Jurassic World 2 One Sheet Poster

Rumors are swirling as the fifth instalment of the Jurassic franchise, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom goes through post-production for a scheduled release of June 22, 2018. Chris Pratt will continue his streak as one of the hottest action heroes in Hollywood right now by reprising his role as velociraptor-whisperer Owen Grady, while Bryce Dallas Howard also returns as Claire Dearing, manager of the Jurassic World resort.

One of the most talked about casting moves is the callback of Jeff Goldblum as chaos theorist Ian Malcolm, who starred in the first two chapters of Jurassic Park. Goldblum, you might remember, was recently seen in Pratt’s other franchise sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Also returning is B.D. Wong, while extraordinary character actors James Cromwell and Toby Keith will be joining the cast. With the Jurassic World writing tandem of Kevin Connolly and Colin Trevorrow writing the script, and acclaimed Spanish director J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage, The Impossible) in the chair, everything indicates another critical and commercial success.

From comments made by Bayona and producer Frank Marshall, the storyline appears to revolve around a volcanic eruption on Isla Nublar, still home to Jurassic World. This prompts the staff to attempt to relocate the dinosaurs off island. Obviously, there is an ethical dilemma surrounding the risk/reward of such an endeavor and, should it succeed, the story has numerous potential directions to follow with the implications of dinosaurs on the mainland. We had a taste in The Lost World: Jurassic Park of a dinosaur in an urban setting as a T-Rex brought some serious destruction to downtown San Diego. With a bigger budget and state of the art CGI, such a nightmare scenario could surely be outdone by next year’s film.

If this is indeed the central plot of the movie, it represents a smart move by producers. Many of the themes such as humans playing God, and plot structures like tourists getting trapped and chased by dinosaurs have been repeated throughout the series. Having a natural disaster occur that could cause the dispersal of dinosaurs throughout the world gives the series a slightly different tack and provides a solid jumping off point for another sequel or two. Movie franchises tend to taper off with each installment, both in critical reception and box office receipts. This storyline allows for a “reset” to the current formula without radically departing from the legacy of the previous four films.

There’s little doubt about the film’s likely commercial success – the first four films have combined for a worldwide gross of almost $3.7 billion. Jurassic World 2 will open to a ready-made audience because of the success of its predecessor, which is the fourth-highest grossing film of all time, so wherever the writers go with the plot it should still attract high viewing figures. The franchise is also well-known in gaming circles, as there is an offering in mobile gaming with Jurassic World: The Game, and iGaming with the Jurassic World slot at Casumo where, according to Oddschecker, there are 200 free spins available. There is even an offering for console gamers with Lego Jurassic World. Tapping into the flourishing gaming industry is certainly a good way to boost audiences, as shown by franchises like Tomb Raider and Hitman.

Few sequels deliver success equal to or beyond the preceding film, with Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Aliens being two examples to accomplish the feat. The direction of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom gives it the potential to join that shortlist.