Scarlett Johansson now stands as the highest-grossing actor of all time, which makes sense, as she’s been headlining major movies for years now. However, as of late, she’s also been forging a path as a producer and as a director. Given she's also a huge franchise aficionado, it’s hard not to wonder whether she’d be interested in helming a massive blockbuster like a film set in the Jurassic Universe. Johansson, of course, recently joined that dinosaur-centric franchise this year and so we really need to know whether she'd take the reins.
There have been a number of directors to helm installments in the Jurassic Park and World franchise over the years, from Steven Spielberg to Gareth Edwards, who directed Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth. Quite frankly, the notion of Johansson working behind the camera of one of the films is interesting and exciting. CinemaBlend’s own Hannah Saulic posed the question to Johansson, who was accompanied by co-stars Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, and they said the following:
Ali: That’s so crazy that you would say that!
Johansson: Umm…..I don’t think–
Bailey: 2028 baby!
Ali: The ink isn’t even dry on the contract.
Johansson: You heard it here first. Uh… no, actually, because Mahershala has actually volunteered to direct.
Bailey: He’s going to do a one-man show of Jurassic Park, we just talked about it.
Johansson: Which we’re so excited for.
Mahershala Ali eventually joked that he was doing a “musical” version of the show (which I would kind of like to see, to be honest). Jokes aside, though, the Avengers star’s remarks suggest she’s perhaps not as interested in helming a Jurassic Park production as I would have guessed, despite her co-stars rooting for the possibility.
First and foremost, directing a Jurassic World movie is no small feat, as there are plenty of production variables to consider. Helming any kind of movie comes with its share of challenges in general; plus, with a Jurassic movie, there’s overseas filming, various production units and VFX and practical effects work to be done. On top of that, any Jurassic director is faced with massive expectations from the studio as well as fans. Johansson herself is a fan, as she’d been wanting to do one of the movies for 15 years. So I would imagine that, in a case like that, there’s a chance there could be internal pressure for a filmmaker.
Scarlett Johansson made her directorial debut amid the 2025 movie schedule with Eleanor the Great, an independent film starring June Squibb. That kind of movie is certainly a far cry from a Jurassic flick, but who’s to say Johansson couldn’t work her way up to such a blockbuster? Plus, given her fandom, I’m confident that Johansson could employ the key elements needed for a Jurassic movie if given the chance to sit in the director’s chair.
Of course, there’s still the matter of what actually lies ahead for the Jurassic franchise. Rebirth proved to be a box office success, grossing over $868 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $225 million. Given that, I’d say there’s a firm chance fans haven’t seen the last of the genetically engineered dinosaurs. In the meantime, I’ll be watching closely in case Scarlett Johansson is convinced to direct a film in the franchise. (I also want to see if Mahershala Ali really can’t get a musical off the ground.)
Jurassic World Rebirth is now streamable with a Peacock subscription, and that membership will also get you access to other films in the franchise.
