Jurassic World was one of the biggest hits of 2015, earning $1.6 billion worldwide as it revived the iconic sci-fi franchise. The film’s success paved the way for the filmmakers to realize their vision for a full trilogy, and Jurassic World 2 (not the official title) is coming through the pipeline for a 2018 release. Director J.A. Bayona (A Monster Calls) has been rounding out the supporting cast over the past week, bringing Daniella Pineda and possibly Dimitri Vegas on board in roles. It would appear the pre-production process will be completed shortly, as Bayona recently posted a picture on social media hinting at the start of filming.

Though Jurassic World 2 is going to have a handful of new players, there are a number of key principals who are returning for the sequel. Chief among them is Bryce Dallas Howard, who played the theme park’s operations manager Claire Dearing. The actress has previously gone on record to say how much the story pitch surprised her and how her character will be “totally different” this time around. Now, Howard has confirmed filming is on the horizon, and she’s excited about going back to the series.

In an interview with ET while attending the Screen Actors Guild awards, Howard provided a brief update on Jurassic World 2’s process:

Previously, it’s been reported principal photography on the project starts in February 2017, while more recently, March 2017 was pegged as the start date. Either way, Bayona will begin rolling his cameras soon, meaning the movie remains on track for its June 2018 premiere. It’s encouraging to hear that everything is coming together smoothly, and it will be interesting to see what (if any) information Universal shares when the cast and crew have assembled. It’s common for studios to reveal an official synopsis on day one of filming, as was the case with Marvel’s Black Panther. Many are curious to see how Jurassic World 2 justifies its existence and adds to the lore, so this would be a golden opportunity to shed some light on the plot.

“I’m leaving really soon. It’s awesome. Now we’re in the flow of things where everyone is talking every day and we’re gonna go put on a show!”

That said, there have been a few details shared over the past few months. Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow (who co-wrote the sequel’s script), stated that the film deals with themes of animal abuse, and Bayona mentioned the followup will be darker and scarier than its predecessor. At the same time, Bayona is well aware that the Jurassic Park property is known for delivering entertaining genre thrills, so he’s hoping the film will be a “fun” adventure as well. By now, everyone knows that a big-budget blockbuster is going to have style in spades, but it sounds like the creative team has crafted a compelling story that might be a little more captivating than the first Jurassic World. If that’s the case, then Universal could have an even greater smash on their hands.

Source: ET

  • Jurassic World 2 Release Date: 2018-06-22