Mahershala Ali to appear in next ‘Jurassic World’ film

By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Film and television star Mahershala Ali’s profile and exposure just keeps growing, and now may be joining the cast of a huge film franchise. It was announced last week that Ali was in talks to star in the next edition of the “Jurassic World” franchise alongside Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey. The story was initially reported in the Hollywood Reporter. This latest edition would also star Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Rupert Friend. The film will reportedly be directed by Gareth Edwards with a mid-June production start date in London. The original screenwriter of “Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” David Koepp, has returned to write the new script. Perhaps those fans who’ve been disenchanted by the direction of the more recent editions might find this news comforting. & Steven Spielberg is executive producing via Amblin Entertainment, with Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley producing via Kennedy/Marshall. Sara Scott, executive vice president of production, will oversee for Universal with the studio’s creative executive Jacqueline Garell. Considering what happened with the last edition, it will be quite intriguing to see where this new version goes and how the cast handles whatever story is provided by Koepp...