Universal is moving forward on a sequel to Jurassic World Rebirth, with Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey confirmed to return alongside scriptwriter David Koepp. Director Gareth Edwards has exited the project over creative differences, leaving the studio to find a replacement who can match producers Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall’s vision while keeping production on track.
Universal is capitalizing on a $869 million global haul. Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey are already confirmed to reprise their roles, and David Koepp is back at the keyboard to keep the story on track. Director Gareth Edwards has walked away over creative differences, echoing the studio’s earlier split with David Leitch. The pressure is now on to find someone who can satisfy both the schedule and the vision of Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall.
An unstoppable franchise keeps growing
The dinosaurs are not done stomping through multiplexes. After Jurassic World Rebirth, released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment in U.S. and Canadian theaters on July 2, 2025, pulled in $869 million worldwide, Universal wasted little time greenlighting a follow-up. The studio has treated the franchise as one of its most reliable moneymakers since 1993, and this latest box office haul only confirmed that the appetite for prehistoric spectacle remains very much alive.
A familiar cast signs on for round two
The core trio from Rebirth is expected back. Scarlett Johansson, who played Zora Bennett, will headline once again, joined by Mahershala Ali (Duncan Kincaid) and Jonathan Bailey (Dr. Henry Loomis), whose chemistry helped carry the previous film past skeptical early reviews. Their return gives the sequel a foundation of continuity that the franchise has often lacked between installments.
Behind the keyboard, Universal has brought back David Koepp, the screenwriter who penned the original Jurassic Park adaptation for Steven Spielberg. Koepp is currently writing the new chapter, and the plot remains under tight wraps. His involvement signals that the studio wants this sequel to feel connected to the larger story he helped shape in Rebirth.
Creative differences claim another director
The production hit turbulence when Gareth Edwards, who directed Rebirth and gave it a genuine sense of scale and monster-movie tension, walked away from the sequel over creative differences with the studio and its producers. The dinosaurs at Universal are closely guarded by Spielberg and producer Frank Marshall, whose formula is well established: big family-friendly spectacle, loose creatures, and minimal artistic risk-taking.
There is precedent for this kind of exit. David Leitch, the filmmaker behind Bullet Train, had previously departed Rebirth itself before cameras rolled, reportedly for similar reasons. Edwards apparently found the creative box too narrow for a second tour of the island, leaving the director’s chair empty at a delicate moment.
The hunt for a new director begins
Universal now finds itself in an unusual position. The script is advancing, the stars are ready to face the velociraptors again, but nobody is holding the camera. The studio is actively searching for a filmmaker willing to work within Spielberg and Marshall’s vision without derailing the timeline, a job that demands technical skill and a certain flexibility of ego.
Whoever takes the assignment inherits a franchise that has grossed more than $6 billion across 7 films, along with the pressure that comes with it. Universal has not yet announced a release date, though the pace of development suggests the studio is aiming to get the sequel into US theaters before the end of the decade.