Things are ramping up once again for one of the biggest franchises in movie history. It was just announced thatRogue OneandThe CreatordirectorGareth Edwardswould be taking the reins to directthe recently announced next film in theJurassic Worldfranchise, and it seems like he’s thrilled about the position, something that pulled him away from working on his own original projects to take on such an opportunity.
At Collider’s FYC event forThe Creatorlast night, moderated bySteve Weintraub, Edwards was able to talk a little about landing the job, which puts him next to industry greats likeColin Trevorrow,J.A. Bayona, andSteven Spielberg. With the news coming out so fast, he says he attempted to warn his family before it hit the Internet, though that’s a tough task in today’s day and age. “I tried my damnedest to contact my mum and tell her before it got on the internet,” he says, “and I did the same with my sister. I woke my sister up to tell her. I’ve left a message for my dad, but because of the time difference he’s asleep. So hopefully he won’t look on the internet when he wakes up.”
Edwards Joins an Iconic, Global Franchise
As every director usually does, Edwards also had great praise for originalJurassic Parkdirector Spielberg, who he cites as “the reason [he] ever wanted to be a film director.” The chance to work on the franchise was one he jumped on immediately, even though he was set to step away from filmmaking for a while after the Oscars run forThe Creator:
“I was about to take a break and I started writing my next idea for a film and this is theonlymovie that would make me drop everything like a stone and dive right in. I loveJurassic Park. I think the first movie is a cinematic masterpiece…so this opportunity is like a dream to me. And to work with Frank Marshall and Universal and David Koepp, who’s writing the script, I think they’re all legends. So I’m just very excited.”
Edwards is the second director to have his name attached to the newJurassic Worldfilm, afterThe Fall GuydirectorDavid Leitchwas very briefly in talks to helm.David Koepp, who was responsible for both the screenplay forJurassic Parkand its sequel,The Lost World, will be penning the script, and it seems like things are heading in a positive direction for the sequel, despite having a 2025 release date and no cast or filming window set yet. Spielberg is also set to produce the film through his Amblin Entertainment banner, alongsideFrank Marshall, but no stars from eitherJurassic ParkorJurassic Worldare set to return for the new sequel.
The as-yet-untitled sequel will mark the seventh entry in the overallJurassic Parkfranchise, not counting the Netflix animated spinoff series,Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.The last film in the franchise,Jurassic World Dominion, was released in 2022, was largely a financial success, grossing over $1 billion worldwide, featuring the (nostalgia-baiting) return ofSam Neill,Laura Dern, andJeff Goldblum, starring alongsideChris PrattandBryce Dallas Howard, among others.
The newJurassic Worldfilm is set to hit theaters on July 23, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
