‘Jurassic World 2’ Will Start Filming Next March

One of the peculiarities of the modern studio system is that we often know the date a movie will be released long before we know the date when a movie will actually go into production. For example, we’ve known since last year that Jurassic World 2 would be released in June of 2018, but here it is, the end of 2016, and we’re just now learning the timeline to actually make the darn thing. Production schedules, like box office gross, sometimes have a logic all their own.

This weekend, ComingSoon.net sat down with Jurassic World 2 director J.A. Bayona and talked about his vision for the upcoming movie. During the interview, Bayona admitted that they had already begun pre-production on the film and would begin shooting in March of next year. Bayona also spoke about the collaborative effort involved in working with some of the franchise’s legendary filmmakers:

Every story is different and you need to find the depth of every story and try to express it on the screen. The ‘Jurassic World’ sequel is a more collaborative filmmaker experience, not only with Colin Trevorrow, but also with Steven [Spielberg] and with Frank Marshall. It’s their baby as much as it is mine. It’s about sharing views and working together to bring the story to life. But, at the same time, the way I face telling a story is to find something very personal. I think there will be plenty of myself also in the film.

Noticeably absent from this mutual admiration society is Joe Johnston, director of Jurassic Park III, a film that finishes slightly above Jurassic World in my own private ranking of the dinosaur franchise. I double dog dare Bayona to bring up Johnston’s name in an interview, maybe talking about the difficulty in following in the footsteps of a tremendously successful blockbuster movie. C’mon, Bayona, you’re in charge of the franchise now! Let’s give Joe Johnston back his place at the table.