The new Jurassic movie, “Jurassic World” will follow the origins of the first movie. It is also set in real time. Thus, the technical term is ‘sequel’ not ‘reboot.’

More than a decade ago, star power dictated box office success. A sequel without its big star will probably bomb. The best example is “Speed 2” the sequel which Keanu Reeves bailed on. Despite having the same thriller aspect and the same crew, including the leading lady, Reeves’ presence proved to be the draw of the first movie. “Speed 2” was a disaster. It’s also the reason why Sandra Bullock is hesitant to star in sequels.

Later on, franchise movies are the trend. It is the safest way to ensure box office success. Perhaps the counterpoint for this trend is the Fast and Furious franchise. It almost folded after the third movie, and was resurrected with Vin Diesel’s return.

Nowadays, franchises can have sequels and reboots which change the cast and the plot, even letting go of the lead stars, yet the movie(s) will thrive (or survive) at the box office. Examples are Batman, Superman, Star Trek and Star Wars, X-Men: First Class and The Amazing Spiderman.

“Jurassic World” hopes to join this elite group of movie franchises. It is quite a challenge as the sequels were nowhere near the caliber of the first movie, “Jurassic Park.” Also, being attached to Steven Spielberg does not hold much clout anymore.

With the original movie being the reference point, it has been 22 years since the concept of living dinosaurs came about, and that’s exactly how it will be in the movie. Director Colin Trevorrow tweets:

@pfcbains916 Reboot is a strong word. This is a new sci-fi terror adventure set 22 years after the horrific events of Jurassic Park.

— Colin Trevorrow (@colintrevorrow) November 23, 2013

In technical terms, a ‘reboot’ means it’s a total ‘re-imagining.’ Origins will be different and there won’t be any reference to the original film. With the 22 year gap and a whole new generation of actors, most people suspected this in Jurassic World.
As Trevorrow refuses to use the term ‘reboot’ it means it will still follow the origins set-up in Jurassic Park, but since it has been 22 years, most everything has probably changed.

How does this pan out? We have to wait until June 12, 2015.