One ofJurassic World Rebirth’s new characters looks awfully like an adult Tim Murphy, sparking speculation about the originalJurassic Parkchild character returning at last. Joseph Mazzello played Tim Murphy in Steven Spielberg’s originalJurassic Park. The young boy and his sister, Lex, returned for minor roles inThe Lost World: Jurassic Park, but they were absent from the trilogy conclusion. TheJurassic Worldtrilogy did not bring them back either, even as Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm came back. Now,Jurassic World Rebirth’s first imageshave brought some adult Tim confusion.
In the first look at the 2025 movie, Jonathan Bailey and Scarlett Johansson’sJurassic World Rebirthcharactersare shown crouching amid tall grass as they look at something, probably a dinosaur, out of frame. Based on the image alone, some might initially think they could be adult versions of Tim and Lex. Jonathan Bailey’s character, in particular, looks a lot like how one would imagine an adult Tim to appear physically. And since Jonathan Bailey and Joseph Mazzello are roughly the same age, it’s understandable to speculate that this is adult Tim inJurassic World Rebirth.
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Jonathan Bailey’s Jurassic World 4 Character Is Not An Older Version Of Tim
He’s A New Character
Jonathan Bailey playing an older version of Tim could have been an interesting choice forJurassic World Rebirth, but his character is confirmed to be someone else. Per the official announcement by Universal about the movie,Bailey is playing a paleontologist named Dr. Henry Loomis. He works for Johansson’s Zora Bennett as they go on a mission to acquire DNA samples of the three biggest remaining dinosaurs. This ends the speculation thatJurassic World Rebirthbrings Tim back as an adult decades later in theJurassictimeline.
Jurassic World 4 Title Explained: What “Rebirth” Reveals About The Story
The Jurassic World 4 title has been confirmed to be Jurassic World Rebirth, and that choice reveals several new details about the story and franchise.
It would have been a bit strange if Jonathan Bailey did play an older Tim inJurassic World Rebirthbased on how the franchise has handled legacy characters in the past.The movies have always brought back the original actors whenever possible, with recasts rarely happening. Since Joseph Mazzello is still a working actor, it would have felt odd for the franchise not to bring him back and allow him to play Tim again. Jonathan Bailey playing Tim could have ignited some backlash for the movie, so it is much safer for him to play a new character.
Jurassic World 4’s Adult Tim Speculation Is Familiar For The Franchise
Tim’s Return Has Been Theorized Before
The speculation that Jonathan Bailey could be adult Tim inJurassic World Rebirthis familiar territory for the modern era of the franchise. When the originalJurassic Worldwas made, there wasspeculation that Chris Pratt could be playing an older Tim Murphy. Those theories were laid to rest once it was confirmed that he was playing Owen Grady. Thankfully,Jurassic World 4put the adult Tim speculation to an end much faster and before it could become a popular theory among the fan base.
Joseph Mazzello is open to returning as Tim Murphy and playing him as an adult
Considering how often it is speculated that Tim is returning in aJurassic Worldmovie, it is more surprising that it has not happened yet. There have been no verifiable plans to have Tim appear in any of the recent movies, so it just might be something that the franchise is not all that interested in exploring.Jurassic World Rebirthmight not have an adult version of Tim Murphy among its cast, but perhaps it will still help set up his return for future installments.
