"Jurassic World" stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are expected to return for the film's sequel, which is slated to premiere in 2018. However, director Colin Trevorrow won't be back to helm the sequel as according to Deadline, he accepted the job directing "Star Wars: Episode IX" right after the "Jurassic" reboot grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide. But the website reports that someone is already being eyed as a potential director of the upcoming film.
Juan Antonio Bayona is said to be in the running to direct the "Jurassic World" sequel. Bayona is known for directing the 2012 film "The Impossible" and 2007's "The Orphanage." He also helmed two episodes of "Penny Dreadful" in 2014. Back in 2009, he was rumored to be on the shortlist to direct the third "Twilight" movie, "Eclipse," before the job eventually went to David Slade.
Deadline reports that Bayona has a close relationship with producer Frank Marshall, but no talks have taken place yet.
While Trevorrow won't be helming the film, he will still be involved in some capacity as he wrote the sequel with Derek Connolly. In a previous interview with Wired magazine (via Uproxx), Trevorrow gave a preview about the upcoming film, saying that it won't be "just a bunch of dinosaurs chasing people on an island" because "that'll get old real fast. Instead, the film will focus on how the science used to create the dinosaurs can be used for some other purpose.
He compared it to how nuclear power evolved from being a weapon of destruction to something useful, saying, "When you look back, the first instinct is to weaponize it, and, later on, we found it can be used for energy."
Last year, Universal executive Donna Langley revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that Trevorrow has been working with Steven Spielberg and that they have plans for the next "Jurassic" movies.
"They have an idea for the next two movies actually," Langley told THR. "It was designed as a trilogy, unbeknownst to us. It's a happy surprise."
"Jurassic World 2" premieres in June 22, 2018.
