In 2018, J.A. Bayona — then perhaps best known as the director of The Orphanage and A Monster Calls — injected a fresh shot of Gothic horror into the Jurassic Park franchise’s DNA with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It may have divided critics and fans upon release, but we praised it from day dot for bringing the fear factor back to the dino saga, and it has steadily grown in audiences’ estimations in the eight years since its release. Which may prove just as well, as The Wrap is reporting (via The InSneider) that Bayona is the surprise frontrunner to helm the next jurassic World movie.
News of Bayona’s potential Jurassic comeback come in the wake of the recent bombshell that Jurassic World: Rebirth helmsman Gareth Edwards has left the franchise’s next entry, citing ‘creative differences’. While the nature of said creative differences remain unknown, it is still believed that Rebirth‘s follow-up — once again penned by series veteran David Koepp — will see the returns of the last movie’s new trio of stars, Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey. How exactly Bayona — whose most recent movie, Society Of The Snow, was a survival thriller of an altogether different kind to the Jurassic saga’s creature feature shenanigans — would re-enter the fray, and what vision he would bring to the project after the big, ballsy swings he took with Fallen Kingdom very much remain to be seen.
Per The Wrap‘s reporting, sources close to the franchise maintain a core belief that it’s producers Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall’s status as the foundational architects of these films that make them tick, with the revolving door of directors and casts all serving as a natural part of the franchise’s evolution. With shooting set to get underway on the latest Jurassic adventure potentially as early as next year, we’ll have to wait and see if J.A. Bayona, uh, finds a way back to the director’s hotseat or not. As Fallen Kingdom truthers, we’re hoping for the former: more Gothic dino action please, Mr. Bayona!
