The upcoming Jurassic World movie may have found its director: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's Gareth Edwards.
THR reports that Edwards is in talks to take the helm after negotiations previously fell through with David Leitch, the filmmaker behind movies like John Wick, Deadpool 2, and Bullet Train. Per the report, Universal and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners are "moving fast" to nail down creative appointments, especially considering it's already announced a July 2, 2025, release date.
Should the deal go through, it would mark a return to franchise filmmaking for Edwards. Before he took on the critically acclaimed 2016 Star Wars spinoff, he also directed the 2014 Godzilla reboot. His most recent film was sci-fi epic The Creator this past summer, his first original movie since his 2010 debut, Monsters.
“I never meant to do IP,” Edwards told me in an interview last year. “I honestly thought what I would do with my career, if I had one, is my own ideas, one after the other. And then I just got offered this amazing, lottery-winning thing of getting to do Godzilla, teleporting straight to the Super Bowl final.”
The new Jurassic World movie was first revealed in January, with David Koepp - who co-wrote the screenplay for the 1993 original Jurassic Park, as well as its sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park - serving as writer. Spielberg will also serve as an executive producer through Amblin Entertainment.
Little else is known about the new Jurassic World, including the official title. What we do know, though, is that it's said to be a fresh take on the series with new characters. Thus, Jurassic World's Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard aren't expected to return, nor are the original trilogy's Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern.
IGN has reached out to Universal for comment.
Thumbnail credit: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
