Scarlett Johansson in talks to be the face of the Jurassic Park reboot

Scarlett Johansson is negotiating a deal to play the lead role in a forthcoming reboot of Jurassic Park, according to reports.

If she took on the role, Johansson would be continuing the legacy of Marvel star Chris Pratt, who fronted the latest trilogy of the dinosaur thrillers.

The final entry in Pratt’s triology, Jurassic World Dominion, brought back 1993 Jurassic Park stars Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill and was released in 2022.

Johansson is no stranger to leading blockbusters, having starred in the Avengers film series as Black Widow.

Universal Films is reportedly moving quickly on the Jurassic reboot according to The Hollywood Reporter, with a planned release date of 2 July 2025. This would give the film less than a year in production, with a reported shooting start date of 21 July.

The Independent has reached out to Universal for comment.

The new film, directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp, is intended to be a complete reboot of the franchise featuring a fresh cast of characters, although little else is known about the film’s plot. The original Jurassic Park trilogy of films, which were based on bestselling novels by Michael Crichton, were released in 1993, 1997 and 2001. The film series was revived in 2015 with the release of Jurassic World. The film grossed over $1.6bn in the box office.

David Leitch (Bullet Train, The Fall Guy) was initially attached to direct, although he left the production in February 2024 following an alleged difference in artistic vision. Edwards most recently directed the sci-fi action film The Creator, which was nominated for two Academy Awards. Koepp, meanwhile, wrote the original two Jurassic films directed by Steven Spielberg.

Johansson is due to appear in multiple productions this year, including a Apple TV+ film titled Project Artemis and a voice acting role in Transformers One, an animated prequel to the Transformers franchise.