Following Jurassic World's tremendous box office haul, a surprise to most people considering the mixed critical reactions to the film and the fact that Jurassic Park 3 didn't do all that well, eyes have been set on its follow-up, Jurassic World 2. The film is set for release on June 22, 2018, and director Juan Antonio Bayona of The Orphanage and The Impossible is gearing up for production in Hawaii, which Jurassic Outpost recently received an exact start date for and shared.

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Image via Universal Pictures

According to the website, the sequel to Colin Trevorrow's blockbuster will begin shooting in Hawaii on February 27th, 2017, under the production name of Ancient Futures. Hawaii, of course, won't be the only stop on the production schedule, with the rest of the movie rumored to be shooting at that holiest of all studios, London's Pinewood Studios. For now, however, it's unclear exactly how all of this is going down - whether this is the start of production or continuation, etc. - under Bayona, who is working from a script by Trevorrow and Derek Connolly.


During a recent conversation with our very own Steve Weintraub, producer par excellence Frank Marshall commented on the production, as well as where he thinks the story is heading and the idea of attempting to top Jurassic World with the sequel. Here's what he had to say:

“We’re in pre-production. In fact I just got back from London meeting with Juan Antonio and the production designer, we’re designing, he’s doing storyboards. We’re in full-boar pre-production to start shooting sometime early next Spring."

 

“As a director Bayona has his input, but Colin and Derek are writing the script. So there have been numerous meetings, and we have the template for the movie. Of course he’s putting in his own ideas and taking ownership of it, but it’s pretty much the original story they came up with."

 

“We set the bar pretty high. For me, it’s always about story. As long as the action sequences move the story forward, that’s what’s important. I think we’re just having to look and see how we can involve the characters in the story with whatever dinosaurs we have in the action sequences. It’s a challenge, but it’s a healthy challenge.”

Mind you, Trevorrow has already commented on where his ideas are heading into the sequel. During a recent interview with Wired, he suggested that his idea is to not just repeat the same formula of people running away from dinosaurs in amusement parks and to consider what happens when the science behind these parks becomes more ubiquitous and is being utilized by a variety of companies. It's an interesting concept and considering how familiar Jurassic World was, it would be a welcome to surprise to see the franchise try something a bit more original and distinct within the franchise. We have quite a lot of time before we find out just how different Jurassic World 2 will be, but if Bayona, Connolly, and Trevorrow are as dedicated as they sound to making a better movie, count me in for the whole mishigas.

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Image via Universal Pictures
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Image via Universal Pictures

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Image via Universal Pictures