It’s been said before that while Jurassic World was a box office smash, and a successful relaunch of the Jurassic Park franchise, it was also somewhat of a toothless retread. Colin Trevorrow’s somewhat softball approach to the fourth installment in the dino series did plenty to generate mainstream excitement without really bringing anything new or thought-provoking to the table. With Trevorrow taking a backseat for Jurassic World 2, there’s been some hope that new director J.A. Bayona would bring something meatier to the table.

According to producer Frank Marshall, who knows a thing or two about keeping classic franchises relevant, Bayona may do just that.

Just a few weeks ago I relayed some comments from Bayona about Jurassic World 2 that seemed to imply that the A Monster Calls and The Impossible director had some heady ideas in mind for his first foray into blockbuster-filmmaking. In a new interview, Marshall commented on what excited him about Bayona and how far along the production is.

ALSO READ: “JURASSIC WORLD 2: How The Sequel Intends To Be JURASSIC PARK 5, And More!“

“I’m excited about that one,” Marshall said about Jurassic World 2, which is one of many sequels he’s currently developing. “We’re much further along. Actually, we start shooting in February in London. But I’m excited by the filmmaker, Juan Antonio Bayona, and what his take on the franchise and on the world of ‘Jurassic‘ is going to be,” the producer enthused. “He’s an exciting young filmmaker, and a lot like Colin Trevorrow was, he’s an extraordinary filmmaker, but also a fan. So it’s going to be nice to see what he comes up with.“

Marshall continued to heap praise on Bayona by describing his process and what he brings Jurassic World 2. “He’s very meticulous in his preparation and in his doing storyboards and pre-viz, and he’s a real shooter,” Marshall shared. “If you’ve seen his other movies, you know that he has a dark side to him as well. So I’m kind of excited about what he’s going to bring to the franchise.“

Jurassic World 2 is slated to come out on June 22, 2018.

SOURCE: MovieFone