By now, you've probably guessed that Universal Pictures has many surprises for its next installment in the Jurassic World franchise. The aptly titled Rebirth is a soft reboot in the vaguest form, but one nonetheless. Rebirth's story takes the new cast of characters to an island that birthed the rest. It didn't literally, but Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and her team are adventuring on the island where InGen first engineered their dinosaur clones.
The trailer offers many glimpses of the terrain, facility, and some of the upcoming prehistoric species. A sauropod and a pack of carnivores steal the show, but they're just the beginning. A brief screenshot of the newest Tyrannosaurus reveals something akin to a Xenomorph rather than a revived dinosaur. Mind you, its appearance is logical. InGen probably didn't get the cloning process down on the first try. There were genetic monstrosities along the way, like the one that debuts in the trailer.
Rebirth's trailer also teases the newest genus of velociraptor, albeit briefly. A low-angled camera shot—calling back to the claws tapping on the Visitor's Center floor—confirms that the menacing beasts will terrorize the human characters. The only thing is that the trailer lacked a complete look.
Fortunately, promotional images for the movie have unveiled the velociraptor's look. It's similar to past iterations—unlike the massive departure in Dominion with the Pyroraptor—although this generation likely has some menacing qualities to them. These dinosaurs are the ones too dangerous for the other islands. And, considering that the approved list included an alpha that decimated the remaining population, it stands to reason that these are nasty beasts.
There it is folks!!! The Jurassic World Rebirth Velociraptor! And my my my it looks FANTASTIC!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/e4Q1DzJOpJ
— Jurassic Addict Final Mix (@JurassicAddict) February 19, 2025
The velociraptor's orange eyes, cranium feathers, and beak impressions give the appearance of something violent. Its eyes may seem insignificant, but transitioning from a mild palette to an aggressive orange point to increased aggression. Past iterations have been cold, calculating, and intelligent—maybe this version goes straight for the kill. They're equipped for that type of approach. They're merely not known for attacking that way because strategized hunts are the easiest.
Pack hunting was also ingrained in their DNA. Thus, it makes sense that the fully developed breeds could coordinate. The first drafts, however, probably had instincts more akin to the Indominus Rex that attacked everything that approached. Said aspect is still undetermined, but if the experiments in Jurassic World proved anything, fooling around with genetic experimentation like "a kid that's found his dad's gun" will only lead to chaos.
Because of that, the new velociraptors are presumably hostile to everything—maybe even each other. Audiences have witnessed the medium-sized carnivores nip at each other in shows of dominance, so it wouldn't be unheard of for a variation to be antisocial and maybe even cannibalistic. Raptors don't discriminate when it comes to meals, after all.
Jurassic World: Rebirth opens in theaters on July 2, 2025.