David Leitch No Longer Directing Next Jurassic World Film As Talks Fall Through
In a somewhat shocking announcement, Deadline has reported that negotiations between Universal Pictures and David Leitch to direct the next Jurassic World film have fallen through due to creative differences, and the studio is now seeking their next choice to helm the film. This report comes only a few days after the John Wick director was announced as being “in talks” to direct Jurassic World 4. More from Deadline below:
Insiders say the parting was amicable but that ultimately the studio and Leitch had different visions for the film.
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) February 9, 2024
This now becomes one of the hotter directing jobs in town as the studio is still sticking to its July 2, 2025 release date https://t.co/YYLlslpzbH
Adding further context and intrigue to this news is The Hollywood Reporter, who shared insider knowledge about the nature of the director negotiations and the state of production on the next Jurassic:
“But more interesting was Universal’s new Jurassic World movie losing director David Leitch. The surprising news came only a few days after we and others wrote about him being in talks to tackle the dinos. What happened?
Part of the problem is that Universal is so far along on the project that Leitch would essentially have been more of a shooter than someone who could have really put his stamp on the film.
“There’s not enough time to work with new ideas,” one source told us of the film, which has a script by David Koepp and an ambitious July 2, 2025 release date. According to another source, the producers have already done some dino design work and soft prep on the movie.
But we can see why the film was attractive for someone like Leitch in the first place. It was going to lean into action territory (one source described it as having an Escape from New York vibe, but a Universal insider said that was not true. Well, what about the idea of weaponized dinosaurs? The insider said no.)
Either way, Universal will be looking for a new director ASAP.”
It seems Universal Pictures is moving quite quickly on the next Jurassic film, and very much wants to find the person they view as the right creative mind to bring it to life. This news could also suggest that they are very confident in Koepp’s script and story, and may not want too many changes from a new director that comes on board.
What an exciting, somewhat confusing, and wild few weeks of Jurassic news we have had. What are your thoughts about the state of production on the next Jurassic World and who do you think should fill the director’s chair? Let us know in the comments!
