Jurassic World Rebirth Will Finally Adapt The Original Book’s Scariest Scene

32 years after Steven Spielberg changed blockbuster filmmaking forever with “Jurassic Park,” the franchise is getting a major face lift with this summer’s “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Directed by Gareth Edwards of “Rogue One” and “The Creator” fame, the film is being billed as a new beginning for the dino-centric property. But it will also, in some ways, be going back to where it all started. That’s because screenwriter David Koepp (who also wrote Spielberg’s classic movie) is finally making use of a beloved scene from Michael Crichton’s original “Jurassic Park” novel.

In a first-look piece published by Vanity Fair, producer Frank Marshall confirmed that the book’s famous river raft scene involving the Tyrannosaurus Rex, which was cut from the original “Jurassic Park,” will make it to the screen in “Rebirth.” In Crichton’s novel, Alan Grant and John Hammond’s grandchildren, Tim and Lex Murphy, try to drift through a lagoon in a rubber raft without waking up the T-Rex. They fail badly, leading to utter chaos. Crichton’s book describes this sequence as follows:

“The tyrannosaur was now chest-deep in the water, but it could hold its big head high above the surface. Then Grant realized the animal wasn’t swimming, it was walking, because moments later only the very top of the head — the eyes and nostrils — protruded above the surface. By then it looked like a crocodile, and it swam like a crocodile, swinging its big tail back and forth, so the water churned behind it.”

If I may? Hell yeah. Koepp, in a recent interview with /Film, said he sees “Rebirth” as a chance to change the tone of the “Jurassic” films once again. The inclusion of this scene, in particular, makes it clear the film is going to lean into the horror of the dinosaurs once again. Edwards and Marshall also backed that idea up with their own comments to Vanity Fair.

“Jurassic Park” was the biggest box office hit of all time in its day, and it led to a $6 billion franchise that has spanned more than three decades. The “Jurassic World” trilogy (which followed the original “Jurassic Park” trilogy) certainly had scary moments, but it was much more PG-13, vibes wise. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with this, but after three movies of that in a row, a change seems to be in order. Indeed, Edwards, Koepp, and the “Rebirth” producers all wanted a shift in tone, with Edwards, in particular, making it clear to Vanity Fair that he’s going for a horror movie feel:

“‘Jurassic Park’ is a horror film in the witness protection program. Most people don’t think of it like that. We all went to see it as kids. But I was scared s***less, to be honest, when I was at the cinema watching the T-Rex attack. It’s one of the most well-directed scenes in cinema history, so the bar’s really high to come on board and try and do this.”

Edwards has a long history with cinematic monsters, having previously directed 2014’s “Godzilla,” which gave birth to Legendary’s MonsterVerse. His first film was also a low-budget sci-fi feature called “Monsters.” To whatever degree one wants to think of dinosaurs as monsters, he seems qualified for the job. The filmmaker also appears to be leaning heavily into the idea that these man-made versions of prehistoric creatures are scary, perhaps more than they are wondrous.

“There’s something very primal that’s buried deep inside everybody,” Edwards added. “As mammals, we evolved [with] this fear of the bigger animal that’s going to come one day and maybe kill us or our family. The second we see it happening on screen, you’re like, ‘I knew it … We had it too good for too long.'”

This movie will also be focused on new characters, so don’t expect to see Owen Grady or Ellie Sattler show up. Instead, we’ve got a cast led by Scarlett Johansson (“Avengers: Endgame”), Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight”), and Jonathan Bailey (“Wicked”). As for what they’ll be up to? We previously got a synopsis for “Jurassic World Rebirth” when the title was revealed. However, Vanity Fair’s report contains some intriguing new details.

“The story follows members of a recovery team […] as they venture to an island near the equator that was once home to the first Jurassic Park’s research lab,” the article states. So, apparently, we’re going to the place where it truly started. But not all research goes according to plan, which is a big factor here. “These are the dinosaurs that didn’t work. There’s some mutations in there,” Marshall explained. “They’re all based on real dinosaur research, but they look a little different.”

So yes, it sounds like mutant dinosaurs are on the table. That might explain why one of Vanity Fair’s images features a T-Rex with tiger stripes or why another one shows multiple Spinosauruses circling a boat. Marshall, speaking further, also helped set the table for the world this movie takes place in:

“[Koepp] came up with this idea that dinosaurs were passé now. People were tired of them. They were an inconvenience. People weren’t going to museums to see them or to petting zoos. They were just in the way. And the climate was not conducive to their survival, so they were starting to pass away and get sick. But there was one area around the equator that had the perfect climate and temperature and environment for them.”

As of this writing, the trailer for “Jurassic World Rebirth” hasn’t dropped yet. However, it will very soon, and it contains what is described as a “twisted dinosaur,” but one that is unnamed. “Some Rancor went in there, some H.R. Giger went in there, a little T-Rex went in there,” as Edwards described the creature.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” hits theaters on July 2, 2025.