Jurassic World Rebirth: Gareth Edwards in talks to return for sequel

As if there was ever any doubt, Universal Pictures is getting the ball rolling on a sequel to Jurassic World Rebirth. The Insneider has reported that the studio is getting the gang back together, with director Gareth Edwards reportedly in final negotiations to return for the sequel. Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali are all expected to return as well.

Although Jurassic World Rebirth didn’t quite reach the box office heights of Jurassic World Dominion (which grossed over $1 billion), the film was still a big success for the studio, grossing over $868 million worldwide.

Edwards was naturally asked about a sequel earlier this year. “We tried to make this movie like a single standalone. When I look back on sequels, trilogies that I love, what they all have in common is that the first movie was on its own, and then it became a high-class problem of how do we now make the others?” he said. “I’ve genuinely never talked about it with anybody. Not a single conversation with David Koepp or Frank Marshall or Universal about a sequel. I think everyone’s like (knocks on wood), all they want is for people to really like this movie and make the best film we can, and that’s it. And then it’s in the lap of the gods, everything else, really.“

Although Rebirth received a better reception than Dominion (those locusts…), it still wasn’t the grand return to form that fans were hoping it would be. In fact, our own Chris Bumbray thought it was one of the biggest disappointments of the summer. “While Rebirth isn’t as ridiculous as Dominion, it’s likely a duller film overall—with less action, fewer scenes for its stars, and a flat visual style,” he said. “It’s a shame, because Gareth Edwards is a talented filmmaker, but this one feels more like his lifeless Godzilla reboot than any of his more imaginative efforts.” 

There’s no word on who will be writing the Rebirth sequel, or when the film will be released, but it’s safe to say we haven’t seen the last of humans making catastrophically dumb decisions on islands teeming with hungry dinos.