RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Director Gareth Edwards was planning a return to the world of Jurassic to helm the next film in the franchise but, alas, that's no longer happening. Citing "creative differences," Edwards is no longer attached to direct a sequel to 2025's Jurassic World Rebirth , which is still in development.
"We had an incredible experience working with Gareth on Jurassic World Rebirth ," Universal and Amblin said in a statement to Deadline . Edwards will now "focus on other original projects he is developing" as the search for a new director begins. (We do wonder, though, if those creative differences had anything to do with his recent statements on AI . As in, maybe Steven Spielberg's production company doesn't want to work with a filmmaker who is pro-AI, but that's purely speculative.)
Edwards' 2025 film starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali was a solid hit for the franchise, grossing about $340 million domestically and $869 million globally. So, of course, the companies involved would want to keep making films in one of the world's most popular and recognizable franchises. That's why Rebirth writer David Koepp wrote a sequel screenplay that will bring back all three of those stars.
What specifically that's about, we don't know. All we know is that Gareth Edwards won't be directing it.
The question then becomes, who will direct it? Surely there are hundreds of people who would be angling for the job and probably at least a few dozen who'd be capable. We'd love to see someone with a little flair do it. Someone like Olivia Wilde, Edgar Wright, Greta Gerwig, or Phil Lord and Chris Miller. It probably won't be any of those people but once you start to think of the possibilities, it gets pretty exciting.
And yet, Edwards did a solid job with the last film, and it would have been fine to see him keep that tone and vision cohesive. But, as Ian Malcolm would say, life finds a way.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .
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