Colin Trevorrow

Colin Trevorrow – Life, Career, and Notable Insights

Explore the life and career of Colin Trevorrow (born September 13, 1976) — from indie breakthrough with Safety Not Guaranteed, to blockbuster success with Jurassic World, creative pursuits, setbacks, and enduring impact on modern cinema.

Introduction

Colin Trevorrow is an American filmmaker — director, screenwriter, and producer — known for blending the intimate and the epic. His trajectory spans from small indie projects to one of the the biggest global film franchises: Jurassic World. Though he has faced high-profile challenges (such as being removed from Star Wars: Episode IX), his career illustrates resilience, ambition, and a willingness to take risks.

In telling his story, we see how a director can navigate both the demands of major studio filmmaking and the desire for artistic authenticity.

Early Life and Family

Colin Terrence Trevorrow was born on September 13, 1976, in San Francisco, California.

His parents had creative leanings: his father was a musician (in a country-rock band) and his mother was a photographer who also ran a day-care center. Sephardic Jewish ancestry.

As a youth, Trevorrow sang in the chorus of the San Francisco Opera. Early exposure to music and performance helped shape his sense of rhythm, pacing, and collaboration.

He attended Piedmont High School in Piedmont, California.

After high school, he pursued formal training in film and writing, enrolling at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, from which he graduated in 1999 with a BFA in film and dramatic writing.

At NYU, he also met Derek Connolly (his frequent writing collaborator) while both worked as interns on Saturday Night Live.

Career and Achievements

Early Works & Breakthrough

Trevorrow’s earliest credited project is the short film Home Base (2002), which he wrote, directed, and produced.

He then made a documentary, Reality Show (2004), continuing to hone his storytelling and directorial voice. Gary: Under Crisis (co-directed with Daniel Klein).

A key pivot came when he directed Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), a sci-fi/romantic indie comedy based on a quirky classified ad. Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for its screenplay.

Around that time, Trevorrow and Connolly sold a spec script titled Tester to DreamWorks (2006) and worked on other collaborative scripts. Cocked and Loaded and other scripts), he preferred to operate as a writing team.

Mainstream Success: Jurassic World & Beyond

Trevorrow’s major mainstream breakthrough came when he was tapped to co-write and direct Jurassic World (2015). Jurassic World was a global box office phenomenon, grossing over USD 1.6 billion worldwide.

He remained involved in the Jurassic franchise:

• He co-wrote Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and served as an executive producer.

• He returned to direct Jurassic World Dominion (2022) and co-wrote it.

Other films include The Book of Henry (2017), which Trevorrow directed (though it received critical backlash).

Star Wars Attachment and Exit

In 2015, Trevorrow was announced as the director of Star Wars: Episode IX (then under the working title Duel of the Fates). The Rise of Skywalker.

That episode remains one of the more high-profile “what-if” turns in his career — an example of how studio dynamics and vision alignment can make or break even a high-profile assignment.

Production & Future Projects

In 2019, Trevorrow founded Metronome Film Co., a production company with bases in London and Los Angeles.

His upcoming or recent projects include:

• Deep Cover (2025): Trevorrow is producing and co-writing this film, which is set as a feature from his company.

• A thriller about Area 51 is reportedly in development.

• He has also been linked to a project titled Atlantis and a film called War Magician.

Personality, Vision & Style

Colin Trevorrow’s work often reflects a balance between character-driven stories and spectacle. He favors emotional grounding even within large-scale genre films. In interviews, he has spoken about wanting to blend the “fantastic” with characters we can recognize.

He comes across as ambitious but reflective — aware of the risks when stepping from independent filmmaking into blockbuster territory. His willingness to take on Star Wars or a Jurassic trilogy shows confidence; his departure from Star Wars shows he is not uncritical of compromise.

Trevorrow also seems to value creative ownership and developing new voices — hence his founding of Metronome. He is less interested in being “just a hired gun” and more in helping shape the stories from the ground up.

Notable Quotes & Reflections

While Trevorrow is not as broadly quotable as screenwriters or actors, here are a few remarks and insights attributed to him:

• On genre and emotional grounding:

  “I feel like … anything fantastic can co-exist with people you and I know, and not these hyper-real movie people.”

• On Jurassic Park influence:

  “You don’t watch any Spielberg movie and think of David Lean … Once you’re looking for it, you see it all, but it’s not in your face.”

These lines suggest his belief in subtle influence, emotional truth, and balancing spectacle with human stories.

Lessons from Colin Trevorrow’s Career

1. Start small, then scale
   Trevorrow’s career progression from short films and indie features to blockbusters shows the value of mastering your craft at every level.

2. Collaborative partnerships can expand your reach
   His long-term writing collaboration with Derek Connolly allowed him to take on bigger projects with a trusted partner.

3. Be willing to walk away
   Even when handed a massive opportunity (Star Wars: Episode IX), Trevorrow stepped away when creative visions diverged — preserving artistic integrity.

4. Build something enduring
   Founding Metronome signals a desire not just to direct but to shepherd stories and talents — to have agency over future paths.

5. Genre does not have to sacrifice heart
   His films aim for spectacle, but he grounds them with authentic emotional stakes — reminding us that blockbuster doesn’t have to mean devoid of soul.

Conclusion

Colin Trevorrow’s journey is emblematic of a modern filmmaker navigating both indie roots and blockbuster demand. His successes (like Jurassic World) and his challenges (the Star Wars departure) both contribute to a rich, instructive narrative: of ambition, creative tension, and resilience.