Jurassic World Rebirth Reveals Surprise Series Change (& It’s Exciting)

As the Jurassic World franchise enters a new era with this summer’s Jurassic World Rebirth, it’s been confirmed that there will be a new composer responsible for the musical score. According to Entertainment Weekly, Alexandre Desplat will be taking over for Michael Giacchino, who worked on all three installments of the original Jurassic World trilogy. Desplat talked about the “daunting task” of handling the music for such an iconic property, following the footsteps of not just Giacchino, but also John Williams. The Oscar-winning composer took it upon himself to find a way to pay homage to the past while also paving a new path forward that ties into the story director Gareth Edwards is telling.

“Every score John Williams has written has become an iconic score, so it’s quite a daunting task,” Desplat said. “At first, you’re excited, then panic comes along because you realize that you’re taking over from a fabulous composer who invented so many great things that the whole planet knows. You try to find your way through that. You try to make it your own, and at the same time, pay homage to Williams’ music, and try to find your own way through that by inventing new themes and ideas, but staying in the same artistic zone as the scores of the franchise.”

Over his career, Desplat has won two Oscars (The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shape of Water) and been nominated for nine others. While this marks the first time he’s composing a Jurassic Park film, Desplat is no stranger to big-budget blockbusters. Among the previous credits on his filmography are two Harry Potter movies and 2014’s Godzilla.

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Jurassic World Rebirth is slated to hit theaters on July 2nd. Edwards’ approach with the film is to take the franchise back to its roots with a tone and story reminiscent of the 1993 original. A recent promotional video for the film showed that the filmmakers are bringing the iconic river raft scene from the Michael Crichton novel to the big screen. That sequence was initially designed to be in the first film but was cut.

Giacchino is one of this era’s standout composers himself, with an Oscar win to his name (Up) and several other notable titles on his resume. However, it’s still exciting to see Desplat come aboard. Given the film’s position as a “rebirth” of sorts for the series, it makes sense to bring in a new voice for the music. Desplat will be able to inject some fresh blood into the score with his unique perspective while also tipping his hat to what’s come before. This isn’t the first time he’s been part of a franchise touched by John Williams’ legacy (Harry Potter), so he knows exactly what that job entails. Someone with his experience and gifts should be able to craft a memorable score.

Music is an integral part of the Jurassic Park movies, either capturing the sense of awe and wonder at seeing dinosaurs brought back to life or helping the action set pieces feel more exciting. Those iconic musical cues are arguably as vital to the franchise’s success as the groundbreaking visual effects. Considering that rich track record, it should be thrilling to hear what Desplat came up with. There will obviously be nods to Williams’ work, but he’ll have a chance to leave his own mark with some original tracks.