Only a select few filmmakers have had the opportunity to direct one of the Jurassic Park movies, like Steven Spielberg or Colin Trevorrow. The latest to join their ranks is Gareth Edwards, who helmed the newly released Jurassic World Rebirth. Directors can come by gigs in a myriad of ways and, sometimes, that happens by way of sheer luck or happenstance. Edwards has a particularly wild story about what led him to join the Jurassic family and, believe it or not, it involves his girlfriend, as he revealed to CinemaBlend.
Gareth Edwards has directed some massive movies, like the MonsterVerse’s inaugural entry, 2014’s Godzilla and the acclaimed Star Wars spinoff Rogue One. Those credits didn’t make him a shoo-in for the job, though. However, Edwards has long held affection for the Jurassic universe and, as discussed with CinemaBlend’s Hannah Saulic, he channeled that into a four-page analysis of the OG film. Edwards explained that in doing that he was “trying to take the essence of the story and tell it like it was like a thousand years ago.”
Jurassic World movie was being made and swiftly took action:
David Koepp even compared the movie to Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film in several respects. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, Rebirth revolves around a covert team who venture to an island to obtain blood samples from dinosaurs for medical purposes. Their expedition is shaken up, however, when they cross paths with a vacationing family and dangerous dinos.
With a strong cast and seasoned crew (which included Ridley Scott collaborator John Mathieson as cinematographer), Gareth Edwards had plenty of help in pulling this all off. Due to their combined efforts, Rebirth was met with positive reactions from viewers who screened it early. This all amounts to the realization of a dream for Edwards, who later told CB that “this is what [he’s] always wanted to do.” I’d say his passion and hard work are what landed him the gig though, of course, his girlfriend deserves her share of credit as well.
Fans can take their own significant others and/or friends and family members to see Jurassic World Rebirth, which is now playing in theaters and is one of the biggest titles on the 2025 movie schedule. The other six films in the series are also available to stream with a Peacock subscription.