Walking With Dinosaurs 2025: What we Know so Far

Between Prehistoric Planet, Jurassic World 4, Life on Our Planet, and several independent series soon to premiere, it’s safe to say we are experiencing a boom period in the world of paleontology film and media.

It’s also safe to say that many are taking notice of this trend – including producers in the BBC.

Yesterday morning, the BBC announced the return of Walking with Dinosaurs (WWD), the legendary 6-part documentary series first released in 1999. While some initial confusion emerged as to whether this would be a reboot or continuation of the original series, early indications are that WWD 2025 will function as a second season of sorts. Given the somber tone and definitive ending of WWD 1999, I’m not quite sure how a second season fits into the larger context of the series but am nonetheless looking forward to more WWD.

For a more thorough review of the original WWD, read my review at the following link.

Like the original incarnation, WWD 2025 will be a six-part series that focuses on various periods and locations throughout the Mesozoic era. Though the series is still early in development, the BBC’s initial press release has divulged some of the dinosaurs that will be featured. In a return to the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation, a young Triceratops will be shown battling a Tyrannosaurus rex, perhaps getting revenge for the minimal role Triceratops played in the original series:

Next, the series will travel to the Jurassic of Portugal, following the Brachiosaur Lusotitan’s quest for love. Though the sky-scraping sauropod is the only named dinosaur to be featured in Portugal, we can assume that at least one Stegosaur (Miragaia perhaps?) and Theropod (I would give good money for Torvosaurus) will also be featured.

The headliner of the series is definitely Spinosaurus, a walking paleontological Rorschach test and this website’s frenemy. Given that no promotional images have been released, it is unclear how heavily the series will lean into the semi-aquatic (or even diving aquatic) forager niche for this giant theropod. In their press release, the BBC describes Spinosaurus as “the largest carnivorous dinosaur to ever walk the earth,” a very vanilla description perhaps crafted to not agitate any faction of the paleo fanbase. I imagine that whatever direction they choose will be met with plenty of controversy, because at this point in the Spinosaurus discourse, I would not expect anything less!

Though not mentioned in the official press release, we can infer the inclusion of several other dinosaurs. Utah Paleontologist Jim Kirkland, who is part of the Utah Geological Survey, has been very vocal about the Dromaeosaur Utahraptor and Nodosaur Gastonia being featured in the series. It is unclear how reliable this information is, but given the public intrigue surrounding large raptors, I would imagine that WWD 2025 will introduce the audience to at least one such dinosaur.

Beyond that, not much else is known about which dinosaurs will be featured. Noted Caenagnathid expert Gregory Funston was consulted for the series, which means that one will probably appear. Perhaps Anzu will make its big-screen debut, a long overdue appearance for North America’s largest Caenagnathid. Besides this speculation, the rest of WWD 2025’s prehistoric cast remains a mystery…

One interesting development is the number of paleontologists who have already confirmed their involvement with the project. Dozens of paleontologists, including Henry Sharpe, Matteo Fabbri, Jay Balamurugan, Thomas Holtz, Nizar Ibrahim, and many more have confirmed that they were consulted for the series. The volume of well-known and talented paleontologists who have provided their input for WWD 2025 is extremely encouraging, as viewers can be assured that the scientific information presented in the series will be top-notch. 

Side note: the involvement of numerous Alberta-based paleontologists could hint at Cretaceous Alberta being the subject of another episode. Just putting it out there…

One Important Question: Should it be WWD?

From all accounts, WWD 2025 will be presented far differently than its predecessor. Thomas Holtz has said that WWD 2025 will be far more akin to The Ballad of Big Al than WWD 1999, with both Holtz and behind-the-scenes photos indicating that talking heads will play a prominent role in the series. Holtz has indicated that footage of the talking head paleontologists will be intermixed with the CGI dinosaurs, blending scientific knowledge with the narrative presented on screen.

This form of presentation can work well if done correctly. The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs follows this format and is what I consider the hidden gem of all paleontological documentaries. Other series, like Jurassic Fight Club, don’t fare quite as well. The presentation of CGI dinosaurs presented alongside talking heads isn’t my preferred style, though it can work if the right people are involved. Luckily for us, it seems as though this is the case.

On top of the different formatting, many of the individuals most closely associated with WWD 1999 and its sequels don’t appear to be involved in WWD 2025. Creators Jasper James and Tim Haines, composer Benjamin Bartlett, and narrator Kenneth Branagh don’t appear to be involved with WWD 2025. The value Branagh and Bartlett brought to the program will especially be missed; as I write this article, Bartlett’s Walking with Beasts theme is playing on my headphones. If that isn’t a testament to why he needs to return, I don’t know what is!

Given the stylistic differences between WWD 1999 and WWD 2025, I don’t know if this new series should be framed as the long-heralded second season of Walking with Dinosaurs. Based on the people involved and the subjects that will be portrayed, I have little doubt that it will be a brilliant project. It’s just that the project doesn’t seem to fit with what one might expect for a Walking with installment, which can make all the difference to hardcore paleonerds like myself. Can it not just be its own product?

Having said that, I am excited to see WWD 2025. The portrayal of Spinosaurus alone is enough to garner plenty of hype, but the involvement of many brilliant paleontologists both in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes should make for a high-quality program. Time will tell to see if WWD 2025 lives up to its name, but all signs currently point to it being worth the hype.