Exclusive: Colin Trevorrow reveals how his canceled Star Wars movie helped him make Jurassic World Dominion

Star Wars 9 meets Jurassic World 3
(Image credit: Disney/Universal)

Colin Trevorrow's next big release is Jurassic World Dominion, the final installment in the Jurassic World trilogy. And while the filmmaker is responsible for bringing dinos roaring back to the screen with the first Jurassic World, Trevorrow was also nearly involved in another big franchise – one set in a galaxy far, far away. 

The director was originally on board to direct Star Wars Episode IX, the final movie in the sequel trilogy. Trevorrow's version of the movie was set to be titled Duel of the Fates, after John Williams' iconic musical composition from Phantom Menace, and plot details leaked online following the release of The Rise of Skywalker – the realized version of Episode IX, helmed by J.J. Abrams.

Sitting down with Total Film before the release of Dominion, Trevorrow spoke about his time on Star Wars. Despite Duel of the Fates never reaching the big screen, he remains positive about the experience.

"What I appreciate about having worked on Star Wars is that I really got a practice run at making a new version of something we loved when we were kids and bringing it to a satisfying conclusion," he tells us, referring to how Dominion brings the original trilogy of Jurassic Park movies, which were released between 1993 and 2001, to a conclusion, like how Episode IX brings the Skywalker Saga to an end.

"So I felt like I got a master's degree in that, during that time," he continues. "And I took so much of what I learned, and also so many of the people who I worked with – Kevin Jenkins was our production designer on this. So many people who I met on that project came over and worked on Dominion, so I can't feel anything but good about it, because it allowed us to make the film we made now."

Duel of the Fates would have seen Star Wars characters Kylo Ren and Rey go on very different paths to the ones they eventually took in Abrams' Rise of Skywalker – read about the differences here

Jurassic World Dominion – which reunites the main Jurassic Park trio: Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern – roars onto the big screen on June 10. In the meantime, catch up with our guide to all the other upcoming movies that should be on your radar this year (and beyond).

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

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