Gareth Edwards is out of the next Jurassic World — Universal wants the Fallen Kingdom director back

Right, so Universal is absolutely determined to keep the Jurassic World saga stomping along, no matter how many directors they burn through or sequels they churn out. A fresh sequel to Jurassic World Rebirth is well and truly in motion, and now the studio's mad scramble for a new director seems to be circling back to a very familiar face.

After Gareth Edwards quietly stepped away from the next Jurassic instalment over—what else—creative differences, Universal appear to be eyeing up J.A. Bayona for a return. You might remember he was in the hot seat for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom back in 2018, which did mighty business at the box office (over $1.3 billion, not that Universal needs reminding), even if it didn't exactly wow the critics or diehard fans. At this point, with the revolving door on these movies, familiarity apparently trumps novelty.

THR’s Borys Kit said on X: "J.A. Bayona may be returning to the Jurassic World franchise. The filmmaker, who directed Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in 2018, is at the top of the list of who Universal would like to direct the follow-up to Jurassic World: Rebirth."

For anyone in need of a refresher: Fallen Kingdom saw Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard braving Isla Nublar to rescue the last of the dinos before a volcano made them extinct again. Naturally, their mercenary mates had other plans—which ended up with half the film being a dino rescue op and the other half a weirdly gothic mansion sequence involving a dinosaur auction. The result was as uneven as it sounds, with fans still undecided if it's brilliant, bonkers, or just plain batty. Either way, Bayona knows his way around a CGI velociraptor better than most.

Fresh Faces (and Familiar Names)

As for this Rebirth sequel: the cast list reads like a typical studio wish list. Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali are all tipped to be back. The script comes from David Koepp, whose Jurassic credentials go right back to the original run. Universal are, predictably, playing plot cards close to the chest, but it's not hard to guess we'll be in for the usual round of rampaging dinosaurs, running, screaming, and a dash of questionable science.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom took in over $1.3 billion at the global box office.

For anyone keeping score: Rebirth got a warmer welcome than Dominion (remember those locusts?), but still landed as one of those sequels that left fans hungry for more, or at least something different. Chris Bumbray—never one to mince words—called it out as a summer letdown, noting that while it avoided the outright silliness of Dominion, it turned out "a duller film overall—with less action, fewer scenes for its stars, and a flat visual style." He also winced at what he saw as Gareth Edwards' least inspired outing, comparing it more to that sleep-inducing Godzilla reboot than anything truly lively.

• Jurassic World Rebirth sequel: Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali all expected to return
• Gareth Edwards departed over creative differences, leaving the director's chair vacant
• J.A. Bayona, who directed Fallen Kingdom, is Universal's top pick to step back in
• David Koepp back again on script duties
• Bayona's previous dino effort smashed $1.3 billion worldwide, but took a battering from critics

No word yet on whether Bayona's return is set in stone, but Universal certainly seem keen to get someone at the helm who's already proven they can steer this prehistoric ship—no matter how choppy those critical waters get.