Scarlett Johansson Teams Up With Ari Aster for A24's Scapegoat

Universal dropped Jurassic World: Rebirth back in July 2025, shaking up the dino franchise with (yet another) new direction, new cast, and apparently, new ambitions for both box office and streaming turf. Let’s start there, because what follows is a wild game of blockbuster musical chairs for Scarlett Johansson—who, by all accounts, has zero intentions of slowing down.

So, What Was 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' About?

The movie hit as the first post-Pratt/Howard entry, officially closing the books on that trilogy. This time around, Gareth Edwards takes the director’s chair and gives us Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett, a covert ops specialist. Her mission: sneak onto a not-so-scenic tropical island and wrangle up dinosaur DNA—because, allegedly, this will help create some miracle drug. You can probably guess how well that goes.

Johansson isn’t alone, though. The cast is stacked: Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, and Rupert Friend all come on board. Honestly, it’s heavy on the star power for a plot that’s... not exactly rocket science.

Box Office vs. Critics: A Familiar Story

Numbers first: Rebirth pulled in a hefty $869 million worldwide, making it the sixth-highest earner of the entire year. Sounds impressive, until you remember that every previous Jurassic entry (main trilogy, original, even the sequels people dunk on) cracked $1 billion. So, solid, but not chart-topping.

And critics? The Rotten Tomatoes score is a very average 50%. The story and visual effects took a beating in reviews, so this one landed closer to “mildly interesting Tuesday night streaming pick” than “instant classic.”

Scarlett Johansson's Schedule Gets Even Busier

If you thought Johansson was going to stick around Isla Nublar (or wherever they’re finding these dinosaurs now), think again. News just broke—Deadline scooped it—that A24 is putting her front and center in Ari Aster’s next mystery project, Scapegoat. Yep, that Ari Aster, and this is his fourth movie with A24.

Details are about as secret as InGen’s lab plans: we know Johansson is the lead, and that Aster wanted her so much that A24 apparently shuffled production to squeeze into her already ridiculously packed calendar. No other plot or casting info has been even teased yet.

What Else Is Johansson Up To?

• The Exorcist reboot: Teaming with Mike Flanagan for Universal, slated to open March 12, 2027.
• The Batman – Part 2: She’ll be seen in Matt Reeves’ new Gotham, but her character is still under wraps. Shooting starts late May, with Pattinson back in the cape. That one’s aiming for an October 1, 2027 premiere.
• Scapegoat (A24/Ari Aster): Details, again, are locked down tight, but Johansson was Aster’s first choice and she signed on.

Jurassic's Future Is...On Pause?

Here’s where things get interesting. With Johansson locked into at least three big movies, Universal seems to be taking a break before any more ideas starring Zora Bennett (or, honestly, any more Jurassic anything). The lukewarm critic response to Rebirth combined with decent-not-stellar box office may have given them pause (or at least a slower timeline).

Johansson spent years wanting to get into the Jurassic Park universe, and now that she’s finally got that badge, the studio has no immediate plans for her to return. She’s not exactly sitting around waiting by the phone, though—she’s clearly got options.

In short: Scarlett Johansson is officially too busy to be an exclusive dinosaur wrangler, and Universal is in no rush for another sequel as the last one barely hit the critical or financial highs of the past. If you want to see Jurassic World: Rebirth for yourself, it’s streaming on Netflix.

The Cast of 'Jurassic World: Rebirth'

Just in case you need it: Johansson, Ali, Bailey, and Friend headline this round of humans–all of them trying to outthink prehistoric predators. The results? I’ll let the Tomatometer speak for itself.