man in a tank as another worker looks on in a hazmat-like suit. The worker on the outside looks on as the very large dinosaur looms over his partner, unable to open the door lest they both become lunch. We see a fraction of an InGen logo, confirming this as the original test site and not some off-island location, but what we don’t know is what the suits are for. Previously, much of the experimentation on these creatures had been solely genetic. Are we to take this as a sign that there were more harmful and dangerous experiments taking place prior to Dr. Henry Wu perfecting the hybridization process?

Which Dinosaurs Will We See?

Let’s be real, we’re all here for the dinosaurs. While we don’t know anything meaningful about the failed experiments of InGen’s first test site, we do get a glimpse of a few fun mutations in the trailer. In addition to the play on brachiosaurus and the new and very large flying dinosaur, we know that we’ll be getting a T-rex, mosasaurus, dilophosaurus and, of course, velociraptors.

We also know that they’re looking for the biggest dinosaurs on land, air and sea. Scientifically speaking, those accolades go to the titanosaur — a long-necked herbivore that is basically Little Foot on steroids — on land, shastasaurus on sea (sorry mosasaurus and megalodons) and the quetzalcoatlus in the air.

Of course, the Jurassic franchise is noteworthy for how much it likes to play with the size and shape of its creatures. Velociraptors are actually ridiculous looking and much smaller than how they’re presented, but that’s way less fun than the creature that fed many of our nightmares growing up. So, while the titanosaur, shastasaurus and quetzalcoatlus are the biggest lizards we know of from a scientific perspective, there is still plenty of room for Jurassic World Rebirth to introduce us to a brand new monster of our dreams. Besides, how many folks do you think are going to learn to pronounce quetzalcoatlus?

Matthew Rosenberg and Stefano Landini established a strong partnership at Marvel Comics thanks to their work on the monthly Punisher series. Now they’re reuniting for a new project at Image Comics, a sci-fi action story called We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us.

IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of the upcoming series, featuring Landini’s concept sketches of the main characters. Get a closer look in the slideshow gallery below:

Here’s Image’s official description of this new six-issue miniseries:

After her mad-scientist father is killed by the world’s greatest spy, 13-year-old Annalise is left all alone in the world. Sort of. Her dead dad’s robot bodyguard is following her around for some reason. Now Annalise has a choice: try to lead a normal life for the first time ever…or seek revenge and maybe overthrow the world order in the process.

Image Comics proudly presents a journey of regret and retribution, super spies and pseudoscience, growing up and global domination from brilliant artist STEFANO LANDINI (Prodigy, Hellblazer) and okay writer MATTHEW ROSENBERG (WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE?, Uncanny X-Men).

“The best thing about working on this book for me is just how many different things it can be,” Rosenberg tells IGN. “It has some of the most fun action scenes I’ve ever written, some of my favorite jokes, and there are moments that I think will really get people emotional. It’s pretty wild what you can do with a foul-mouthed little kid and a robot.”

Landini adds, “I hope that the work Matt and I are doing can be appreciated, at least as much as we are putting in the effort, and having fun in making it happen.”

We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us #1 is priced at $4.99 and will be released on March 26, 2025.

For more on what’s coming up in the comic book world, check out what to expect from Marvel in 2025 and what to expect from DC in 2025.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the remake of the original Metal Gear Solid 3, will release on August 28, 2025, according to what appears to be a PlayStation Store leak.

Konami’s remake of the PlayStation 2 stealth-action title has finally been updated from an obviously defunct 2024 release window, seemingly out of nowhere, with even a new trailer having leaked via the PlayStation App version of the store.

An Ape Escape collaboration has also been teased, which was followed by a message that reads “And More” which seemingly alludes to further crossovers coming to the game. This first one looks like a reference to the original Metal Gear Solid 3, which featured a monkey minigame in which Snake would attempt to neutralise the animals with stun grenades and his “Monkey Shaker” gun.

It’s unclear why the release date and new trailer have appeared now, though if rumours of a Sony PlayStation State of Play showcase coming next week are true, it may well be that someone has simply pulled the trigger a little early. A fatal mistake when it comes to stealth action.

Beyond a new first-person perspective, the game is otherwise shaping up to be an exact recreation of the original. “Metal Gear Solid Delta seems more like a very shiny HD remaster than the elegant remake it could have been,” IGN said in our preview. “It’s an admittedly beautiful nostalgia trip, but almost faithful to a fault.”

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editorial Producer who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

Back to the Future co-creator Bob Gale has a harsh message for fans hoping for a return of the beloved science fiction franchise: “F**k you.”

Speaking to Yahoo, the writer and producer of all three Back to the Future films, alongside co-creator Robert Zemeckis, made clear there are no plans for a canonical continuation of the franchise.

“People always say, ‘When are you going to do Back to the Future 4,” Gale said backstage at the Saturn Awards. “And we say, ‘F**k you.'”

While reboots and long overdue sequels are common place in the film industry, with examples such as The Matrix Resurrections and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny representing two very poorly received attempts, Back to the Future will seemingly, and ironically, remain firmly in the past.

The original arrived in 1985 and sees high school student Marty McFly accidentally sent back in time by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown. While it became one of the most iconic sci-fi films of all time, its sequels, filmed and released back to back in 1989 and 1990, weren’t so well received.

The franchise has lived on in other ways despite the more than three decade absence, through not just its legacy and influence but also a Broadway musical. Gale said he has plans for a stage production for Royal Caribbean Cruises too, and even teased he’s helping McFly actor Michael J. Fox write a book about his experience.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming role-playing game Avowed can hit 60 frames per second on Xbox Series X.

Though she offered no further insight, game director Carrie Patel told MinnMax that “you can get up to [60fps]” on Microsoft’s more powerful console, though the Xbox Series S version will be limited to the 30fps as previously confirmed.

It’s still unclear if Avowed will include a performance mode and graphics mode as has become standard, the former of which generally means 60fps with lower visuals while the latter generally means 30fps with improved visuals, or if the default setting hits 60fps on Xbox Series X naturally.

Avowed arrives February 13 for those willing to spend at least $89.99, though fans only willing to spend $69.99 are forced by Microsoft to wait until February 18. This is a recent trend deployed by publishers but has already been scrapped by the likes of Ubisoft.

Set in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity, Avowed is a first person fantasy RPG with a grand emphasis on player choice. The story weaves through tales of war, mystery, and intrigue, as players navigate the land and forge friendships or rivalries with those around them.

It earned praise in IGN’s Final Preview of the game, in which we praised its nuanced conversations, player freedom, and said “Avowed is just a lot of fun.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Harrison Ford doesn’t care that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny flopped critically and commercially, noting that “s**t happens,” and said he joined Marvel because it seemed like a “good time.”

The legendary actor of Star Wars fame told The Wall Street Journal Magazine that, even though it was him who “felt there was another story to tell” in the Indiana Jones story, he doesn’t care the fifth film was critically panned and is estimated to have lost $100 million after a box office disaster.

“When [Indy] had suffered the consequences of the life that he had to live, I wanted one more chance to pick him up and shake the dust off his ass and stick him out there, bereft of some of his vigor, to see what happened,” Ford said. “I’m still happy I made that movie.”

It certainly hasn’t stopped him from moving to another iconic franchise, as Ford has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. He replaces the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross who, as of this new film, has a bigger role as Red Hulk.

Ford said he joined the MCU before knowing this transformation was in store for his character though, as he hadn’t even seen a script for Brave New World. He simply joined because it seemed fun.

“Why not? I saw enough Marvels to see actors that I admired having a good time,” Ford said. “I didn’t really know that at the end I would turn into the Red Hulk. Well, it’s like life. You only get so far in the kit until the last page of the instructions is missing.”

Brave New World arrives as one of the shortest MCU entries to date on February 14, and the first to star Anthony Mackie instead of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers in the titular role. It’s also set to fold in some deep cut characters from Marvel lore, including the pay off for a tease included in the second ever MCU film, The Incredible Hulk, through the introduction of The Leader.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.