The Jurassic Park franchise is facing another evolutionary hurdle. After the massive box office success of last summer's Jurassic World Rebirth, a sequel was quickly put into development. However, that follow-up will now move forward without one of its key creative figures.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, director Gareth Edwards has exited the project over what are being described as "creative differences." Edwards, who took over the reins after original director David Leitch departed before production began, was expected to helm the sequel. Now, Universal Pictures is on the hunt for a new director to take the reins.
The sequel is still expected to bring back stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey, with David Koepp returning to write the script. Koepp, who penned Rebirth as well as the original Jurassic Park and The Lost World, will continue the story set up in the latest installment.
For those who need a refresher: Jurassic World Rebirth picks up after the global dinosaur rampage of Jurassic World: Dominion. The prehistoric creatures now roam only a narrow band around the Equator, which poses a problem for a shady pharmaceutical executive named Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend). He wants to harvest dino DNA to develop a new heart drug, so he assembles a team including mercenaries Zora Bennett (Johansson) and Duncan Kincaid (Ali), along with paleontologist Henry Loomis (Bailey). Their mission leads them to a secret InGen facility, where they discover the company's most horrifying experiments, including the grotesque Distortus rex.
Edwards is no stranger to big franchises. He made his feature debut with the indie sci-fi horror Monsters, which caught the attention of Hollywood and landed him the gig directing 2014's Godzilla. That film was a hit and spawned the MonsterVerse, but Edwards moved on to another galaxy far, far away to helm Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. After that, he stepped back from mega-franchises to write and direct The Creator, a visually stunning sci-fi film about a future war over artificial intelligence.
His departure from the Jurassic sequel is a significant setback, but the franchise has proven resilient. The search for a new director is already underway, and with a script from Koepp and a star-studded cast, the project is likely to attract top talent. Fans will have to wait and see who steps into the director's chair, but one thing is certain: the dinosaurs aren't going anywhere.
For more on the ever-expanding world of sci-fi and fantasy, check out our list of fantasy series with the most incredible world-building. And if you're a fan of Edwards' work, you might also enjoy this gory director's cut trailer for The X-Files: I Want to Believe.
Stay tuned to ShowtimeSpot for updates on this developing story.
