Jurassic World: Rebirth's first trailer confirmed a long-running rumor about its D-Rex mutant dinosaur.
Starring the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali, the upcoming pseudo-reboot of the Jurassic franchise follows a team of researchers yet again coming face to face with massive prehistoric beasts while on a quest to uncover a miracle cure my way of some good ol' dino DNA.
From the T-Rex of Jurassic Park to the Gigantosaurus of Jurassic World, the Jurassic franchise, to this point, has featured some formidable big bad dinos over the years. That ante will seemingly be upped though in Gareth Edwards' upcoming blockbuster.
Jurassic World: Rebirth Confirms Mutant Dinosaur Theory
After months of speculation on the subject, the first Jurassic World: Rebirth trailer seemingly confirmed the existence of a mutant dinosaur set to be featured in the film known as the D-Rex.
The massive carnivore is supposedly being set up as the primary antagonist of the upcoming film, with this first look debuting a never-before-seen dino design sporting a massive T-Rex-like body and a bulbous, almost Pachycephalosaurus-esque, forehead.
It pops up at several key moments in the trailer, including one that slightly recreates the T-Rex flare sequence from the first film and two others where fans get a peek at the beast's clawed foot and another where a poor scientist is locked inside an air-tight chamber with the mutant dino.
The creature is reportedly known as the Diabolus Rex (aka D-Rex) and has been reported to be a mutant creation by human scientists, creating a mix of several apex predator dinosaur traits.
D-Rex's name appeared in several plot leaks for the film months ago, and its appearance in the trailer looks to have (at least partly) confirmed the legitimacy of those to fans everywhere.
According to those leaks, the D-Rex is a "failed clone-gone-wrong" that has been dumped on the island at the heart of the new film (per Reddit):
"The D-Rex is a failed clone gone wrong and dumped onto the new island. It has four arms and is apparently based off real life examples of failed cloning. It antagonises the crew before the final battle in which it fights the spino."
It is said to have the size and ferocity of a T-Rex, the cunning intelligence of a raptor, the jaw-stretching ability of a snake, and the camouflage ability of a cuttlefish, making it a threat unlike anything seen to this point in the franchise (via Reddit).
While a good look at the predator is not entirely given in the trailer (that will likely be saved for the movie), this first peek at the monstrosity has fans excited to see what it does as it chases Scarlett Johansson's team of scientists across Isla Sorna.
Breaking Down Jurassic World's D-Rex
Jurassic World: Rebirth Director Gareth Edwards teased the new mutant D-Rex in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, calling it a unique mix of the Rancor from Star Wars, the Xenomorph from Alien, and, of course, a T-Rex:
"Some Rancor went in there, some H.R. Giger went in there, a little T. rex went in there…"
He said he wants to bring the franchise back to its horror roots and thinks the D-Rex will play a big part in that. "Jurassic Park is a horror film in the witness protection program," he admitted, hoping to instill that feeling in the series yet again:
"'Jurassic Park' is a horror film in the witness protection program. Most people don’t think of it like that. We all went to see it as kids. But I was scared shitless, to be honest, when I was at the cinema watching the T. rex attack. It’s one of the most well-directed scenes in cinema history, so the bar’s really high to come on board and try and do this."
The D-Rex is not the only dinosaur in the movie, though, as several prehistoric beasts have already been teased for the film (read about every dinosaur in the Jurassic World: Rebirth trailer here).
As it seems, Johansson's character and her team of scientists will have to contend with several hulking beasts as they attempt to secure some dino DNA and bring it back to the mainline to save some lives.
Part of that adventure will seemingly include a fan-favorite scene from Michael Crichton's original Jurassic Park novels that never made it into the movies. Some have speculated the scene in question could be the terrifying river raft sequence from the book, which was shot for the original Jurassic film, but was cut from the final product.
Jurassic World: Rebirth will debut in theaters on July 2.
