You Better Believe You’re Getting A Jurassic World 2
During Jurassic World, the engineers in the control room worried that a breach like the one that unleashed the genetically altered super-dinosaur upon the tourist crowd could scare the public into abandoning the park for good. It was certainly a possibility, especially when people started getting eaten, but then Jurassic World smashed record after record and became the third highest-grossing movie ever, toppling The Avengers and taking a cushy throne next to Avatar and Titanic. Now there’s no way that park is closing, ever, casualties be damned.
Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have signed on to return for the upcoming sequel, making Jurassic World 2 the first in the series to directly continue the storyline of its predecessor. (The Lost World had a couple guys return, but you know what I mean. Generally #2 and #3 told #1 over again with different people.) Pratt’s character was interesting enough that I might want to see him a second time. But if Jurassic World proved anything besides how nostalgic people are for the 90’s, it was that JP’s premise is incredibly limited in what you can do with it. There are living dinosaurs, something goes wrong, we follow a handful of people as they try to avoid getting eaten or stomped on. It’s the same plot every time and there’s little wiggle room to make it fresh.
Colin Trevorrow, Jurassic World’s director, is seemingly aware of this and it’s why he’s not returning to direct the sequel. He spoke back in 2013 about the necessity for a change of hands. “Jurassic Park is like Star Wars. Different directors can give a different taste to each movie. I would be involved in some way, but not as director.” And he won’t be. He will, however, return to write the script.
Universal has set a target date for Jurassic World 2: June 22, 2018. This date will be guarded by raptors and not even Disney’s superhero posse will dare approach it.