Jurassic World and Gareth Edwards Are a Smart Match
An old franchise pro takes on a new world.
Jurassic World is entering a new era. After bringing back the original cast for the bombastic misfire that was Jurassic World: Dominion, it looked like the franchise had nowhere left to go. But in January, Variety revealed a new Jurassic World movie was in development, and now we have some sense of the identity the film is pursuing.
When the new movie was announced, an intriguing screenwriter was already attached: David Koepp, the writer of the original Jurassic Park. Then John Wick’s David Leitch was soon announced as being in talks to direct. But the duo of Davids wasn’t meant to be, as Leitch left the project only four days later.
Rogue One and The Creator director Gareth Edwards will tackle the next Jurassic World movie.
Now this untitled Jurassic World movie has a new director. The Hollywood Reporter claims The Creator and Rogue One director Gareth Edwards is in talks to direct, which seems like a far better fit for a more nostalgia-focused dino adventure than David Leitch’s action pedigree.
Directing new takes on classic franchises is Edwards’ bread and butter. He not only directed the acclaimed Star Wars spinoff Rogue One, but also kicked off the MonsterVerse with 2014’s Godzilla. In 2023 he directed and wrote The Creator, but middling reviews cited issues with his original story.
After the dull Jurassic World: Dominion, Edwards will need to steer the series in a new direction.
This makes Edwards a compelling choice for a new Jurassic World movie. He’s a talented director, but is at his best when given a well-crafted script. With David Koepp writing, the script should hopefully hit the high-quality mark the Jurassic franchise started life with. It’s also a solid choice for the broader franchise: Gareth Edwards has a proven record of breathing life into tired series, and his spectacle-heavy style is clearly influenced by Spielberg.
The latest Jurassic World movie has had a rocky start, but it looks like it’s finally found the right director. The next question is how — or if — it will progress the story. Will Edwards and Koepp deliver a nostalgia-fest that brings back all the Speilbergian aspects that made the Jurassic franchise so fun to begin with, or will it further the new-era worldbuilding of clones and super-locusts? We can only hope for the former.
