Of all the reasons the Jurassic Park franchise is so popular, the most obvious might be the films' ability to blend blockbuster adventure with a familiar story of humans vs. nature. The franchise has had its ups and downs over the years, but the various installments have each worked to bring out what made the original film so successful in slightly different ways.

In addition to being one of the highest-grossing movies ever, Jurassic World was generally well-received by critics as well, paving the way for director Collin Trevorrow to helm the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX. But with Jurassic World 2 now on the horizon, it seems change may be in the air. Director J.A. Bayona recently stated that the sequel will be much "darker" than previous installments.

However, in a recent interview with The Playlist, Bayona teased his excitement for Jurassic World 2, and now the filmmaker says he wants take a fun approach with the sequel, especially after his previous darker works, like A Monster Calls. Bayona said:

“After doing ‘The Impossible’ and ‘A Monster Calls’ I said, ‘I want to have fun now. So, let’s do a dinosaur film with Spielberg. It’s great, but at the same time it’s massive and way bigger than [the last] one."

To his credit, Bayona seems aware of both the challenges and responsibilities that come with doing the fifth film in a massive franchise. He spoke about wanting to balance the desire to do something new with honoring what has come before:

“I think what is tricky about doing the fifth movie of a franchise is how will you bring in new stuff and still pay tribute to what we all know and the legacy of the film. So, it’s the balance between the new stuff and the old stuff. I think Colin did a great job in the first one finding the balance between what people are expecting and what people are being again. I was kind of surprised when he pitched me the story because it leads the story to a place that we’ve never seen before and it brings some of the most important elements from the other films and makes something with them. I thought that was very interesting. It’s the second chapter of a trilogy so it gets the story to a place that wants you leaving more and more.”

There is undoubtedly a challenge in making the fifth movie in a franchise feel fresh, but there is some comfort in the studio settling on a director like Bayona. Unlike Trevorrow, who had only directed the indie comedy Safety Not Guranteed before doing Jurassic World, Bayona already has many acclaimed works to his name. And his dark, adventurous style should allow for some interesting exploration within the franchise. Jurassic World 2 is reported to feature some political elements as well as tackle animal abuse, so there's clearly no shortage of promising ideas.

Whether or not Jurassic World 2 takes a darker or lighter approach, hopefully the film will wind up being a smart but fun, installment in the franchise. A sequel like Empire Strikes Back was easily able to take a gloomier tone without losing any of its predecessor's signature style -- so it's possible Jurassic World 2 can do the same.

Source: The Playlist