Sign in to your ScreenRant account
Custom Image by SR Image Editor
The Jurassic World and Jurassic Park timelines span 65 million years, but most of the action takes place in the six films from 1993 to 2022. Jurassic Park was initially created by author Michael Crichton, and his bestselling technothriller was adapted into a blockbuster film by Steven Spielberg in 1993. Spielberg's film changed many aspects of Crichton's novel, and every succeeding Jurassic Park movie and TV project worked from the canon established by Spielberg's movies.
Jurassic Park's incredible success spawned two more sequels, in 1997 and 2001, before it was soft-rebooted as Jurassic World by Colin Trevorrow in 2015. Jurassic World began a second trilogy that concluded in 2022's Jurassic World Dominion and two canonical animated Netflix spinoffs, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Jurassic World: Chaos Theory. The Jurassic saga is often said to be "an adventure 65-million years in the making," and Jurassic World Rebirth pushes the timeline even further into the future.
Title | Release Year |
Jurassic Park | 1993 |
The Lost World: Jurassic Park | 1997 |
Jurassic Park III | 2001 |
Jurassic World | 2015 |
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | 2018 |
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous | 2020-2022 |
Jurassic World Dominion | 2022 |
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory | 2024 |
Jurassic World Rebirth | 2025 |
65 Million Years Ago
The Prologue From Jurassic World: Dominion
The prologue for Jurassic World: Dominion established that 65 million years ago, a Tyrannosaurus Rex was killed by a Gigantosaurus, the largest apex predator in existence. However, a fly drank the blood of the dead T-Rex and was then encased in the amber of a tree. This was the same fly preserved in amber from which InGen scientists extracted dinosaur DNA in the early 1990s during the first Jurassic Park movie.
The dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago.
This also means that the T-Rex in Jurassic Park is a clone of the superpredator that was killed by the Gigantosaurus. Of course, the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago. Still, thanks to Jurassic Park science, enough DNA was retrieved — and then remixed with amphibian DNA — to successfully clone multiple species of dinosaurs, which makes the Jurassic movies possible. This prologue ties all the movies together with the definitive origin story.
1975
John Hammond Founds InGen With Benjamin Lockwood
InGen (International Genetics Technologies, Inc.) was founded by John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) in 1975. Hammond "dreamed up" the idea of cloning prehistoric dinosaurs from DNA fossilized in Amber. Hammond set up a research group headed by Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong) to put his dream into effect. The first prehistoric creature was successfully cloned in 1985, thanks to the fly they found.
Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom retconned InGen's origin story to reveal that Hammond partnered with Scottish business person Sir Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), his best friend, to found InGen. Lockwood also built a fully functional genetics lab beneath Lockwood Manor in Northern California. While InGen was based in Palo Alto, the dinosaur cloning operations moved to Isla Sorna (Site B) near Costa Rica. InGen also acquired Isla Nublar as the site of the dinosaur theme park destination, which they named Jurassic Park.
Related
Jurassic World Dominion: How The Dinosaurs Are Reproducing
To spread throughout the world so quickly, the dinosaurs in Jurassic World Dominion must be reproducing at a rapid rate - but how is this possible?
1993
The Events Of The Original Jurassic Park
By 1993, Jurassic Park was nearly operational and preparing to open to the public. To calm investors' fears, Hammond recruited paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler, and mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm to tour and evaluate the feasibility of Jurassic Park as a functioning safari/zoo. However, rival genetics company BioSyn hires Jurassic Park's programmer Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) to steal dinosaur embryos. Inclement weather then created a disaster that shut down the park's electrical grid, allowing the dinosaurs to escape their paddocks.
As the dinosaurs take over Isla Nublar, Dr. Grant is trapped in the jungle with Hammond's young grandchildren, Lex (Ariana Richards) and Tim (Joseph Mazzello). Grant keeps them safe and is able to return to Jurassic Park's visitor center in time to evacuate the island. Realizing the disastrous implications of his Jurassic Park dream, Hammond decides the park should never open.
Huge advancements in scientific technology have enabled a mogul to create an island full of living dinosaurs. John Hammond has invited four individuals, along with his two grandchildren, to join him at Jurassic Park. But will everything go according to plan? A park employee attempts to steal dinosaur embryos, critical security systems are shut down and it now becomes a race for survival with dinosaurs roaming freely over the island.
Release Date June 11, 1993
Runtime 127 minutes
Post-1993
Hammond And Lockhart Fall Out
Benjamin Lockwood's daughter was able to visit Jurassic Park sometime before its destruction in 1993, and she saw what her father planned. However, Charlotte died from a genetic disease sometime after the collapse of Isla Nublar. Before her death, she tried to have a child via cloning for her father. Hammond, who was changed from the Jurassic Park incident, discovered Lockwood's plans and was incensed at the "unholy thing" his partner intended to do. Hammond and Lockwood had a falling out.
Left with no blood relatives, the devastated Lockwood decides to use the cloning technology in his manor to recreate his daughter through cloning instead. Benjamin ended up secluding himself in Lockwood Manor. Hammond chose, at this point, not to tamper with nature anymore, but Lockwood kept his dreams and plans, and after Hammond died in 1998, Lockwood finally had his breakthrough with human cloning.
Related
Jurassic World: Which Dinosaurs Escaped In Fallen Kingdom
Which creatures escaped from captivity in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom? Here's every dinosaur species that got loose and how many there were.
1997
The Events Of The Lost World: Jurassic Park
By 1997, the ailing John Hammond was near death and had been replaced as InGen's CEO by his nephew, Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard). Hammond invites Ian Malcolm to join a team to travel to Isla Sorna and document the dinosaurs there, which have been released into the wild following a hurricane. At Site B, where the dinosaurs were bred, Malcolm learns that Ludlow hired mercenaries to capture the dinosaurs in order to bring them back as attractions in Jurassic Park San Diego.
The ship carrying the T-Rex accidentally crashes into the docks, and the super predator is let loose to rampage throughout San Diego.
Ludlow's mercs capture a fully-grown T-rex and an infant and prepare it for transport to the United States. The ship carrying the T-Rex accidentally crashes into the docks, and the super predator is let loose to rampage throughout San Diego. Malcolm and Dr. Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) use the infant T-Rex to lead the adult back to the docks and seal it in the ship. The T-Rexes are then transported back to Isla Sorna, which the United States and Costa Rican governments name as a nature preserve.
Following up on the Steven Spielberg classic adapted from the works of Michael Crichton, The Lost World: Jurassic Park is an action-adventure film that changes perspective and focuses on Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm as he is sent to investigate Isla Sorna as InGen attempts to resolve its financial woes by selling dinosaurs off to create a new theme park. However, as Malcolm warns the executives of the danger of this, terror is brought stateside when the previously contained threats run loose.
Release Date May 19, 1997
Runtime 134minutes
2001
The Events Of Jurassic Park III
In 2001, a 12-year-old boy named Eric Kirby (Trevor Morgan) went missing while vacationing near Isla Sorna. Soon afterward, his parents, Paul (William H. Macy) and Amanda Kirby (Tea Leoni), hire Dr. Alan Grant, under false circumstances, to lead a team to Isla Sorna and rescue Eric. The Kirbys' plane crashes after being attacked by the island's super predator, the Spinosaurus. Grant locates Eric, who has survived on the island, and they attempt to reach the shore.
Although the rest of their team is killed by attacks from Velociraptors, Pteranodons, and the Spinosaurus, Grant successfully leads the Kirbys to the beach, where they are met by the US Navy. By the end of the movie, the carnivores are still alive on the island with their eggs, and as the helicopter leaves the island, the Pteranodons fly by, looking for a new place to nest. This was also Alan's last appearance until he returned for Jurassic World: Dominion.
Jurassic Park III is the third film in the series and takes place four years after the events of The Lost World. The film follows the original protagonist Alan Grant and his new assistant/protege, Billy Brennan. When Grant's dig is in somewhat dire straits, a business proposition by two supposedly wealthy vacationers potentially changes his fortunes. Agreeing to give them a tour of the dinosaur-inhabited island, Isla Sorna, Grant soon realizes the true reason behind the trip is to find their missing son, putting them all in danger.
Director Joe Johnston
Release Date July 18, 2001
Runtime 92minutes
1997-2005
Masrani Global Corporation Opens Jurassic World
By the time of his death in 1998, John Hammond had converted from an industrialist and capitalist seeking to profit from his cloned dinosaurs into a naturalist who wanted his creations left alone on their islands. That same year, Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan), the CEO of Masrani Global Corporation, acquired InGen with an eye on fulfilling Hammond's initial dream of opening Jurassic Park on Isla Nublar.
Seven years after purchasing InGen, Masrani Global Corporation opened the rebranded Jurassic World on Isla Nublar. Claire Dearing came aboard as Jurassic World's Senior Assets Manager, while Owen Grady was hired as the park's animal behaviorist/Velociraptor trainer.
Jurassic World contained elements of a biological preserve, a zoo, a theme park, and a luxury resort with hotels, restaurants, nightlife, and a golf course.
Masrani expanded upon Hammond's initial Jurassic Park dream with more dinosaur attractions, including the Mosasaurus in the Jurassic World Lagoon. Jurassic World operated successfully for ten years. However, Masrani also learned that the public's fascination with dinosaurs was waning, which led to the company pressuring Dr. Henry Wu to create hybrid dinosaurs like the Indominus Rex as new attractions for the park.
2015
The Events Of Jurassic World
In 2015, after ten years of Jurassic World operating without incident, disaster struck that doomed Masrani's dinosaur park. The Indominus Rex escaped its paddock and wreaked havoc on the island. The Indominus' rampage created a domino effect, such as the Pteranodons escaping their enclosure, which led to the death of Simon Masrani when the dinosaurs attacked his helicopter. Jurassic World was evacuated while Owen Grady and Claire Dearing teamed up to stop the Indominus Rex.
Grady weaponized the three Velociraptors he trained, led by Blue, to help him hunt the Indominus. Dearing set loose the original T-Rex from Jurassic Park, which had been living on Isla Nublar since the fall of Hammond's park in 1993, to fight the Indominus. The hybrid super-predator was eventually defeated and eaten by the Mosasaurus. Owen and Claire evacuated Jurassic World, which was permanently shut down as the remaining dinosaurs escaped and took over Isla Nublar once again.
The Jurassic World Ultimate Collection includes the 6 movies in the immensely popular dinosaur franchise. It begins with paleontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler and mathematician, Ian Malcolm, as they tour an island theme park that is populated by dinosaurs that were created from prehistoric DNA. The dinosaurs eventually break free, creating the havoc that is explored in the 6 films. You can buy all 6 movies right now for $60 for Prime Day.
Director Colin Trevorrow
Release Date June 12, 2015
Runtime 124 minutes
2015-2018
The Events Of Camp Cretaceous
Netflix's animated Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which ran for five seasons, began during the events of Jurassic World and continued past the prologue of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. At the start of Camp Cretaceous, six teenagers are brought to the island as the inaugural group of Campers, and they witness the fall of Jurassic World. Trapped on the island, the kids are forced to survive, encountering the dinosaurs now roaming free throughout Isla Nublar.
The Campers also encounter enemy big game hunters and a new hybrid predator created by Dr. Henry Wu, the Scorpios Rex. In addition, the Campers witnessed the acquisition of the Indominus Rex's DNA from the Mosasaurus, which led to the creation of the Indoraptor. By the start of Camp Cretaceous season 4, the Campers escape Isla Nublar.
Still, they are stranded on a new island owned by Mantah Corp that contains not just dinosaurs like the Spinosaurus making its post-Jurassic Park III comeback, but also other prehistoric creatures like sabretooth tigers, as well as robotic enforcers. The teens learn Mantah Corp cloned their own dinosaurs and has genetically manipulated their creatures to fight each other for their investors. Kenji (Ryan Potter), the oldest of the Campers, also discovers that his father is Mantah Corp's CEO.
The first season takes place at the same time as Jurassic World, and the second season is the aftermath of the dinosaurs taking over the island.
The good news is that the kids were saved and reunited with their families. Surviving these adventures makes them famous and known as the Nublar Six. The first season takes place at the same time as Jurassic World, and the second season is the aftermath of the dinosaurs taking over the island. Season three takes place during the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The fourth and fifth seasons take place after the kids escape Isla Nublar after the volcano, and their story ends before Jurassic World: Dominion begins.
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous is a 3D-animated series set in the same universe as the Jurassic Park movies, taking place during Isla Nublar's dinosaur breakout, which happened in 2015's Jurassic World. First released on Netflix in 2020, the series features Paul-Mikél Williams, Sean Giambrone, Kausar Mohammed, Jenna Ortega, Ryan Potter, and Raini Rodriguez on its main cast, with supporting roles and guest appearances by Jameela Jamil, Stephanie Beatriz, Glen Powell, Haley Joel Osment, and Bill Nye.
Release Date September 22, 2020
Seasons 5
2017-2018
The Events Of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
In the aftermath of Jurassic World's fall, Claire Dearing and several of the park's employees felt responsible for the dinosaurs. When Isla Nublar's volcano, Mt. Sibo, suddenly becomes active again after remaining dormant for 500 years, Claire founded the Dinosaur Protection Group to secure funding and rescue the dinosaurs. Two of Claire's key DPG hires were systems analyst Franklin Webb (Justice Smith) and paleo veterinarian Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda).
This organization was the first of its kind to fight against the mistreatment of dinosaurs, although they ran into many opponents along the way. The DPG aims to find a way for both species to coexist while ensuring the dinosaurs experience limited human intrusion. Claire learns that Benjamin Lockwood and Eli Mills (Rafe Spall), who runs Lockwood's business affairs, have funded an operation to rescue the dinosaurs from Isla Nublar before Mt. Sibo's eruption destroys the island.
Claire recruits Owen Grady, who joins the expedition to rescue Blue, his pet Velociraptor. After they reach Isla Nublar, Grady is betrayed by Wheatley (Ted Levine), the mercenary leading the mission. Lockwood's mercs capture multiple dinosaur species and leave the rest to die on the island. Owen, Claire, and their friends survive the volcanic eruption and stow away on the ships, with the dinosaurs returning to Lockwood Manor.
Owen and Claire discover that the dinosaurs are being sold at a secret auction. Further, Dr. Henry Wu created a new hybrid superpredator, the Indoraptor, bred from the Indominus Rex's DNA. Another shocker is the fact that Lockwood's young niece, Maisie, is a perfect human clone of Benjamin's deceased daughter, Charlotte. After Owen, Claire, and Grady survive an encounter with the Indoraptor, Maisie frees the captured dinosaurs, and they flee throughout Northern California and spread across the globe.
In the follow-up to Jurassic World, Claire Dearing and Owen Grady aim to save the dinosaurs of Jurassic World from an impending volcanic eruption. Though some would see the creatures die and others aim to sell them on the black market, Owen and Claire hope to see humans and dinosaurs live alongside each other.
Director J.A. Bayona
Release Date June 22, 2018
Runtime 128 minutes
2019
Battle At Little Big Rock
Jurassic World: Battle at Little Big Rock is set one year after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Battle at Little Big Rock centers on a blended family on vacation faced with the reality of rampaging dinosaurs in their midst when an Allosaurus and a Nasutoceratops fight in their campground. After assaulting the other dinosaurs, it heads to the campers to attack the humans. Luckily, the humans survive thanks to some quick thinking, but this shows how dangerous the dinosaurs are in the real world.
Battle at Little Big Rock also ends with a montage of other dinosaurs spreading throughout the world and terrorizing civilization, setting up the events of Jurassic World: Dominion. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, the short film premiered on FX in 2019 before being released online. It was also shown as a small part of Dominion and is a warning sign to people in the fictional universe, telling them never to take these giant creatures lightly and to beware of any dangers around them.
2021
The Events Of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory
The characters from Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous return in the sequel animated series Jurassic World: Chaos Theory. The story picks up six years after the events that kicked off Camp Cretaceous, with The Nublar Six reuniting for a new adventure. The story follows the group after Jenna Ortega's Brooklyn died from a dinosaur attack, only for Ben to reveal to Darius that someone has been tracking down the Nublar Six. This ignites a trip to find the other three members and warn them of the danger that they are in.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory is squarely set between Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World Dominion in the franchise timeline. This means that the six years later setting for Chaos Theory cannot be six years after Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous season 5's ending, as that would push the sequel show's events up to 2024. Since Jurassic World Dominion's story has yet to unfold, it must be set six years after The Nublar Six were stranded, which puts the show in 2021.
Set in the Jurassic World universe, this series explores the unpredictable consequences of cloning dinosaurs, focusing on the ethical and environmental dilemmas faced by scientists and park rangers. As chaos unfolds, characters grapple with the prehistoric creatures' integration into the modern world, highlighting the fragile balance between humanity and nature.
Release Date May 24, 2024
Seasons 2
2022
The Events Of Jurassic World: Dominion
Four years after the dinosaurs were let loose in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, they proliferated throughout the world. Owen Grady discovers Blue the Velociraptor has managed to breed. Also, the worldwide spread of the dinosaurs has also become a crisis that requires the expertise of Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Dr. Ian Malcolm. This offers the franchise a chance to bring back the stars of Jurassic Park and have them team with the Jurassic World stars to tie it all together.
Dominion also sees the return of Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott), the CEO of BioSyn, who last appeared in Jurassic Park (and was played by Cameron Thor). Further, the Jurassic heroes encounter a new clone of the Gigantosaurus, the largest predator ever to walk the Earth. The villain here was Biosyn Genetics, which was using the dinosaurs to create new lifeforms, resulting in mutated locusts threatening to destroy the world. The film ends with the government again creating a dinosaur sanctuary.
Four years after Isla Nublar was destroyed in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic World: Dominion concludes the Jurassic World trilogy. Dinosaurs once again walk the earth, now alongside humans, and Claire Dearing and Owen Grady live in isolation protecting the granddaughter of Sir Benjamin Lockwood, the former partner of John Hammond, the two who started the events that kicked off Jurassic Park. However, when Blue, the trained Velociraptor from Jurassic World, shows up at their cabin with its newborn, Owen and Claire soon discover that the Biosyn Corporation is pursuing the dinosaurs. The two will have to join other series regulars to uncover the truth of Biosyn's ulterior motives.
Director Colin Trevorrow
Release Date June 10, 2022
Runtime 147 minutes
2027
The Events Of Jurassic World Rebirth
The Jurassic World timeline goes further into the future than ever before with Jurassic World Rebirth. The fourth film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali, is a reset for the franchise that revolves around Johansson's character and her covert ops team tasked with extracting DNA from the three largest remaining dinosaurs. This is to help create a drug that could have life-saving results for humanity. But when they encounter a family stranded on an island with them, shocking revelations come to life that could change the entire franchise.
Jurassic World Rebirth is confirmed to take place five years after Jurassic World Dominion. Since the trilogy capper took place in 2022, it is official that Jurassic World 4 takes place in 2027, which is the furthest point in the timeline to date. The 2025 movie release will be the first movie in the franchise to be set at a later date than its release. By building on Jurassic World Dominion's ending and going a few extra years into the future, the Jurassic timeline is growing like never before.
Five years after Jurassic World Dominion, Earth's ecology confines dinosaurs to equatorial zones. Zora Bennett, a covert ops expert, leads a team to secure genetic material from massive dinosaurs for a life-saving drug. However, stranded on their mission, they discover a devastating secret hidden for decades.
Director Gareth Edwards
Release Date July 2, 2025
Writers David Koepp , Michael Crichton
What The Future Looks Like For Jurassic Park
It has been said that Jurassic World Dominion served as the end of the storyline that began in the first movie and extended into the Jurassic World trilogy. While that might be the case, that certainly doesn't mean that the franchise is going to end. Jurassic World Rebirth will serve as the start of a new phase of the franchise that will examine the consequences and struggles of dinosaurs and humans coexisting in the world.
While it has not been confirmed whether the latest Jurassic World movie will be followed by sequels, it is fair to assume that if the film is a success, the story will continue. Interestingly, as big as the Jurassic Park franchise is, the future is not being mapped out in an overly ambitious way at the moment. Perhaps in response to the overly negative reception of Jurassic World Dominion, the filmmakers may be hoping that Jurassic World Rebirth will be a return to form that will get fans excited about these movies again before exploring what comes next.
:quality(85):upscale()/2023/03/13/840/n/1922794/a144765f640f75218ce2b5.24945169_.webp)
English (US) ·