There was a report last month that veteran screenwriter David Koepp (“Mission: Impossible“) would be returning to the “Jurassic” franchise after tackling the first two Steven Spielberg films in the 1990s and would be writing a script for “Jurassic World 4,” aka, “Jurassic Park 7.” Now, a director has been mentioned for being in the mix for the next big installment that is said to be moving on from the established cast (Giving the impression of a potential soft reboot).
Deadline has revealed that action director David Leitch (“Deadpool 2“) is in the mix to take on “Jurassic World 4,” as the stuntman-turned-director is in early negotiations with Universal. This possible hiring wouldn’t be all that shocking given that Leitch and Universal have a longtime relationship after working together on a string of films such as “Nobody,” “Atomic Blonde,” “Hobbs & Shaw,” “The Fall Guy,” and the upcoming feature film reboot of “Kung Fu” that stars Donnie Yen. He also has a first-look deal with Universal that was struck back in 2019, which could explain the recent streak with the studio.
UPDATE #2: Deadline has updated their original report that Leitch has passed on the project and that a director search is still underway. The filmmaker is still working alongside Universal for his upcoming remake of “Kung Fu” which has Donnie Yen (“John Wick 4”) attached to be the main star. In the report, the parting of ways was “amicable” as the two had different visions for the film penned by David Koepp (“Jurassic Park,” “Jurassic Park: The Lost World”). Given the film’s release date of July 2, 2025, it would indicate that Universal needs someone to get cameras rolling very soon.
UPDATE #1: Universal/Amblin has confirmed the July 2, 2025 release date which means the director confirmation and casting are likely coming together extremely soon with an expected 2024 shoot.
The question remains if the extremely busy Leitch will have the time in his schedule to make the dino flick since he’s expected to shoot “Kung Fu” next unless this project becomes the priority. “Jurassic World 4” eyeing a July 2, 2025 release date would suggest that it is so far along that production could begin this year.
Hopefully, with this early chatter of a soft reboot that the studio is aiming to push much further into the future where dinosaurs have started to outnumber humans taking a page from projects like “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes,” and “Cadillacs & Dinosaurs.” A time jump could help the franchise move past repetitiveness and staleness.
SOURCE: DEADLINE
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