Jaws was the massive hit that catapulted Steven Spielberg to A-list status, but the director opted not to return for 1978 sequel Jaws 2. Calling Jaws a massive hit is actually kind of an understatement, as for a while, it held the title of highest-grossing film of all time, and was the catalyst behind the creation of what we now refer to as summer blockbuster season. The idea of Hollywood releasing lots of big, competing tentpole projects in the summer may seem like something taken for granted now, but it was by no means always the case.

Jaws naturally went on to become a franchise, but sadly, it represents one of the steepest falls in quality ever suffered by a film series. Jaws 2 isn't a bad film, but it pales next to Spielberg's original, and Jaws 3 and Jaws 4: The Revenge are unequivocally terrible. Sure, Jaws 4 built Michael Caine a nice house, but that's about all the good it did for the world at large.

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In today's movie market dominated by sequels, prequels, remakes, adaptations, and an overall focus on cultivating franchises, it's become very common for directors to return for follow-ups to successful films. However, Spielberg chose not come back to direct Jaws 2, and it turns out there were some very specific reasons why.

Why Steven Spielberg Didn't Direct Jaws 2

Roy Scheider as Chrief Brody in Jaws 2

Unsurprisingly, Universal Pictures was keen on making a Jaws 2 not long after Jaws became a huge success. For their part, producers David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck didn't necessarily think a sequel was necessary, but assumed Universal would make it with or without them, so they opted to remain in charge. Spielberg was of course asked to return as director, but claimed later in 1975 that he had no interest in doing so, and had not even bothered to respond to Brown and Zanuck's offer. Spielberg was also quoted at the time as saying "making a sequel to anything is just a cheap carny trick," which is honestly kind of funny in hindsight, considering the fact that he would go on to direct three Indiana Jones sequels and a Jurassic Park sequel.

Arguable hypocrisy on Spielberg's part aside, Brown later said that he actually had spoken to Spielberg about directing Jaws 2, and that Spielberg had told him he felt doing so would be pointless, as he had already made the definitive shark movie. 45 years after Jaws' release, it's certainly safe to say Spielberg was correct in that pronouncement. Notably, Spielberg's tone on why he didn't return for Jaws 2 has softened a bit in interviews from the past decade. Spielberg now says the main reason he didn't want to come back was fears about Jaws 2's production turning out as infamously troubled as the first film's, which went massively over budget, and at one point Spielberg thought would end his career before it really got started. That definitely makes a lot more sense then the idea of Spielberg just outright being against directing a sequel. Jaws 2 would of course ultimately be directed by French filmmaker Jeannot Szwarc, and while the reviews weren't nearly as good, it did still make lots of money.

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