Jurassic World 5 Just Found Its Director — And It's a Familiar Face Returning to the Franchise

JA Bayona Is in Talks to Return to the Jurassic Franchise

Universal Pictures has been on a rollercoaster with the Jurassic World franchise. After Jurassic World Rebirth hit theaters this summer with Scarlett Johansson leading the charge, the studio is already looking ahead to the fifth installment — and according to Collider, they've found their director: JA Bayona, the filmmaker behind Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).

Bayona is officially in talks to return, replacing Gareth Edwards (Rogue One, The Creator) who was previously attached to the project. The Spanish director's earlier work on Fallen Kingdom was divisive among fans but critically appreciated for its gothic horror sensibilities — particularly that haunting Indoraptor sequence in the Lockwood mansion.

Why Bayona Makes Sense

Here's the thing about the Jurassic franchise: it's always been at its best when it leans into horror and wonder rather than pure action spectacle. Steven Spielberg's 1993 original was essentially a monster movie dressed in sci-fi clothing. Bayona understood that instinct. His filmography — The Orphanage, The Impossible, A Monster Calls — reveals a director obsessed with terror, emotion, and the intersection of both.

Fallen Kingdom's opening sequence, with the Mosasaurus lurking in the rain-soaked lagoon, remains one of the franchise's most purely terrifying moments. If Bayona brings that energy to the fifth film, we might finally get the Jurassic movie that recaptures the original's DNA.

The Casting Rumors Are Exciting Too

Inside the Magic reported that Ariana Richards and Joe Mazzello — Lex and Tim from the original 1993 Jurassic Park — are being eyed to return alongside Scarlett Johansson's character from Rebirth. Richards and Mazzello are the only surviving original characters who haven't fully returned to the franchise, appearing only briefly in The Lost World (1997).

The prospect of seeing Lex and Tim as adults, dealing with a world where dinosaurs now freely roam, is the kind of nostalgic narrative beat that could give this franchise a genuine emotional anchor. Combined with Bayona's visual storytelling and the continued star power of Johansson, Jurassic World 5 could be the course correction the series desperately needs.

Universal hasn't officially confirmed Bayona's involvement, but Collider and Superhero Hype both report that talks are well underway. No release date has been set, but industry speculation points to a 2028 release window — giving Bayona plenty of time to craft something genuinely special.

Jurassic World Rebirth, starring Scarlett Johansson, is currently available in theaters. Jurassic World 5 has no confirmed release date yet.