Jurassic World Rebirth Sequel Suffers Major Setback, And It’s Not the First Time for the Franchise
The Jurassic Park franchise has been a fan favorite since the first movie hit theaters in 1993, although there’s little doubt that the franchise hasn’t always had that same level of success and positive reception. In fact, the movies have had three separate branches, even as they all technically fall under the same franchise. The first branch comprises the original movies, Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Jurassic Park III. The second branch kicked off the Jurassic World movies, but these in particular—Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Jurassic World Dominion—starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Those movies have also since concluded, however, giving way to Jurassic World Rebirth, which was released just last year and starred Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali, among others. In terms of reception from critics and audiences, the Jurassic World movies haven’t been nearly as popular as their Jurassic Park counterparts, although Rebirth was actually generally better received than either Fallen Kingdom or Dominion. With a sequel to Rebirth in the works, there was some hope that the momentum could continue. Unfortunately, that may now be in question after a major update on the sequel movie.
Jurassic World Rebirth Director Gareth Edwards Is Out for the Sequel
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter earlier today, director of Jurassic World Rebirth Gareth Edwards won’t be returning for the sequel movie. Details about this decision are difficult to pin down, but this change allegedly came about due to “creative differences.” What exactly that is in reference to is unknown, and it may forever remain so, but this does suggest that there could be some trouble on the horizon for the latest installment in this decades-long franchise. At present, the director replacing Edwards is not yet known, and that decision could have a major bearing on where the story goes. (Although, it’s worth noting, this isn’t exactly new territory for the franchise, as David Leitch was initially signed on for Rebirth before Edwards and reportedly also walked away due to creative differences.)
However, the same Hollywood Reporter story did indicate that the stars of Rebirth, Johansson, Ali, and Bailey, are expected to return in the sequel. That isn’t exactly a massive surprise, and many were expecting it, but it could, at least, be a bit of good news in light of Edwards departing the project. All three actors are popular, and viewers were excited to see what they would do on the Jurassic screen. There might be a bit of instability and perhaps even some delays following Edwards’ exit, but knowing the stars likely remain attached suggests the sequel movie is far from doomed.
Larger questions still remain about the franchise overall, though. Some viewers—perhaps many viewers—exited the theater after seeing Rebirth and wondered whether the Jurassic movies have gone as far as they can go. After all, there are only so many times this premise and relatively repetitive story arc with the dinosaurs can be revisited (and we arguably may have already passed that point). For the Rebirth sequel, hopefully, someone can step in and make this dinosaurs versus humans setup work again. For now, we just know that won’t be Edwards.
