Scarlett Johansson has, after careful consideration, decided to endorse the park.
After confirming her casting in the upcoming fourth instalment of the Jurassic World franchise on Monday, the Oscar-nominated actor revealed that it was something she’s petitioned for for more than a decade.
“I’ve been trying to get into this franchise in any possible way for over 10 years,” Scarlett told ComicBook.com.
“I’m like, ‘I’ll die in the first five minutes! I can get eaten by whatever! I’ll do the craft service!’ I’ll do anything for it.”
“The fact that it’s happened … is actually unbelievable,” she continued. “I can’t believe it.”
Scarlett will follow in the footsteps of a long line of female actors whose characters barely managed to survive the treacherous park, including Oscar winners Laura Dern and Julianne Moore, who starred in the first two Jurassic films directed by Steven Spielberg.
The series took a long break after Jurassic Park III was met with a horrid reception in 2001. But the franchise returned under the Jurassic World banner in 2015 — the trilogy made billions at the box office — although those films, too, were critically panned.
No stranger to blockbuster franchises, Scarlett has starred in nine Marvel movies since 2010. Asked what drew her to the Jurassic World saga, she replied: “Everything.”
“I’m an enormous Jurassic Park fan,” she said. “It’s one of the first films I remember seeing in the theatre. I remember seeing it so vividly. It was, like, life-changing. It was mind-blowing. I cannot express how excited I am.”
While many fans of the original Michael Crichton novel and Spielberg movies have tired of the Jurassic sequels, the upcoming instalment shows some promise. It will feature Hollywood heavyweights like Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as well as Bridgerton favourite Jonathan Bailey, while Godzilla director Gareth Edwards will helm this new sequel.
Plus, the original Jurassic Park screenwriter is back in charge.
“The script is so incredible,” Scarlett told the outlet. “David Koepp wrote it. He returned after, like, 30 years to write the script. He’s so passionate about it, which is awesome.”