Jurassic World: Chaos Theory

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory is an American science fiction action-adventure animated television series on Netflix and is the second television series in the Jurassic Park franchise. It serves as a direct sequel to Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, while also taking place between Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World: Dominion. Aaron Hammersley and Scott Kreamer serve as showrunners and executive produce the series along with Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Frank Marshall. It features Paul-Mikél Williams, Sean Giambrone, Kausar Mohammed and Raini Rodriguez reprising their voice roles from Camp Cretaceous, with Darren Barnet joining the main cast.

The series premiered on May 24, 2024. In June 2024, a second season was announced with it set to premiere in late 2024.

Premise
Six years after Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, members of "The Nublar Six" reunite and find themselves on an adventure to unravel a conspiracy that threatens dinosaurs and humankind alike and learn the truth about what happened to one of their own.

Main

 * Paul-Mikél Williams as Darius Bowman, a member of the Nublar Six and a dinosaur fanatic who aids the DPW (Department of Prehistoric Wildlife) in capturing and protecting dinosaurs
 * Darren Barnet as Kenji Kon, a member of the Nublar Six, Darius' adoptive brother and Brooklynn's ex-boyfriend who is a skilled climbing instructor
 * Sean Giambrone as Ben Pincus, a member of the Nublar Six who became a conspiracy theorist after discovering that his friends are in danger and attempts to bring them back together
 * Kausar Mohammed as Yasmina "Yaz" Fadoula, a member of the Nublar Six and Sammy's girlfriend who is recovering from severe PTSD while attending college following her encounters with dinosaurs on Isla Nublar
 * Raini Rodriguez as Sammy Gutierrez, a member of the Nublar Six and Yaz's girlfriend who runs her family's ranch

Recurring

 * Kiersten Kelly as Brooklynn, a member of the Nublar Six and Kenji's ex-girlfriend who is presumed to have been killed by an Allosaurus under suspicious circumstances while conducting an investigation
 * Sumalee Montano as The Handler, a woman hired to kill the Nublar Six using a trio of Atrociraptors under her control
 * Eugene Cordero as Mateo, a DPW truck driver who aids the Nublar Six
 * Philip Anthony-Rodriguez as Dudley Cabrera, a regional manager for the DPW

Guest

 * Benjamin Flores Jr. as Brandon Bowman, Darius' older brother
 * Carmen Moore as Ronnie, Darius' former boss in the DPW
 * Alan Trinca as Mike, Ronnie's partner
 * Brock Powell as Mo, a gas station attendant in Texas
 * Steve Blum as Carl, Sammy's neighbor
 * Blum also voices Jensen, a corrupt DPW officer who illegally transports dinosaurs to sell on the black market
 * Andrew Kishino as Daniel Kon, Kenji's estranged father and the former president of Mantah Corp who was placed under house arrest following the end of Camp Cretaceous
 * Luis Bermudez as Bobby Nublar, the proprietor of a dinosaur-themed roadside attraction
 * Chris Jai Alex as Jared, a corrupt DPW officer working with Jensen

Several notable dinosaurs that appear in the series include Ghost, Panthera, and Tiger, three Atrociraptor originally introduced in Jurassic World Dominion. Other notable dinosaurs include Bumpy, an Ankylosaurus with an asymmetrical face who befriended Ben, and Big Eatie, a mother Tyrannosaurus rex from Mantah Corp Island, both of which previously appeared during Camp Cretaceous.

Development
As Camp Cretaceous finished production, executives at DreamWorks Animation Television and Netflix were interested in developing a follow-up. While Camp Cretaceous showrunner Scott Kreamer initially turned down the offer, he decided to work on a second series after he and co-showrunner Aaron Hammersley were given "an early rundown" of the film Jurassic World Dominion (2022), which inspired him to create a direct sequel starring older versions of the Camp Cretaceous cast in the vein of the later Harry Potter films. After deciding to work on the series, they reunited with story editor Bethany Armstrong Johnson to conceive the story for the series.

In November 2023, at Netflix's Geeked Week virtual event, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory was announced with an expected premiere date in 2024.

Writing
The series is set shortly before the events of Jurassic World Dominion. Kreamer was intrigued by the world depicted in the film, in which dinosaurs have established themselves on the mainland, and wanted to explore "what does that look like for an everyday person?" The producers also wanted to emphasize the characters now being older and "at that uncertain age where one is trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in the world," while facing their trauma, the proliferation of dinosaurs on the mainland, and a recent loss. The writers also made the show a conspiracy thriller in contrast to the more adventurous tone of Camp Cretaceous.

The series starts with the assumed death of Brooklynn, which the showrunners wrote into the story in response to criticism that Camp Cretaceous didn't put its main characters in enough danger. The series introduces holographic immersion technology that serves as "a great way to expose people to their fears [of dinosaurs] without having to face them up close and personal". The main intention of including this aspect was to explore Yaz's post-traumatic stress disorder from her time on Isla Nublar and how she copes with it as dinosaurs enter the mainland. The showrunners also established Yaz as having studied psychology because they liked the idea of her using the immersion technology to "help herself and others".

Casting
In November 2023, alongside the announcement of the series, Paul-Mikél Williams was confirmed to reprise his role from Camp Cretaceous as Darius Bowman. In March 2024, it was announced that Sean Giambrone would reprise his role as Ben Pincus. In April, it was announced that Raini Rodriguez and Kausar Mohammed would be reprising their roles as Sammy Gutierrez and Yasmina "Yaz" Fadoula respectively, with Darren Barnet replacing Ryan Potter as Kenji Kon. The showrunners originally wanted Jenna Ortega to reprise her role as Brooklynn, but she was unable to commit due to scheduling issues.

Animation
Animation services were provided by CGCG in Taipei, Taiwan. Production on a single episode took place over 17 months, with 12 weeks of animation. Visual inspirations for the series include conspiracy thrillers such as The Parallax View and All the President's Men, seeking to "evoke a similar uneasy vibe, putting the main characters at a disadvantage as they try to figure out what's coming next before it's too late".

Release
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory premiered on May 24, 2024 on Netflix. The second season is slated to premiere in late 2024.

Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.9/10, based on 6 critic reviews.