Fans of the Jurassic Park franchise are preparing for the upcoming “re-opening” of the universe created by Steven Spielberg in 1993. Jurassic World: Rebirth is reportedly revisiting the roots of the pop culture phenomenon that made us think that dinosaurs were no longer extinct. As exciting as this must sound for director Gareth Edwards, he wasn’t always thrilled about landing the gig. In fact, he has candidly confessed that he wanted to hate it at first.
Edwards spoke to SFX magazine about the first time he came in contact with a script for Rebirth, the Jurassic World sequel starring Scarlett Johansson. The film will essentially reboot the universe of dinosaurs brought back to life with a whole new set of characters. Edwards’ previous film, The Creator, was a stunning piece of hard sci-fi, but it must have been a jarring experience. He said he was in need of a break. However, upon reading the script for Rebirth, Edwards was convinced that he had to do it:
“I read this screenplay wanting to hate it because I just wanted to have a break. I was all ready for the polite, ‘No.’ Like, ‘Oh, it was really good, but I just want to do my own thing. Thank you for considering me.’ I got to the end of the screenplay and was like, ‘Oh sh-t, it’s good. Damn it.’
“All the characters really popped out. It was just one of those things where it was like, I can’t not do this. Also, it was all going to be done in about a year. It was just like, ‘Okay, I’m not going to be able to do anything but this.’ But it was an opportunity of a lifetime, to some extent. I dove in, really. We’re only just coming up for air.”
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Jurassic World Rebirth arrives in theaters on Jul. 2. It stars Johansson along with Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Rupert Friend, and Luna Blaise, among others. The film is a joint production between series regulars Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and The Kennedy/Marshall Company.
Gareth Edwards Is the Perfect Choice for the ‘Jurassic World’ Revival
It’s a hot take, but after Jurassic World Dominion showed audiences that nostalgia isn’t enough to make a story compelling, the franchise needed a full reboot. Not only was a new director needed, but also a new story direction in the hands of David Koepp, a veteran of the Jurassic Park phase (he wrote Spielberg’s original and the 1997 sequel). Only a director with the talent to make dinosaurs thrilling again could revive the Jurassic-verse. Edwards has shown, over and over, that he’s the right man for the job. Godzilla was a darn good reboot, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story proved he can enter franchises without losing his identity.
Jurassic World Rebirth already looks like a scarier film than the previous entries of Jurassic World, and perhaps the secret lies in accepting that the dinosaur movies are more than just adventures. At their very core, they are horror experiences based on otherworldly creatures who can snack on humans.
Source: SFX magazine (via Games Radar)
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