Gareth Edwards Exits Next Jurassic World Movie as Universal Searches for New Director
The Jurassic franchise isn’t going anywhere, but it will apparently be moving forward without the filmmaker who helped relaunch it for a new generation.
According to Deadline, Gareth Edwards has exited the next Jurassic World film due to creative differences, with Universal now searching for a new director to helm the upcoming sequel.
The report comes less than a year after Jurassic World Rebirth proved that audiences still have a huge appetite for dinosaurs on the big screen. The film grossed approximately $869 million worldwide, becoming one of the year’s biggest box office successes and confirming that Universal’s long-running prehistoric franchise remains one of Hollywood’s most bankable properties.
Despite that success, Edwards will not be returning for the follow-up.
Deadline reports that insiders say the split was the result of creative differences, with Edwards now turning his attention towards developing original projects while Universal begins looking for a replacement behind the camera.
In a statement provided to the outlet, Universal said:
“We had an incredible experience working with Gareth on Jurassic World Rebirth.”
While Edwards is departing, several key creative figures are expected to remain involved. David Koepp, who wrote the original Jurassic Park in 1993 before returning to pen Jurassic World Rebirth, is reportedly once again writing the screenplay for the sequel.
The main cast is also expected to return, including Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali, although no official casting announcement has yet been made by the studio.
According to Deadline, filming could begin as early as next year.
The Jurassic saga has now been thrilling audiences for more than three decades. It began with Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking Jurassic Park in 1993, adapted from Michael Crichton’s bestselling novel. Combining revolutionary visual effects with suspense, adventure and memorable characters, the film became a landmark in blockbuster cinema and remains one of the most influential genre films ever made.
The success of Jurassic Park led to The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997 and Jurassic Park III in 2001 before the franchise was revived in spectacular fashion with Jurassic World in 2015. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, that film introduced a new generation of characters while returning audiences to a fully operational dinosaur theme park. It was followed by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in 2018 and Jurassic World Dominion in 2022, the latter bringing together legacy stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum with the newer cast.
Rather than continuing directly from that storyline, Jurassic World Rebirth acted as something of a fresh start. The film largely moved away from the characters of both the original Jurassic Park trilogy and the previous Jurassic World films, instead introducing a new ensemble and a standalone adventure.
Set around a covert extraction mission, Rebirth followed a specialist team sent to one of the most dangerous locations on Earth—an abandoned island research facility where genetically engineered dinosaurs considered too dangerous for the original Jurassic Park had been left behind. Their objective was to obtain DNA from three colossal prehistoric creatures that could help create a revolutionary medical treatment, only to uncover long-buried secrets hidden on the island.
The film’s blend of survival horror, action and large-scale spectacle was praised by many fans as a return to the franchise’s roots, making Edwards’ departure all the more surprising.
Fortunately for audiences, Universal appears committed to continuing in the same direction. With Koepp returning to write and much of the principal cast expected back, the studio seems keen to maintain continuity while simply handing directing duties to someone new.
Exactly who that filmmaker will be remains one of the biggest unanswered questions.
For now, Universal has yet to announce a replacement, but with production reportedly targeted for next year, it may not be long before the studio reveals who will be taking the next step in one of cinema’s biggest franchises.
