Gareth Edwards Exits Jurassic World Rebirth Sequel
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- Gareth Edwards has exited Universal's planned Jurassic World Rebirth sequel over creative differences, with the studio confirming the departure
- The 2025 reboot Jurassic World Rebirth earned $870 million globally — a sharp dip from the prior spinoff trilogy, whose three entries all crossed $1 billion worldwide
- Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey are expected to return alongside original screenwriter David Koepp, though plot details for the follow-up remain unconfirmed
- Universal is targeting a 2027 production start on what will be the eighth installment in the Jurassic franchise, which carries production budgets that regularly soar above $250 million
- Edwards previously directed the 2014 Godzilla reboot, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and The Creator, and was also expected to reunite with the dinosaur franchise after helming the 2025 reboot
Why it matters: Universal must now find a new director for a franchise showing diminishing returns — Rebirth's $870M trails the prior trilogy's three $1B+ runs — while keeping the $250M+ budget machine on a 2027 timeline. The creative-differences exit adds uncertainty to a series that has been director-anchored since Spielberg's 1993 original.
