Gareth Edwards to Direct Jurassic World 4
Universal has gone to another creature-feature franchise to find its next dinosaur director. Deadline reports that the studio is close to signing Gareth Edwards to direct Jurassic World 4, or whatever the next Jurassic World/Jurassic Park movie is called, with the deal said to be “in final negotiations.” Edwards is the director of Godzilla, the first film in Legendary’s Monsterverse series, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; he also directed Monsters and The Creator. The new Jurassic film, which is being billed as a “fresh take” on the franchise and will not feature Chris Pratt or Bryce Dallas Howard, is expected to begin pre-production as soon as the deal with Edwards is finalized. Previously, Universal was courting action director David Leitch to helm the movie, but he parted ways with the project over “creative differences.” David Koepp, who wrote Jurassic Park, is penning the script. Jurassic World 4 is scheduled to be released on July 2, 2025.
I hope you weren’t planning on seeing any dinosaurs in Jurassic World 4 because Gareth Edwards is not exactly known for an overabundance of money shots in his blockbusters. (On the other hand, I hope you’re prepared to hear idiots tell you that you must hate Jaws if you don’t like it.) His Godzilla confoundingly jumped from an impending monster fight to a toddler eating chicken nuggets in one scene. To be fair, his subsequent films were more generous with their spectacle, even if they weren’t particularly good movies. And that’s the real issue, at least for me: I’ve seen three of the four movies Edwards directed, and I didn’t like any of them. (Although The Creator at least looked great, and it was made cheaply, too, which is probably a major factor in his hiring for Jurassic World 4.) But, and this may sound strange, I’m fine with him directing Jurassic World 4 because I have no expectations for this franchise anymore. Jurassic Park is a classic as far as I’m concerned, but the rest of them are unnecessary junk picking at its bones. I’d rather have someone I don’t care for making the next batch than a guy like David Leitch, whose films I anticipate. But I do hope he delivers something the remaining Jurassic fans enjoy.
