Jurassic World Dominion director Colin Trevorrow says there should have only been one Jurassic Park movie. The dino-fueled franchise began back in 1993 with Steven Spielberg's blockbuster sensation Jurassic Park, which was based on Michael Crichton's novel of the same name. Spielberg returned to direct the 1997 sequel, subtitled The Lost World, which was not nearly as well received by critics and audiences as the original. Jurassic Park III, which was an outlier in the original trilogy since it was not directed by Spielberg nor based on a Crichton novel, was released in 2001 and continued the franchise's critical and commercial descent.
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In 2015, Trevorrow revived the dormant dinosaur franchise to record-breaking box office success with Jurassic World, which received praise for recapturing the spirit of the original. Trevorrow was soon hired to write and direct Star Wars Episode IX (though he later exited the project) and passed the reins off to J.A. Bayona for 2018's Fallen Kingdom which, according to critics and audiences, suffered a significant decline in quality. Trevorrow returned to direct Jurassic World Dominion which released in theaters this past summer to franchise-worst reviews from critics, though audiences seemed to enjoy seeing the original cast return.
During a recent interview with Empire, Trevorrow made a surprising admission about the franchise. The Jurassic World Dominion director called Spielberg's original film "inherently unfranchisable" and admitted, "there probably should have only been one Jurassic Park movie." Read Trevorrow's full comments below:
I specifically did something different than the other films in order to change the DNA of the franchise. The previous five films are plots about dinosaurs. This one is a story about characters in a world in which they coexist with dinosaurs. For the franchise to be able to move forward – because it’s inherently unfranchisable, there probably should have only been one ‘Jurassic Park’ – but if we’re gonna do it, how can I allow them to tell stories in a world in which dinosaurs exist, as opposed to, here’s another reason why we’re going to an island?
Should There Have Only Been One Jurassic Park Movie?
Trevorrow's admission is surprising for a few different reasons. First off, he's benefited massively from the Jurassic World reboot trilogy. The 2015 film elevated him from an up-and-coming indie director into a veritable blockbuster filmmaker, even earning him the chance to work on Star Wars Episode IX. It's also surprising to hear Trevorrow state that Jurassic Park is “inherently unfranchisable,” which Spielberg himself experienced with The Lost World, proving just how difficult it can be to make a compelling sequel to a successful blockbuster.
Though none of this stopped Universal, or Trevorrow himself, from trying to make sequels. Jurassic World successfully recaptured the spirit of the original, though Dominion tried "to change the DNA of the franchise," as Trevorrow says, and instead of a movie about characters going onto an island filled with dinosaurs, the sixth film was about co-existing with dinosaurs on the mainland. However, Dominion still succumbs to the sequels' main pitfall, as the characters end up in a secluded dinosaur preserve anyway. Still, Trevorrow should be commended for trying and his comments should be taken to heart as Universal explores options for continuing the Jurassic Park franchise.