It’s official, a new Jurassic Park film is coming out. It’s been confirmed by the Hollywood Reporter that Universal has been quietly working on a new trilogy with original Jurassic Park writer David Koepp penning the latest script. The report states that the studio may be able to drop a new film in 2025! This is fresh off the Jurassic World trilogy with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, with the final film, Jurassic World: Dominion, released in 2022.
It’s not particularly surprising that another round of Jurassic Park is heading to theaters. Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom, and Dominion all made over a billion dollars, even though the last two films weren’t well received by critics. However, could Universal be making a big mistake? It’s clear that mainstream audiences love the franchise, but coming out with another set of Jurassic Park movies can do more harm to the IP in the long run.
The New Round of Jurassic Park Films Feels Like Executives Are Try To Milk The Franchise Dry
Hollywood is a business first and foremost, so there was no way that they were going to let a successful cash cow like the Jurassic Park series stay out of the mainstream for long. However, this is a mistake. Audiences LOVED Jurassic World. Though it was an average movie that never reached the heights of the first Jurassic Park. Still, it was a fun popcorn flick that deserved its financial success. Then the sequels came.
For a franchise about dinosaurs roaming the Earth with humans, some of the most convoluted and ridiculous moments happened in Fallen Kingdom and Dominion. There was an entire locust plot controlled by an evil corporation. Who could forget about the child clone subplot? Fallen Kingdom and Dominion reached the Fast and Furious levels of ridiculous. It was clear there wasn’t much of a plan following Jurassic World, as each film felt unnecessary and focused more on the humans than the dinosaurs themselves.
For some odd reason, studios feel that audiences need to have human characters to relate to. The recent Planet of the Apes franchise proved that you can make an excellent film without humans leading the way. It’s not confirmed that a trilogy is set, but if the next Jurassic Park film reaches a billion, expect a follow-up. It feels way too soon to have another Jurassic Park series with a new cast. Jurassic World: Dominion isn’t even five years old! Universal should’ve waited at least five years to entertain another sequel.
The Dangers Of Continuously Making Bad Films
The first Jurassic Park is highly regarded as one of the best blockbuster films ever made. However, the sequels aren’t exactly held in the same respect. Granted, Jurassic Park’s II and III aren’t as bad as the Jaws sequel, but the box office greatly diminished with each outing. A huge reason that Jurassic World was such a success is because it’s been over ten years since the last film. More importantly, there aren’t many dinosaur franchises, so fans were clamoring for some dinosaur action.
Though Fallen Kingdom and Dominion did make over a billion dollars worldwide, it’s notable that each outing saw some diminishing returns. This is in the vein of Transformers, where the franchise had the audience’s goodwill based on the first film; even though a good majority of critics and fans complained about the sequels. The financial returns for the series slowly diminished until the final Michael Bay film, Transformers: The Last Knight.
Now, the franchise is struggling to reach the highs that the original Michael Bay films achieved. Bumblebee was highly regarded by critics, receiving an astonishing 91% on rotten tomatoes. Sadly, the box office return was only $468 million, resulting in the lowest box office numbers to date. Then Transfomers: Rise of the Beasts was released to a lackluster reception; that film only made $439 million worldwide. This example isn’t only for Transformers as The Terminator, Indiana Jones, and Aliens franchises are some other notable names that have failed because of bad films.
David Koepp Can Bring Back The Franchise To Its Greatness, But It Will Take Some Work
It was wise to go back to David Koepp to write the new film, but he does have a spotty record as a screenwriter himself. However, this next film needs to be more than just good, as it needs to feel fresh and different from the previous saga. It’s not impossible to make another good Jurassic Park film, but Koepp needs to go back to the beginning and keep this version simple, yet compelling.
The Jurassic World franchise lost some of its identity along the way because the creators felt that they needed to create over-the-top stories and action to satisfy modern audiences. Admittedly, it’ll be hard to do another, “group of scientists discover dinosaurs” plot, but if Koepp can find that balance of crafting the familiar while adding a couple of new wrinkles in the story then the next Jurassic Park could be a winner. Still, it feels way too soon for another reboot and Universal is in danger of running this franchise into the ground.
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