Jurassic World Dominion director says there 'probably should have only been one' Jurassic Park movie

Life — and the Hollywood studio system — found a way to repeatedly milk Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park franchise for new stories, says Jurassic World Dominion filmmaker Colin Trevorrow.

Though the final chapter in his blockbuster Jurassic World trilogy, which continues the dinosaur-centric story set in motion by Spielberg in 1993's Jurassic Park, earned $997 million at the global box office, Trevorrow thinks the original was the only necessary entry in Universal's series of book-to-screen adaptations.

"I specifically did something different than the other films in order to change the DNA of the franchise," Trevorrow told Empire magazine of the latest in the trio of recent Jurassic World films — the first of which he debuted in 2015. "The previous five films are plots about dinosaurs. This one is a story about characters in a world in which they coexist with dinosaurs. For the franchise to be able to move forward — because it's inherently unfranchisable, there probably should have only been one Jurassic Park — but if we're gonna do it, how can I allow them to tell stories in a world in which dinosaurs exist, as opposed to, here's another reason why we're going to an island?"

John Wilson/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment Colin Trevorrow on 'Jurassic World Dominion'

Despite its mammoth ticket sales, an A-list cast including Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, and the return of original Jurassic Park actors Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum, Dominion received largely negative reviews for its muddled plot revolving around genetically modified locusts instead of, well, dinosaurs.

"This movie clearly takes a real interest in creating new characters that a new generation is going to latch on to — Kayla Watts [DeWanda Wise] and Mamoudou Athie's character Ramsay Cole, who I think, in the Extended Edition, you really feel his purpose in a greater way. And Dichen Lachman's character [Soyona Santos], who just gets arrested at the end," Trevorrow added, teasing that "there's more to come" from them.

While he sees more storytelling opportunities potentially involving those characters, he said he didn't know Dominion would be the final chapter in his vision for the franchise, as the film's promotional materials stated.

John Wilson/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum join Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in 'Jurassic World Dominion.'

"I never knew that this was the ending of the franchise until I saw the marketing," Trevorrow said. "Those guys are brilliant at what they do, but for me I think it might have been clearer if they'd said, 'The end of an era', as opposed to all of it. Because regardless of the cynical approach — of course they're gonna want to make more money, which is what Jurassic World was about — a new dinosaur fan is born every day. Kids deserve these movies, and young filmmakers grow up on these stories — much like Peter Pan and The Wizard Of Oz and worlds we've returned to constantly."

A representative for Universal did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Across three films, Trevorrow's World series pulled in $3.98 billion at the worldwide box office. He launched the trilogy in 2015, though director J.A. Bayona stepped in to helm the 2018 Fallen Kingdom sequel before Trevorrow returned for the third installment.

Jurassic World Dominion's extended cut is streaming now on Peacock.

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