Rogue One director to helm new Jurassic World movie after Bullet Train filmmaker drops out

Jurassic 4 has found a new director: Gareth Edwards has stepped in to take over from David Leitch after the Bullet Train helmer dropped out of the project mere days after his involvement was announced. 

Edwards is best known for directing Star Wars prequel Rogue One, as well as 2014's Godzilla. He most recently helmed The Creator, an AI sci-fi movie starring John David Washington, which was released last year. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Leitch dropped out of directing the dinosaur flick after realizing he would have minimal creative input – production has been fast-tracked and Universal reportedly wants "to wield a stronger hand after the experiences of Jurassic World Dominion", so direction is set to be "more shooter than auteur."

Production is set to kick off this June, with a planned release date in July 2025. The fourth installment in the Jurassic World series (and the seventh entry of the Jurassic franchise) is still untitled and plot details are firmly under wraps. We don't know if Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, or any of the other Jurassic World players will be returning for round four, either.

David Koepp wrote the fourquel's script – he co-wrote the original Jurassic Park movie and its sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. His other screenwriting credits include the first Mission: Impossible film, Panic Room, and Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. 

Jurassic World 4 is set to arrive on the big screen on July 2, 2025. In the meantime, check out our guide to the biggest 2024 movie release dates.