Washington DC [US], October 3 (ANI): JA Bayona has emerged at the top of the list at Universal to direct the follow-up to 'Jurassic World Rebirth', reported The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the outlet, the Spanish filmmaker who directed 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' in 2018 is understood not yet to be in formal talks with Universal about getting back on the island as part of the Jurassic Park franchise.

However, Bayona has emerged as a frontrunner after Gareth Edwards left the sequel to 2025's Jurassic World Rebirth over 'creative differences.' The makers have not announced the cast or the director yet. 

Bayona's possible return suggests the Hollywood studio may want to work with a director familiar with the Jurassic Park franchise. Rebirth performed well at the box office last year on the strength of performances by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey.

According to the outlet, Universal has been moving at pace on the sequel and has a script by returning scribe David Koepp. Johansson, Ali and Bailey are expected to return for the next film, contingent on schedules.

The dinosaur island franchise also has continuity in the involvement of Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg and producer Frank Marshall.

Bayona has become accustomed to big-budget Hollywood productions like 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' and 'The Rings of Power', the Amazon mega-series for which he directed the first two episodes.

The filmmaker also directed the Oscar-nominated The Impossible in 2012, a real-life story of survival that starred Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland.

And for Netflix, Bayona helmed Society of the Snow, a drama based on the true-life tale of the Uruguayan 1972 Andes flight disaster. (ANI)