Jeff Goldblum sent Scarlett Johansson a surprise on live television by officially welcoming her into the “Jurassic” family while she was being interviewed on “Today.” Johansson, who is headlining the new “Jurassic World” movie, was on the NBC morning news show to promote her rom-com “Fly Me to the Moon” when a video Goldblum personally recorded for her was shown on air.
Goldblum starred as Dr. Ian Malcolm in Steven Spielberg’s original “Jurassic Park” film in 1993 and reprised the character in three more sequels, including 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion.”
“Dr. Johansson, this is Jeff Goldblum. Here’s what I want to say to you. This I know: Scarlett will find a way,” he said, referring to the franchise’s iconic “life finds a way” line. “Don’t get eaten, unless you want to. I love you.”
The video ended with Goldblum blowing Johansson a kiss. The two actors previously starred together in Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City.” Goldblum is not expected to appear in the new “Jurassic World” film, which is being directed by “Rogue One” and “Godzilla” filmmaker Gareth Edwards from a script penned by David Koepp. The screenwriter is returning to the dinosaur franchise after having penned “Jurassic Park” (1993) and “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997).
“Oh my god, I can’t believe Jeff said that to me,” Johansson reacted. “I think my life is complete now. I can retire.”
The new “Jurassic World” movie is an entirely new story that’s separate from the first “Jurassic World” trilogy that starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. All three “Jurassic World” movies grossed more than $1 billion each at the worldwide box office. Johansson is leading the new movie opposite Jonathan Bailey, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend, Luna Blaise, and David Iacono. The film is in production in Thailand.
Johansson told ComicBook.com last month that “the script is so incredible” for the fourth “Jurassic World” movie.
“I am an enormous ‘Jurassic Park’ fan,” Johansson said. “It is one of the first movies I remember seeing in theaters. I remember it so vividly. It was life-changing and mind-blowing. I cannot express how excited I am.”
“David Koepp wrote it and returned after 30 years to write it and he’s so passionate about it,” Johansson added. “I’ve been trying to get into this franchise in any possible way for over 10 years. 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 in this way at this time just is actually unbelievable.”
The new “Jurassic World” film is set for release on July 2, 2025, from Universal.
Goldblum, 71, surprised Johansson, 39, with a video message on Monday, July 8, while she was on “Today” to promote her new movie, “Fly Me to the Moon.” In the clip, he congratulated the actress on joining the cast of the next “Jurassic World” movie.
After Johansson told “Today’s” Savannah Guthrie that she is a major fan of the “Jurassic” films, which first kicked off with the 1993 original, the show displayed a video showing Goldblum, who has appeared in three of the movies, wearing a velociraptor sweater and a suit as he delivered a message.
“Doctor Johansson, this is Jeff Goldblum. Here’s what I want to say to you. This I know: Scarlett will find a way,” he said, paraphrasing his character’s classic line from the Steven Spielberg-directed movie. “I love you so so much. Don’t get eaten, unless you want to. I love you. Mwah!”
Johansson laughed as she watched the video and let out an audible “no way!” as the actor referenced his character Dr. Ian Malcolm’s classic line. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe Jeff actually said that to me. I mean, I think my life is complete now. I can retire,” she joked.
Before Guthrie played Goldblum’s video message, Johansson recalled how the original “Jurassic Park” was “one of the first movies I remember seeing in the theater.”
“I was probably like 10 or 11, and it was absolutely transformative for me,” she said of the Oscar-winning adventure movie. “I mean, the experience was — we had never seen anything like that, CGI used in that way. And when you see it, it still holds up. I mean, it looks so great.”
The producers behind the “Jurassic World” movies announced in February that the series’ next film is set to release in theaters on July 2, 2025.
Johansson was first reported to be in talks to lead the franchise into the future in March. She, along with franchise newcomer Jonathan Bailey, are teaming up with director Gareth Edwards (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “The Creator”) and screenwriter David Koepp, who originally adapted Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” novel for the screen, for the latest sequel.
Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard previously starred in the most recent three “Jurassic” movies, the last of which released in 2022.
“I’ve been trying to get into this franchise in any possible way for over 10 years,” Johansson recently told ComicBook.com of her casting in the film.
She added, “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 in this way at this time just is actually unbelievable. I can’t believe it.”
“Fly Me to the Moon,” in which Johansson costars with Channing Tatum, is in theaters July 12.
If there’s a rulebook somewhere for “Jurassic World” survival, we’re guessing that “don’t get eaten” probably rates right at the top of the all-important stay-alive list. Aside from being a total no-brainer (hey, you can’t save the day if you end up as dinosaur food!), it’s an admonition that franchise newcomer Scarlett Johansson needs absolutely no extra incentive to take to heart.
But thanks to some wise words from “Jurassic Park” acting royalty Jeff Goldblum, it’s nevertheless a message that Johansson has now received loud and clear. In a surprise twist during Johansson’s recent “TODAY” interview with Savannah Guthrie, Goldblum popped in with a fun video message to officially welcome the Black Widow star into the expanding “Jurassic World” family, ringing in with the kind of sage advice that only Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm could provide.
Johansson, who’s set to star in the upcoming untitled new “Jurassic World” film next year, had already established her “Jurassic Park” fan bona fides with Guthrie even before Goldblum made his surprise video entrance.
“I have to say, the first ‘Jurassic Park,’ it’s one of the first movies I remember seeing in the theater,” Johansson, now 39, says in the video below. “I was probably, like, 10 or 11, and it was absolutely transformative for me. We had never seen anything like that, CGI used in that way, and when you see it, it still holds up. It looks so great!”
With her “Jurassic” fan status firmly cemented, Johansson naturally was all ears when Goldblum (who even deferentially addressed her as “doctor”!) showed up onscreen with his surprise welcome message.
“Dr. Johansson, this is Jeff Goldblum. Here’s what I want to say to you. This I know: Scarlett will find a way,” said the actor, humorously riffing on his own “Life finds a way” line as Dr. Ian Malcolm in the original “Jurassic Park” (1993). “Don’t get eaten — unless you want to,” Goldblum added, while blowing Johansson a courteous colleague’s kiss. “I love you!”
Goldblum, of course, is a “Jurassic World” veteran, having portrayed Dr. Malcolm now through a total of four franchise films, so it’s no wonder that Johansson was excited by the big moment. “Oh, no way!” she reacted as Goldblum delivered his indispensable advice, which he doled out while sporting a colorfully cute dinosaur sweater.
For Johansson, it was a sweet surprise moment — never mind that we’re talking about scaly carnivorous reptiles who can’t tell the difference between humans and some prehistoric Jurassic snack. “Oh, my gosh, I can’t believe Jeff actually said that to me!” she beamed. “I mean, I think my life is complete now. I can retire now!”
Under the creative eye of director Gareth Edwards, filming on the new “Jurassic World” sequel is already underway in Thailand… so it won’t be too long before a new batch of indomitable dinos is ruling once again at the box office.
Watch for Scarlett Johansson alongside Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Rupert Friend, and Luna Blaise when “Jurassic World 4” stomps into theaters in summer 2025 from Universal Pictures.
Source: Variety, People
