'Jurassic World: Dominion' takes us back to a primeval world in epic 5-minute prologue

Universal Pictures rolls back the rock to the dawn of time in a special, 5-minute prologue to next summer's Jurassic World: Dominion. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, scored by Michael Giacchino, and brought to vivid life by the talented VFX artists at Industrial Light & Magic, the mainly-prehistoric footage exclusively played before IMAX screenings of F9 back in late June.

Now, the entire world can watch the sequence, which picks up 65 million years in the past when dinosaurs ruled the Earth (Jurassic fans can glimpse seven new species they've never seen before). Trevorrow delivers a snapshot of a brutally harsh, yet hauntingly beautiful, primeval world before fast forwarding to the present day where a T. rex lumbers into a drive-in movie theater following the events of 2018's Fallen Kingdom. See if you can spot the subtle nod to Steven Spielberg's buddy, George Lucas.

Watch the prologue — which will not be featured in Dominion — below:

"As part of our celebration [of] welcoming moviegoers back into theaters this summer, we couldn’t think of a more perfect way to say, ‘thank you’ to the hundreds of millions of Jurassic and Fast fans around the world,” Jim Orr, President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution for Universal Pictures, said over the summer. “This first look at Jurassic World: Dominion that Colin and his team put together is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Even better, there’s simply no more perfect place to experience both the Dominion preview and F9 than on a massive IMAX screen. This really is the ultimate movie-fan experience."

“This sequence was made to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Luckily, IMAX theaters are back, and all over the world we’re returning to theaters because movies bring us closer together,” added Trevorrow. “I think we need that shared experience right now … maybe more than we ever have.”

Little is known about the plot of Dominion, which Trevorrow co-wrote alongside Emily Carmichael (the former also returns to the director's chair for the trilogy capper after handing the reigns to J.A. Bayona for Fallen Kingdom).

All we know for certain is that it'll take place in a world where humans and dinosaurs co-exist. In addition, the project is bringing back the OG cast members of Sam Neill (Alan Grant), Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), and Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm, who briefly appeared in the previous entry).

"I think people may be underestimating the size and importance of Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum’s characters in this movie," Trevorrow told SYFY WIRE last year. "It is very much an ensemble and that element, the ability to take these beloved characters from almost 30 years now and understand how they interact with each other in the context of a world that we’ve really never seen before and have not been able to witness until now — it’s very exciting for me. I’m having the time of my life."

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return to headline the ensemble cast as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, respectively. Mamoudou Athie, Scott Haze, Dichen Lachman, Daniella Pineda, Campbell Scott, Isabella Sermon, Justice Smith, Omar Sy, DeWanda Wise, and BD Wong co-star.

Jurassic World: Dominion stomps into theaters everywhere on June 10, 2022.

Universal Pictures & SYFY WIRE are both owned by NBCUniversal