Why Gareth Edwards Is The Perfect Director For The New Jurassic World Movie
A new "Jurassic World" movie on the way, and it's happening in a hurry. In the span of just a month, we learned that original "Jurassic Park" writer David Koepp has returned to the franchise to pen this mysterious new entry, Universal Pictures is planning to release the film next summer, and they are looking to begin filming in just a few months. Given that we only learned about the movie's existence several weeks ago, it's all pretty surprising. So, who will be shepherding this project through production? None other than Gareth Edwards.
We recently learned that the filmmaker behind franchise films such as 2014's "Godzilla" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" will occupy the director's chair. It marks the third time that Edwards will helm an installment in a long-running franchise, which is never an easy task. Yet, both times that he stepped up to the plate, Edwards rose to the challenge and delivered hit films that helped these respective franchises find new footing. That's precisely what this series of dinosaur movies needs right now in the wake of 2022's "Jurassic World Dominion." Edwards feels like the perfect man for the job.
I am, admittedly, what one might call a hardcore "Jurassic" fan. "Jurassic Park" is my favorite movie of all time, "Jurassic Park III" is the worst movie I have seen the most times in my life, and I will defend 2015's "Jurassic World" to the death. All of that having been said, I didn't much care for "Fallen Kingdom" and "Dominion" ranked as a baffling disappointment of epic proportions to me. I have every reason to doubt a continuation of the franchise. Yet, here I am, filled with optimism in no small part due to Edwards' appointment as director. Allow me to try and instill some of that same confidence in you, dear reader and presumed dinosaur enthusiast.
Gareth Edwards has done this before (and done it well)
Originally, it was reported that David Leitch ("Deadpool 2," "Bullet Train") was being eyed to direct the new "Jurassic" film, which remains without a title. I am a fan of Leitch's work but that prospect didn't get me nearly as jazzed. But Leitch departed the project quickly, seemingly because whoever is directing this thing won't have a ton of input on the script. It's going to be a "shoot the film Universal has in mind" situation, rather than an auteur bringing their vision. While that might sound like a recipe for something hollow, this is an area where Edwards has excelled in the past.
With "Godzilla," Edwards was brought in by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures to bring Toho's classic kaiju to the big screen in America for the first time since the 1998 disaster directed by Rolan Emmerich. It was a potentially thankless job, especially for a guy who had only made the low-budget "Monsters" prior. But Edwards came in and brought a true perspective to what was put on the page by Dave Callaham and Max Borenstein. The result was a film that, though somewhat divisive, was a major commercial success that kicked off the Monsterverse franchise, which is still going strong to this day with "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" hitting theaters this year.
The impressive work on that franchise earned Edwards "Rogue One," which was another super high-pressure job. The filmmaker had to craft the first ever standalone "Star Wars" movie not directly part of the Skywalker saga. Again, he was largely there to execute a story that was already being plotted out by the studio, as well as writers John Knoll and Gary Whitta. And again, Edwards executed on a tight timeline, delivering a $1 billion hit for Disney. Granted, Tony Gilroy had a big part to play in handling reshoots on the messy production, but it was ultimately Edwards' movie — one that is still considered amongst the best "Star Wars" films produced under the Disney era of Lucasfilm.
He can make Jurassic World look great
All of this to say, not only has Edwards played in massive sandboxes before, but he's delivered results under similar circumstances. Both Warner Bros. and Lucasfilm had ideas of where they wanted those stories to go, but this is a filmmaker who managed to deliver something unique even under those working conditions. That's no small thing.
More recently, Edwards directed 2023's "The Creator" after taking a very long break from filmmaking. While the film was (sadly) not a hit theatrically, it delivered truly stunning visuals for a fraction of what most blockbuster films cost today. It easily looks like a $200 million movie, yet was made for around $80 million. If there's one thing that the "Jurassic" films could use right now, it's a visual storyteller who knows how to get the most out of those shots, while also knowing how to play with scale. We are dealing with humans and dinosaurs mingling with one another here.
Not only are we talking about a filmmaker who has demonstrated an ability to showcase scale — be it Godzilla's sheer size in relation to the world he inhabits or the Death Star in "Star Wars" — but we're also looking at a guy who can do that at a fraction of the cost when called upon to do so. And, not for nothing, but Edwards has learned a lot since he last played in a major franchise. In the aftermath of "The Creator," we're arguably looking at a better director than the man who made "Godzilla" and "Rogue One."
It's all about execution
Universal seems dead set on getting this movie out next summer. They're not going to allow an auteur to come in and shake things up. This is about executing what's on the page, and they seem to love what Koepp has put on that page. Of the directors out there capable of making the most out of a situation like this, Edwards truly feels like the best of the best.
I spoke more about this on today's episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which you can listen to below:
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The new "Jurassic World" movie is set to hit theaters on July 2, 2025.