Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Universal picks another Hollywood upstart for Jurassic World sequel

Universal Studios has announced the successor to its sterling new Jurassic World franchise today, revealing the director for the sequel to the film will be Hollywood upstart J.A. Bayona.

The director, best known for his work on the tsunami drama The Impossible, was courted from Paramount, where he was slated to direct the Brad Pitt-starring World War Z 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Spanish director reportedly left the project in January, and now we know why.

Recommended Videos

Universal bet big with its choice to direct the first film in its reboot of the hallowed Jurassic Park franchise, choosing indie director Colin Trevorrow. The bet paid off handsomely with a billion-dollar blockbuster that helped put Universal at the top of the earnings table, and brought plenty of accolades for all involved. The film, along with other monsters like Fast 7 and Minions, helped Universal break the $5 billion mark in record time.

However, Trevorrow is moving up in the world — if there is such a thing after the colossus that was Jurassic World — and has been hand-picked by Disney to helm its third juggernaut in the new Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars Episode IX

It’s believed that stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard will both return for the next installment in the Jurassic World franchise, as will the full production team, including producers Frank Marshall and Pat Crowley, and executive producers Steven Spielberg and Trevorrow himself. Trevorrow will also pen the script for the movie with collaborator Derek Connolly.

Not much else is known about the new film, but (spoiler alert), after the mess that was leftover from the first film in the franchise reboot, it seems that everyone will have plenty to do. Just why they would return to an island littered with genetically altered super-dinosaurs, well, that’s up for the writers to work out.

Universal’s new Jurassic World sequel is slated for arrival in June of 2018.

Ryan Waniata
Former Home Theater & Entertainment Editor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
How Jurassic World Dominion’s VFX made old dinosaurs new again
Two dinosaurs look at each other in Jurassic World Dominion.

The Jurassic World trilogy concluded in epic, roaring fashion with Jurassic World Dominion, which brought the franchise full circle in multiple ways. Not only did Dominion bring back Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow behind the camera, but it also reunited the modern trilogy's stars, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, with those of the original Jurassic Park: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum.

Dominion also featured the return of some popular dinosaurs from the original trilogy, as well as the introduction of a few amazing -- and terrifying -- new dinosaurs, too. Blending all of these fresh and familiar elements together was no small feat. Digital Trends spoke to the film's visual effects supervisor, Academy Award nominee David Vickery, about the "digital paleontology" his team performed while revisiting the franchise's past in Jurassic World Dominion.

Read more
Hollywood is abandoning movie theaters at the wrong time
Tom Cruise flys a plane in Top Gun: Maverick.

After a rough two years in which the COVID pandemic and the rise of streaming services contributed to a record decline in audiences going to movie theaters, Hollywood is seemingly coming back. Franchise tentpoles like Jurassic Park Dominion and Minions: The Rise of Gru posted healthy opening weekends, while Marvel recovered from the pandemic low of Eternals and is once again posting worldwide grosses for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder that flirt with $1 billion (or soon will be). And above all else, Top Gun: Maverick continues to make money week after week, becoming Paramount's biggest hit since Titanic.

All that progress, however, is increasingly likely to stop in August, when a dearth of product will threaten the recovery of the theatrical experience -- and the sustainability of Hollywood's traditional business model. The already dire situation got even worse, with Warner Bros. recently pushing back the Stephen King adaptation Salem's Lot and MGM opting to release the Sylvester Stallone-led genre film Samaritan on Prime Video. While both films are not guaranteed blockbusters, their absence is all the more pronounced with what's left on the theatrical calendar for August, September, and even October: cheap horror films, indie movies with little hope of crossover appeal, and re-releases of past hits like Avatar, Jaws, and E.T.

Read more
Yes, they’re bad, but the Jurassic World movies are fun too
The cast of Jurassic World: Dominion stares up at an approaching dinosaur.

Jurassic World Dominion remained atop the box office during its second weekend, mainly because Lightyear severely underperformed. Despite Dominion's negative critical reception, it's undeniable that the film is a hit with audiences; it has an A- on CinemaScore and a 78% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Sure, those two aren't exactly badges of honor when talking about quality, but they sure as hell are indicators of a film's potential success at the box office and longevity in streaming services.

We look down at most modern blockbusters because they offer us nothing beyond the cheap thrills of their basic premises. And although recent examples -- Dune, The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick -- have proven there is space for depth and nuance in major motion pictures, most modern blockbusters remain firmly set on the repetitive and by-the-numbers approach spearheaded by the superhero genre and championed by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, there is something noteworthy -- dare we say, admirable -- in a film that knows what it is, who it's for, and what its ultimate goal is. After all, a blockbuster's purpose is to entertain. More than any other type of film, a blockbuster should keep audiences happy for the required two hours. While it can have a deeper meaning, an extra layer of sentimentality, or a thought-provoking message, at its core, the blockbuster exists to entertain its spectacle-hungry audience.

Read more