David Leitch No Longer Directing Jurassic World 4
Well, that was fast. Just a few days ago, news broke that David Leitch, co-director of John Wick, would be directing Jurassic World 4, or whatever they call the next Jurassic Park sequel. But another Deadline exclusive says that the talks have ended, and Universal is going another way. Creative differences are the given reason for the parting of ways, as it almost always is, but Deadline’s source says there are no hard feelings on either side. Apparently, Universal and Leitch “had different visions for the film.” David Koepp, who wrote Jurassic Park, is still on board as the screenwriter of the next Jurassic movie, and Universal still wants to release it on July 2, 2025, so a director is expected to be hired soon. As for Leitch, his production company, 87North, has a couple of films gearing up for production: With Love, starring Ke Huy Quan, and an adaptation of Kung Fu with Donnie Yen in the lead. He also directed The Fall Guy, which will hit theaters on May 3, 2024.
I consider this good news. I didn’t want David Leitch to direct some lousy Jurassic Park sequel; I’d rather him focus on action movies because he makes great ones, and we need more of them right now. His talents would be wasted on another unnecessary dinosaur flick when he’s got so many boiling pots to watch at 87North. For instance, he was expected to direct Kung Fu until Jurassic Whatever came along; now, he can go back to that without having to delay it. And I’m sure they’re developing other movies that are, frankly, more deserving of his attention. I feel somewhat bad saying that; I’m sure Leitch would have liked to add a Jurassic movie to his résumé, and the payday likely would’ve been huge. But as someone who appreciates his work and that of his production company, I’d selfishly rather see him continuing to save the action genre. Sue me.
