Gareth Edwards will not return to direct the next Jurassic World film, parting ways with Universal and Amblin over creative differences, according to Deadline and independently confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter.

The split is amicable on paper. Universal and Amblin released a statement saying, "We had an incredible experience working with Gareth on Jurassic World Rebirth." Edwards, for his part, will focus on original projects he is developing elsewhere.

That leaves the sequel without a director but not without momentum. Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali are all expected to reprise their roles from Rebirth. David Koepp, who wrote the script for the original Jurassic Park in 1993 and penned the most recent draft of this sequel, remains on screenplay duty. Steven Spielberg is executive producing through Amblin Entertainment, with Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley producing — the same producing team that has steered the franchise since its inception. Universal and Amblin hope to shoot the film in 2027.

Edwards came to the franchise with genuine enthusiasm. He dropped his other plans to take the job in February 2024, when Deadline first reported his hiring, and later described Jurassic World Rebirth as "a love letter to Steven Spielberg," saying the original Jurassic Park directly informed his approach (NBC Insider).

Rebirth, released in 2025, was the fourth Jurassic World film and the seventh in the overall Jurassic series. It grossed $872 million worldwide, including $340 million domestically — domestic meaning the United States and Canada combined — according to Deadline. (The Hollywood Reporter cited a slightly lower $869 million worldwide figure.)

For Edwards, the departure closes a brief but productive chapter in the franchise. Before Rebirth, he was best known for directing the sci-fi feature The Creator and the 2014 Godzilla reboot.

This is not the first time the Jurassic relaunch has lost a director over creative direction. David Leitch was at one point attached to direct Rebirth itself before exiting over similar disagreements, paving the way for Edwards to step in — a pattern that speaks to how tightly Spielberg and Marshall, the franchise's constant stewards, guard its tone and direction.

Universal and Amblin will now open a search for a replacement. No candidate has been named.