‘Jurassic World 2’ Film Updates: Director J.A. Bayona Promises “Darker and Scarier” Sequel Comparable to ‘Star Wars'

‘Jurassic World 2’ director J.A. Bayona promised that his sequel will be “darker and scarier” than the first. He also compared the film to ‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’. Meanwhile, then-director and present producer Colin Trevorrow revealed that the second film’s subject matter covers animal abuse.

According to Movie Web, Bayona revealed that the upcoming sequel to the rebooted cinematic series from the iconic franchise ‘Jurassic Park’ is set to be more intense than its predecessor. He said, "It will be darker and scarier than the previous film. Obviously when you have Chris Pratt, it will also be very funny. But it will be darker.”

He continued, “It is a second step in a trilogy, and the second step is always dark as in The Empire Strikes Back or the Wrath of Khan,' which are the examples you always get. The film takes the story where it has never been before. To me, it surprised me. We are going to places where the saga has never been before, and at the same time we are paying tribute to the franchise. We will take it a step further. There are things that will happen that people are not expecting and they really are shocking."

According to IMDB, the second film will feature the return of Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as velociraptor expert and trainer Owen Grady and operations manager Claire Dearing, respectively. The two served as the lead protagonists in Colin Trevorrow’s commercially successful ‘Jurassic World’, which earned $1.67 billion worldwide against a production budget of $150 million.

Although Trevorrow has stepped down from the director’s chair, he will continue his involvement in the cinematic series as producer. According to The Independent, Trevorrow explained that the sequel will cover much about animal treatment and abuse in its subject matter. He said, “The dinosaurs will be a parable of the treatment animals receive today: the abuse, medical experimentation, pets, having wild animals in zoos like prisons, the use the military has made of them, animals as weapons.”

He added, “The second part will be a very different movie that will explore new paths. For that reason, it was clear that it needed to be Bayona who would direct it, in order to have it grow and evolve with his very personal vision.”

‘Jurassic World 2’ is a science-fiction and adventure film intended as the fifth film in the popular ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise and the second film in the ‘Jurassic World’ series. It is directed by J.A. Bayona. Belen Ateinza, Patrick Crowley, and Frank Marshall are serving as producers while Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Thomas Tull are executive producing.

The film is scheduled to premiere in the United States on June 22, 2018.