Jurassic World 2 has bagged itself an excellent director. J.A. Bayona has hopped on board to helm the follow-up to Colin Trevorrow’s dino-blockbuster and we think it’s an excellent choice from Universal Pictures.
When Trevorrow was hired and charged with the task of reinventing Steven Spielberg’s outstanding franchise, he only had the 2012 indie sci-fi Safety Not Guaranteed to his name by way of feature films. However, Universal placed their trust in him that he could handle a massive budget and deliver a hit. He achieved that admirably. But he’s moved on to even bigger things, namely Star Wars: Episode IX.
Now, the studio is continuing its tradition of giving relative unknowns a launchpad with Bayona, who boasts a low-key but impressive resume. The Spanish director was responsible for the brilliantly terrifying 2007 horror film The Orphanage. He also helmed tsunami disaster flick The Impossible and is the man behind the very intriguing A Monster Calls, a dark fantasy drama featuring Liam Neeson as a monstrous tree.
Bayona is a director who invests himself in story and characterisation – good news for a movie which could easily be a T-Rex smashing things up in lesser hands. But no, creating tension and terror is Bayona’s forte, having also directed several episodes of the creepy gothic series Penny Dreadful.
Jurassic World 2 sees Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return to their roles. Jeff Goldblum also revealed he was open to returning as the Chaos Theory mathematician/womaniser Dr Ian Malcolm for the sequel. Well, we think he said that (his answer was very Jeff Goldblummy).
Jurassic World 2 stomps into theatres June 22nd, 2018
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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