Given the success of the franchise so far, Jurassic World 4 seems like a forgone conclusion, though a follow-up to Jurassic World: Dominion would continue the problem that has beset the sequel movies so far. Like most successful Hollywood IP, the Jurassic World franchise only stays relevant through the creation of new content. The current business model of Hollywood relies on big tentpole blockbusters to hold up the studio system. Be that as it may, the continual expansion of Jurassic World through sequels raises a story problem each time.
The Jurassic World movie franchise began life even before Michael Crichton had published his 1990 novel, Jurassic Park. Universal acquired the rights for Steven Spielberg and brought on Crichton to help write the screenplay. Following the success of the movie Jurassic Park, the pressure was on for a sequel, which resulted in 1997's The Lost World. Following the underwhelming Jurassic Park III in 2001, the franchise took a break for 14 years before being rebooted and rebranded with Jurassic World. With Jurassic World wrapping up its own trilogy with Jurassic World: Dominion in June, Producer Frank Marshell is already looking at where the dinosaur franchise can go next, including a possible Jurassic World 4.
One of the biggest problems that face a potential Jurassic World 4 is that the original idea of Jurassic Park isn't necessarily designed for multiple sequels. While the idea of a dinosaur theme park is inherently interesting, that story framework is relatively limited. The novel's story is succinct and self-contained, and while there are story threads left by the end, these work just as well as a coda as they do sequel bait. Crichton was originally hesitant to a sequel to the Jurassic Park novel, relenting only due to Spielberg being interested in making a sequel movie. The Lost World expanded the story in the end by introducing the idea of dinosaurs on the mainland, and this idea will be repeated on a larger scale with Jurassic World: Dominion.
The basic story framework of the Jurassic World movies is summed up by Ian Malcolm in The Lost World. "Oh, yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and screaming." Each successive Jurassic Park/World movie has used this basic set-up, with the problem of the story limitations being compounded each time. Indeed, both Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom repeat the basic plot elements of Jurassic Park and The Lost World whilst upping the scale. While it's hoped that Jurassic World: Dominion is the sequel fans want, its key premise can still be distilled into "humans run away from dinosaurs." It's difficult to see how the relatively simple idea of genetically engineered theme park dinosaurs run amok can continue into Jurassic World 4 without becoming staler, or farcical.
Notwithstanding the story problems in the sequels, the Jurassic World movies are fun popcorn movies, albeit not essential. The return of the original Jurassic Park cast in Jurassic World: Dominion amps up the nostalgia factor and anticipation nicely, and with it almost guarantees it will be a major hit matching (if not exceeding) previous installments. It's extremely likely that Jurassic World: Dominion will not be the end of the story, but if further Jurassic World sequels are inevitable, the filmmakers will have their work cut out to try to make a potential Jurassic World 4 fresh from a story perspective.
