31 years ago, the world of the best sci-fi movies in cinema was irrevocably changed. While the late author Michael Crichton was a hot shot novelist, screenwriter, and director by the time 1993 came around, his cultural imprint became something absolutely iconic.
This was a natural result in the wake of the Jurassic Park universe’s cinematic debut, which shattered records and captured the imagination of the entire planet. As we sit on the dawn of director Gareth Edwards’ mysterious Jurassic World Dominion follow-up, a frequent theory has reared its head yet again.
Some parties actually think that the new film, starring Scarlett Johannson, Jonathan Bailey and others, might be a Jurassic reboot. That’s a theory I’m super skeptical of, and after speaking with Michael's widow, Sherri Crichton, I can totally get behind on how her views on the franchise reinforce my own.
What Sherri Crichton Has To Say About Those Jurassic Park Remake/Reboot Rumors
Before I get lost in the long grass of Jurassic rumors, let me share what Sherri Crichton’s feelings on the matter are. I’m able to do just that because thanks to the release of the recent best-selling hit Eruption, I was given the opportunity to speak to the woman who knew Michael Crichton best in his final days.
In a conversation that covered the momentous occasion of the James Patterson co-authored novel currently being available for purchase, our thoughts also turned to the world of the Jurassic. Sherri’s position as the CEO of the company that controls the Westworld writer/director’s estate, aptly named CrichtonSun, puts her in a pretty strong position to weigh in on how certain properties are handled.
Though during our conversation, Ms. Crichton did note that when it comes to things like the upcoming legacy-quel Twisters, she doesn’t have a say in that sort of matter. That being said, when Sherri Crichton spoke to CinemaBlend, she soundly rebuked the idea of a Jurassic Park remake once and for all, saying:
Well, I think that Jurassic is pretty freaking fantastic. For them to be able to have that, for them to be able to have this legacy, and to continue to come up with new stories, and yet dip back into the source material and keep playing in those worlds. No, that's fantastic to me. No, I wouldn't touch Jurassic. That is gold bullion. No, that's, that's just pure gold.
While it’s not exactly guaranteed that she’d have input on where Universal Pictures goes with the next Jurassic era, I would like to think that anyone trying to start the Jurassic Park machinery from scratch would encounter severe opposition. Not only would Sherri Crichton theoretically help lead the charge against such efforts, director Steven Spielberg’s position as an executive producer on the overall Jurassic franchise would probably help protect against that possibility.
With that in mind, why are we even talking about a potential Jurassic Park reboot? Well, over the years, there have been some internet theories as to whether or not that very modern trend would befall this still gigantic box office draw.
The Persistent Rumors Of Jurassic Park’s Reboot, Explained
Jurassic World 4’s July 2025 release date has kickstarted the hype engines for the long-running franchise yet again. With a good number of reports alleging that this new picture could be a reboot, if not a midquel slotting into past history, the lack of details has given rise to this well-known darkness.
Honestly, this isn’t even the weirdest fuel for speculation when it comes to a potential Jurassic Park reboot, but it does remind me of past discussions Michael Crichton fans have had. In particular, just based on a quick internet search, I found a Jurassic Mainframe message board that posited whether we’d see the Jurassic World trilogy as a “missed opportunity,” should the rights revert to the Crichton estate.
But I also distinctly remember some thinking that when Universal Studios Hollywood re-themed Jurassic Park: The Ride into its current Jurassic World-based version, it was because Universal was going to lose the rights to Jurassic Park. As we’ve seen with projects like the thrilling midquel game Jurassic Park Survival, those rights and that storyline are firmly Universal’s corner.
Though there’s also some room for classic canon to be toyed with, I don’t think a full reboot is ever going to happen. Netflix’s recent Season 2 renewal of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory also helps support my hypothesis, and so does Sherri Crichton’s further praise for the Jurassic Park saga on the whole.
How Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park Endures Decades Later
While the world is celebrating Jurassic Park’s 31st cinematic anniversary, the Michael Crichton novel it’s based off was published in the fall of 1990. Though that’s only an additional three years added into the DNA of this landmark sci-fi hit, that’s still plenty of time that could have sidelined any well meaning adaptation.
And as Jurassic history has shown us, vastly different interpretations from other directors who competed to land the project may have sent the series on a very different path. Even in those alternate universes of thought, Sherri Crichton’s further remarks to CinemaBlend shared below would still apply:
When you have something like a franchise with Jurassic, there's so much source material that they can go back to and pull more from the book. So you can't possibly interpret a three or 400 page book up on the screen. But you can use it as this legacy, this lineage of being able to continue the adaptations, and pull back from the source material.
Strengthening her position that future Jurassic Universe installments could continue to use inspiration and story beats to further the story, I brought up my own idea of how that spirit has endured. Mentioning Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s most Crichton-esque twist, centered on the origins of the mysterious Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon), the twist that story took in the 2018 film was absolutely an example of taking the works of Michael Crichton as inspiration for something new.
Even something as simple as the well-referenced "river raft" scene has been spun in various different ways throughout Jurassic history. It not only inspired Jurassic Park: The Ride's eventual conception, but it's apparently inspired a sequence in Jurassic Park: Survival as well. Pardon the expression, but the bones of this franchise are pretty solid, and there are still some meaty possibilities to explore.
If anyone needed further convincing that Sherri Crichton knows her stuff when it comes to Jurassic, let this last comment on why the series is still as relevant as ever close the subject:
It is kind of where we are right now. It's like, what's the line? The fragility and the intensity of nature is so apparent … if it's put into the wrong hands, it can be weaponized. And it's like, what are we doing here? What are we doing? You know, we're burying things. What are we doing to Mother Nature? Like, can we have some respect and can we make sure that we're doing the right things, and we're holding people accountable? … She's fierce. Mother nature is fierce.
Sounding a bit like Dr. Ian Malcolm in that last segment, Sherri Crichton knows that the world loves the Jurassic Park franchise’s origins. While the merit of its sequels can be debated until Roberta crashes the Visitors Center, that 1993 original is an untouchable classic.
For anyone to try and speculate on how they could improve or retell that novel’s story is almost as improbably as reanimating dinosaurs in the current realm of scientific possibility. Although Hollywood does operate on the same laws that Michael himself wrote about breaking in many of his novels, and as Jeff Goldblum's iconic chaotician tells us, we shouldn’t just callously write this scenario off as implausible, because sometimes, life finds a way.
So take comfort in the fact that, at the time of this publication, Jurassic Park’s sole adaptation rests with those who have access to a Peacock subscription. Also, don’t forget to read Michael Crichton’s latest posthumous novel, Eruption, which is currently available at all fine bookstores.
