Gareth Edwards has exited the Jurassic World Rebirth sequel as its director, citing “creative differences” as the reason for his departure from the project.
Sources informed The Hollywood Reporter of his exit, with Universal Studios providing a succinct statement on the matter. “We had an incredible experience working with Gareth on Jurassic World Rebirth,” they told the outlet.
While it’s as-yet unclear who will direct the project now, this bump in the road isn’t the end for Rebirth’s sequel. A script has already been penned by David Koepp, who famously wrote the script for the original Jurassic Park film in 1993 and 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
Rebirth’s stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey are also expected to return, though nothing has been confirmed as of yet, since schedules are reportedly still being worked out. The film famously made Johansson the highest-grossing lead actor ever, launching her over Robert Downey Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson.
It was a hugely profitable flick, grossing over $750 million at the box office, in part due to its massive opening weekend, where it raked up $300 million globally. While the numbers speak for themselves, critics’ opinions were decidedly less positive, with IGN’s Clint Gage rating Rebirth a 5 out of 10, arguing the film “plays it frustratingly safe, falling back on the blueprint of the original film, but not shedding any of the problems with the more recent movies.”
Rebirth was a fairly stand-alone experience, though its ending certainly pointed to a continuation of its story, which took place in the aftermath of the events of Jurassic World Dominion. For now, Universal seems to be moving full-speed ahead as fans await more details.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
