Universal Pictures had to scramble to find a new director for its upcoming Jurassic World movie after the recent departure of David Leitch, and the studio has now enlisted a filmmaker who has quite a bit of experience on creature features.
According to THR, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Creator director Gareth Edwards is in final negotiations to helm the movie. As previously reported, David Koepp, who penned the original 1993 Jurassic Park and its sequel, 1997’s Jurassic Park: The Lost World, is currently working on the script.
Edwards' first film was the acclaimed Monsters, and he went on to launch Legendary's MonsterVerse with 2014's Godzilla.
Despite word only reaching us very recently, the project is already said to be "deep in development." The studio may even be considering a 2025 release date.
Plot details are still under wraps, but the movie will reportedly launch a “new Jurassic era” with an all-new storyline, which would seem to indicate that Jurassic World stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, along with the original JW crew played by Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, will not be returning.
Frank Marshall, the veteran producer who oversaw the Jurassic World trilogy, is back on board, as is another Jurassic vet, Patrick Crowley. Spielberg will executive produce via his Amblin Entertainment banner.
Leitch was in talks to direct in early February, before parting ways with the film just a few days later. Apparently, "it became clear to Leitch that his creative input would be minimal due to the project’s fast-tracked status and how the producers wanted to wield a stronger hand after the experiences of Jurassic World: Dominion."
Dominion director Colin Trevorrow will not be involved, but he did share his ideas for a potential follow-up last year.
"The previous five films are plots about dinosaurs. This one is a story about characters in a world in which they coexist with dinosaurs," said the filmmaker. "For the franchise to be able to move forward – because it’s inherently unfranchisable, there probably should have only been one Jurassic Park – but if we’re gonna do it, how can I allow them to tell stories in a world in which dinosaurs exist, as opposed to, here’s another reason why we’re going to an island?"
Do you have any interest in another Jurassic World movie? What do you make of Edwards signing on to direct? Drop us a comment down below.
"Four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, dinosaurs now live and hunt alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history's most fearsome creatures."