Jurassic World 4's First Story Details Have Come Out, And I'm Particularly Intrigued By Two Details

 Bryce Dallas Howard stands in shock in front of her cabin in Jurassic World Dominion.
Credit: Universal

Looking ahead to the lineup of upcoming 2025 movies, there are some titles that are high up on my list, even at this early stage. Director Gareth Edwards’ secretive Jurassic World follow-up is absolutely one such project, and I don’t think that distinction is going to go away any time soon. In fact, that opinion has only gotten stronger with the first vague story details for this Jurassic Universe entry being released; which has me intrigued by two particular details being offered.

Laura Dern, Bob Peck, and Jeff Goldblum with concerned looks in Jurassic Park.
Laura Dern, Bob Peck, and Jeff Goldblum with concerned looks in Jurassic Park.

Jurassic World 4 Has A Familiar, Yet Vague Plot In Play

Variety has announced some exciting details about this new adventure inspired by the late Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel, and part of that business has to do with shooting locations. But included among those hot details is this logline for what some are calling Jurassic World 4:

…a completely fresh take launching a new Jurassic era, following three adults and three teens getting stuck on the Island.

Right off the bat, I’m going to assume that Jurassic World 4 cast members Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Rupert Friend are going to be the three adults trapped on “the island.” And while this story is pretty familiar in the world of Jurassic Park, my first point of interest is what exactly “the Island” means.

On one hand, rumors of a Jurassic midquel set before Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s volcanic destruction of Isla Nublar would be a valid guess. “The Island” seems to be an oblique reference to the setting of many of the Jurassic films, but at the same time, why wouldn’t they come flat out and admit that’s the location?

Perhaps we’re going to either return to Isla Sorna, the Site B lab space shown in The Lost World: Jurassic Park; or maybe we’re going to see one of the three other islands only used in the Jurassic World: Evolution games? In any case, that’s where the other key piece of information comes into play, as we also have filming locations for this new Jurassic era.

DeWanda Wise raises her taser while standing in the underground market in Jurassic World Dominion.
DeWanda Wise raises her taser while standing in the underground market in Jurassic World Dominion.

The Jurassic Franchise Is Returning To Malta

In the filming locations specified for Jurassic World 4, we now know that production is about to start on location in Thailand, with studio space in Malta and the U.K. being on deck as well. So why is Malta such a big deal? Well, besides being a location that director Ridley Scott loves to frequent with his productions, it’s also one of the countries where 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion was filmed.

That in particular has me wondering if this new chapter will be moving further into the future of the Jurassic saga. With Owen and Claire’s adventure into the dino trading underground in that city making for some excitement, we could be heading back to that black market locale.

Not to mention, there’s always a chance that DeWanda Wise’s Kayla might pop up in a pinch. She has experience with getting people to secluded dinosaur-filled locales, so it’d be a shame not to use her talents. She’s certainly up for the opportunity, even if Wise’s recent Jurassic World remarks have the Imaginary actor thinking she won’t be returning to the series.

It’s still super early for Jurassic World 4, or whatever this film will be titled, to be spilling the story beans just yet, but with the breadcrumbs already present, I’m ready to dive further into what the Jurassic universe has to offer next. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a new adventure in the Jurassic World saga, a Netflix subscription will get you access to the latest series, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory.