Scarlett Johansson in Talks for New Jurassic World Movie?

Jurassic World: Rebirth just roared past $869.9 million worldwide, and now the rumor mill says Universal is already lining up another trip back to the island of terrible decisions. Color me shocked. Scarlett Johansson is reportedly set to return as the franchise's covert-ops lead. Of course they want more.

The rumor, and the name weirdness

The whisper comes from industry leaker Daniel Richtman: Universal is prepping another Jurassic sequel with Scarlett Johansson back in the lead. No plot, no timeline, no extra details beyond that. One small hiccup: the rumor calls her 'Zoe Bennett,' but in Rebirth she is very clearly 'Zora Bennett.' Inside baseball, but worth flagging. Probably a simple typo, but still.

Why Universal would do this (besides 'money')

$869.9 million in theaters alone is not exactly pocket lint. And that is just the box office. Factor in merch, digital, discs, and all the ancillary stuff, and Rebirth is a full-on ATM. It also helps that Rebirth is stacked with recognizable faces, led by Johansson, who is as bankable as it gets. Adding Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Luna Blaise, Rupert Friend, and Ed Skrein only sweetened the deal for audiences.

Quick refresher: what Rebirth actually is

Rebirth jumps ahead five years after Jurassic World Dominion. Earth has not been kind to dinosaurs; most have been pushed out of habitable zones and now survive in scattered equatorial pockets that resemble their original climates. An intrepid team is dispatched to secure DNA from the three biggest creatures across land, sea, and air because that genetic material could unlock a life-saving drug for humanity.

Johansson plays Zora Bennett, a covert-operations specialist contracted to lead the mission. Things go sideways when her operation collides with a civilian family whose boating trip gets flipped by some very unfriendly aquatic dinos, stranding everyone on an island with a decades-old secret that is, to put it mildly, not friendly either.

Jonathan Bailey shows up as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis, and Mahershala Ali plays Zora's most trusted team lead, Duncan Kincaid.

Who made it and who is in it

• Director: Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One, The Creator)
• Screenplay: David Koepp
• Cast: Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, Lucy) as Zora Bennett; Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Wicked) as Dr. Henry Loomis; Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Green Book) as Duncan Kincaid; Rupert Friend (Homeland, Obi-Wan Kenobi); Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer, Murder on the Orient Express); Luna Blaise (Manifest); David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty); Audrina Miranda (Lopez vs. Lopez); Philippine Velge (Station Eleven); Belchir Sylvain (BMF); Ed Skrein (Deadpool)

So, is another one actually happening?

It is a rumor for now. Given the box office, it would be more surprising if Universal did not make another one. If Johansson is back as Zora (not Zoe), that tracks with how Rebirth positions her character.

Your turn: name that sequel

If Universal is cooking up a title, what are we going with? Jurassic World: Afterbirth? Jurassic World: Genesis? Jurassic World: Evolution? Yes, I know 'Evolution' is already a Jurassic video game series. When has that ever stopped a studio?