Deadpool 2 director David Leitch has dropped out of Jurassic World 4, or Jurassic Park 7, as talks between the filmmaker and Universal reportedly fizzled out.
It was less than a week ago (6th February, date fans) that Universal Pictures was in talks with Deadpool 2 director David Leitch to make another film in the Jurassic World franchise. The hope is to fast-track the dinosaur-filled sequel and have it in cinemas in July 2025.
According to Deadline’s sources, however, talks between the studio and Leitch resulted in both parties concluding that they had “different visions for the films”, and so Leitch has dropped out.
The first film in the series since 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion, and the seventh in the Jurassic Park saga overall, the 2025 sequel is said to be making a clean break with those that came before, which means no Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, or even the Sam Neills, Laura Derns and Jeff Goldblums of yesteryear that were packed into Dominion.
It sounds as though we’re in for another reboot, then, with the veteran screenwriter David Koepp – who wrote, among other things, the first two films in the series – said to be behind next year’s Jurassic.
Leitch, a stunt coordinator turned director, is best known for his high-octane action flicks, including Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde and Fast & Furious: Hobbs And Shaw. His latest film, action comedy The Fall Guy, is out in UK cinemas on the 3rd May. We can only speculate as to what Leitch’s ‘vision’ was for the Jurassic franchise, or how it diverged from Universal’s own.
July 2025 really isn’t too far away, though, especially given the complex nature of such an effects-heavy franchise. There are no doubt plenty of filmmakers who’d be keen to have their chance to make a Jurassic movie – whether they’ll be able to stick to that tight deadline, or whether Universal will push it back, remains to be seen.
We’ll bring you more on this as we hear it.
