MOVIE NEWS – J. A. Bayona reportedly tops Universal’s list of directors for the Jurassic World Rebirth sequel, potentially bringing the filmmaker back to the dinosaur franchise after Fallen Kingdom.

Jurassic World Rebirth attempted a soft reboot after Dominion, giving the series a new direction and a largely different group of characters. Gareth Edwards will not return for the sequel, leaving Universal to find a new director for the next chapter.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, J. A. Bayona is at the top of the studio’s wishlist. It remains unclear whether a formal offer has been made, but he is a logical candidate because he already understands the franchise.

Bayona has already delivered a Jurassic World blockbuster

The Spanish filmmaker directed 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which earned about 1.3 billion dollars worldwide. Reviews were mixed and the film holds a 47 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, but its commercial performance was enormous.

Bayona’s other work includes The Impossible, A Monster Calls and episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. His drama Society of the Snow also earned two Academy Award nominations, further strengthening his international reputation.

The Rebirth stars are expected to return

The sequel may tell a new story in different locations, but Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey are expected to return. David Koepp, who worked on the original Jurassic Park, is once again writing the screenplay.

The project does not yet have an official release date. Scheduling could be challenging because Johansson is expected to film The Batman Part II before moving on to Ari Aster’s Scapegoat.

If Universal hires Bayona, the franchise will return to a director who has already demonstrated that he can combine large-scale spectacle with darker, more suspenseful filmmaking.

Source: MovieWeb