Soon after Disney courted Colin Trevorrow to a galaxy far, far away, effectively taking the director out of the running in the process, finding a director to pick up the monstrous mantle fast became a priority for Universal as it began to lay the foundations for 2018 sequel, Jurassic World 2.
That search has arrived at a conclusion today, after series producer Frank Marshall took to Twitter to reveal that Juan Antonio Bayona – best known for The Impossible and this year’s A Monster Calls – has been appointed at the helm.
Truth be told, the addition of Bayona should come as no surprise, considering that news of the filmmaker circling Jurassic World 2 emerged back in January. But Marshall’s announcement seals the deal, and Trevorrow himself also Tweeted to welcome Bayona to the team.
Thrilled to announce JA Bayona is on board to direct JW2. Welcome to the team @FilmBayona!
— Frank Marshall (@LeDoctor) April 18, 2016
Proud to collaborate with one of my favorite filmmakers on the next Jurassic adventure. JA Bayona, it’s all yours.
— Colin Trevorrow (@colintrevorrow) April 18, 2016
That means Bayona will be hopping from blockbuster sequel to the next, after the director bowed out of development duties on World War Z 2 early on in production.
Flanked by Trevorrow – who switches gears from director to executive producer – and series stalwart Steven Spielberg, Jurassic World 2 will feature a script penned by Derek Connolly following his work on last year’s box office juggernaut. With a record-shattering $1.7 billion to its name, expect many of the stars of the original to make a return come 2018, chief among them being Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howards’ former Park Operations Manager, Claire Dearing.
Jurassic World 2 has been slated to drop on June 22, 2018. Bayona’s A Monster Calls, on the other hand, will stomp into theaters on October 14, 2016.