J.A. Bayona in talks to direct next ‘Jurassic World’ film

Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona is in talks with Universal Pictures to direct the next “Jurassic World” film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona is in talks with Universal Pictures to direct the next “Jurassic World” film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Bayona, who directed 2018’s “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”, could take over the franchise after Gareth Edwards left the planned sequel to “Jurassic World Rebirth” in August.

Edwards’ departure was attributed to creative differences, according to sources cited by The Hollywood Reporter. Universal confirmed his exit in a statement, saying: “We had an incredible experience working with Gareth on ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’.”

The studio had begun searching for a new director after Edwards’ departure. The sequel is being developed from a script by David Koepp, who also wrote “Jurassic World Rebirth”, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Bayona previously directed “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”, the fifth film in the wider “Jurassic” franchise. He also directed “The Impossible” and “A Monster Calls”.

The filmmaker has also spoken about the potential of generative artificial intelligence in filmmaking. At Amazon’s AI on the Lot event in May, he described AI as a tool that could eventually become as important as the camera and said he hoped to make a hybrid generative-AI film.

“It’s like we have to revisit the plan six months from now because it might be a totally different series of tools,” Bayona said at the event.

He added that technologies that had not been possible several months earlier were becoming possible as AI tools developed.