The Predator isn’t the only 2018 blockbuster that has established a presence at London’s ongoing Brand Licensing Expo; Universal has also erected a suitably epic banner image for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Juan Antonio Bayona’s monstrous sequel that’s all set to become the dark and scary second chapter in Universal’s rebooted trilogy.
Pegged for a primetime June 2018 release, Fallen Kingdom has some mighty big boots to fill if it’s to emulate the success of its predecessor. Colin Trevorrow’s Jurrasic World revival was always tipped for box office stardom, but few would have predicted the film’s final tally to soar past $1.6 billion worldwide. Such an eye-watering total puts the Jurassic World franchise right up there with the highest-grossing films of all time – only Avatar, Titanic, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens have grossed more. So no pressure, right?
How Fallen Kingdom fares against such stiff competition will be told in time, but it’s clear that Universal’s hype train is about to leave the station. With the sequel’s first trailer said to be on course for a November release, it won’t be long before we have our first true look at Bayona’s follow-up in action. Until then, this banner image, which arrives hand-in-hand with a close-up of a Triceratops skull for good measure, will have to do. By the looks of things, the shot of Chris Pratt’s Owen is the same one used in the original Jurassic World marketing, though the Tyrannosaurus rex certainly looks the part.
Casting-wise, Universal has tapped a whole host of A-list talent to join Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, including The Green Mile actor James Cromwell, Ted Levine, Justice Smith, Geraldine Chaplin, Daniella Pineda, Toby Jones of Sherlock fame, and Rafe Spall. Expect series stalwarts BD Wong and Jeff Goldblum (Thor: Ragnarok) to reprise their respective roles, too.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will see a release on July 22nd, 2018. And we can hardly wait.
