Gareth Edwards has left the island.
The director was expected to return for Universal’s follow-up to 2025’s Jurassic World Rebirth, but has now left the project over “creative differences,” sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
Rebirth grossed $869 million last year and showed there was still plenty of life left in dinosaur gene pool. Having stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey helped, of course, as did having a filmmaker who is able to weave his way around a monster movie.
Universal began moving on a sequel swiftly and has a script by returning scribe David Koepp. Johansson, Ali, and Bailey are expected to return, although schedules are still being worked out.
Plot details or takes are being kept in the Barbasol can and it is unclear what the creative differences were.
But studio insider note that the Jurassic franchise is one that has ebbed and flowed with filmmakers. David Leitch was at one point set to direct Rebirth, for example, but left over creative direction. The one constant in the franchise is the involvement of Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg and producer Frank Marshall, who exercise a heavy hand. For them and the studio, the north star of the franchise is dinosaurs in the modern world delivering wonder and terror.
“We had an incredible experience working with Gareth on Jurassic World Rebirth,” said Universal in a statement.
It is unclear where Edwards will head next, but he could move to more creator-generated project, one source posited. Before Rebirth, he directed the original feature The Creator.
Rebirth was the fourth Jurassic World movie and the seventh Jurassic movie overall. It is one of Universal’s most important titles, because of the involvement of Spielberg, and its massive money making success.
