'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Isn't A Retread Of 'The Lost World', Will Set Up 'Jurassic World 3'

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is one of several blockbuster sequels that will arrive in the summer of 2018, and it also appears to be the one which feels the most unnecessary. The first trailer for the sequel arrived earlier this month, and the reaction was less than stellar. Much like Jurassic World walked the same path as Jurassic Park, but on a larger scale, it appeared Fallen Kingdom was going to venture into the same territory as The Lost World. But that's not the case, according to writer and producer Colin Trevorrow.

After directing Jurassic World, Colin Trevorrow is letting The Impossible helmer J.A. Bayona get behind the camera. But Trevorrow is still responsible for the script along with frequent collaborator Derek Connolly, so he has plenty of insight into what fans can expect from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and he says that this isn't just a retread of The Lost World. Furthermore, it will also set up what's to come in Jurassic World 3.

During a recent interview with international press posted to YouTube by Sebas Tabany, Trevorrow was asked about the idea at the center of Jurassic World. Specifically, the interviewer brought up the connection to Frankenstein with regards to how the creatures humanity has created have turned against them. While that connection is certainly there, it appears Trevorrow is making a little more of a statement about society.

"To me it's about greed. The first film is about how if there's money on the table, there will be somebody who will do the worst imaginable things, or in a lot of case, the dumbest imaginable thing in order to get that money. This film focuses a little bit more on our responsibility for these animals that we've made as a result of that greed, but also just the darkest and worst instincts of humans, again, if there's money involved."

The idea of soldiers riding on dinosaurs was brought up as a possible direction, perhaps as a nod to exploitation films, but Trevorrow indicates that he never wanted to take things quite that far:

"It's important that we keep it at least grounded in a space where the dinosaurs are a parable for animals in the world today. I think that ultimately, when people are able to watch this film and where this franchise is going, it really is about the ethical treatment of animals in the world and our responsibility to the living creatures that we share the planet with, alongside our responsibilities to the planet itself. I think the riding of a t-rex by a soldier is a level of fantasy, [while] I love it and I would love to see it, I don't know if it's specifically this franchise, but it's super cool."

But what about the fact that the movie looks like it's going down a similar path as The Lost World? In Steven Spielberg's sequel, a crew of scientists head to the island in order to study the thriving dinosaurs on another Jurassic Park site on the nearby island of Isla Sorna. They end up trying to stop a group of hunters and InGen executives from capturing dinosaurs with the intention of bringing them back to San Diego for a mainland Jurassic Park attraction.

As we've seen in the trailer, raptor trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and former park operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) go back to the island in an effort to rescue the animals from a volcanic eruption. There appears to be some entanglement with the law regarding whether this action is necessary, including bringing Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm into court for his opinion on the matter. That sounds like a different take on The Lost World to us, but Trevorrow says that's not the case:

"It looks like it is because they all go to a fog-covered, scary island with dinosaurs on it, but it goes to a very, very different place than anyone expects. Really the heart and soul of the movie, the turn of the story, is not what we've shown in this trailer. It's very much not like The Lost World."

So what can we expect from Fallen Kingdom? Trevorrow doesn't give anything away, but he does confirm his plan for this to be a trilogy of films. Trevorrow explained:

"I knew where I wanted it to go. I remember telling Steven [Spielberg] even while we were making the first movie, "This is the beginning. Here is the middle. And here's the end of the end. This is where we want to go. I feel like that kind of design is crucial to a franchise like this if you really want to bring people along with you and make sure they stay interested. It needs to be thought through on that level. It can't be arbitrary, especially if we want to turn this into a character-based franchise with people who you lean in to follow what they're going to do."

Pushing forth that idea, the ending of Fallen Kingdom will apparently leave audiences wanting more. Trevorrow says:

"At the end of this movie, it's not a cliffhanger, but it's designed for people to want to know what's going to happen next, whereas the earlier Jurassic Park movies had pretty clear definitive endings. They were much more episodic. In working with Derek Connolly, my co-writer, we were also thinking about where it was gonna go in the future."

While that sentiment is one that is respectable, the issue after the original Jurassic World is that the characters at the center of the movie don't really give us much to latch onto. They're two-dimensional and nowhere near as interesting as those from the original Jurassic Park. That's exactly why fans have been clamoring to see them come back somehow in this new direction for the franchise. So hopefully Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom does something with Owen Grady, Claire Dearing and our new characters to give audiences something to latch onto in order to get excited for a third movie. Because for now, fans only seem to be interested in the dinosaurs and that can only go so far.

Here's the official synopsis for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

It's been four years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles.

When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who's still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.

With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful series in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favorite characters and dinosaurs—along with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before. Welcome to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom arrives on June 22, 2018.