Jurassic World 2 will be more closely connected to Jurassic Park

‘Jurassic World 2’ will naturally continue the story started in 2015’s soft reboot of the dino-loving franchise, but it will also have a strong connection to Steven Spielberg’s 1993 original, according to new director JA Bayona.

Asked by Cinema Blend the extent to which the sequel will be ‘Jurassic Park 5’ as well as ‘Jurassic World 2’, he said: “That’s a good question! I think somehow it’s both. It’s a very good question, and what we’re doing is a sequel to ‘Jurassic World’, but it’s definitely the fifth chapter of a longer saga.

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“It’s very interesting. It’s always tricky, but you need to find a balance in what people expect to find, and the new stuff you’re bringing to the story. And I think the story is looking for a connection between ‘Jurassic World’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ – more than what ‘Jurassic World’ did.”

‘Jurassic World’ was set 22 years after the events of the original and was set in a fully-operational dinosaur theme park, which had been operating for roughly a decade before it was devastated by the escape of a new, genetically-engineered dinosaur called Indominus Rex.

The nature of what happened between the two films, and how the sequels (set on a different island) factor in as well, was never really explored. It could be assumed that corporate greed led people to creating a new park despite the obvious and evident dangers.

Asked about the plot of ‘Jurassic World 2’, Bayona said: “I think what this film does is, it’s the second chapter of the story that started in ‘Jurassic World’, and it’s open to a third chapter too. It’s very interesting in the way that we’re approaching the story, and where we are leading the story. We’re leading the story to a place that the audience is not expecting, and that’s always exciting when you do a sequel.”

His comments follow the news that the film will start shooting in March 2017, ahead of a June 2018 release date, with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprising their roles from Colin Trevorrow’s enormously successful re-invigoration of the stagnant series.

When asked about the plot, and direction of the series, Trevorrow quoted the first movie, saying: “‘Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?’”

Last week it was reported that Brits Toby Jones and Rafe Spall were in talks to join the cast as pre-production gets into full swing.

‘Jurassic World 2’ is set to be released on 8 June 2018.