When extolling the virtues of the seminal classic and technological marvel that is the original Jurassic Park, many a fan in the know will spout the remarkable fact that the film’s dinosaurs claim no more than 15 minutes of screen time in the two-hour-long picture. This goes to show that the legacy of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 masterwork is not founded on the wonder of its dinos alone; among the elements that make Jurassic Park such a rich experience is the threesome of scientists at the center of its story. And good news for us: they’re back.
Universal Pictures has officially announced (by way of a press release broadcast by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment) that Jurassic Park stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum will revive their characters for the forthcoming Jurassic World threequel, itself a direct follow-up to 2015’s Jurassic World and 2018’s Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom. While Goldblum had a bit part as the precocious Dr. Ian Malcolm in the latter film, Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant and Dern’s Dr. Ellie Sattler haven’t been seen since 2001’s Jurassic Park III (in which Grant spent most of his time dreaming of talking raptors).
Universal Pictures
The degree to which Grant, Sattler, and Malcolm will be involved in the adventures set to unfold in the third Jurassic World movie are yet to be seen. Neill recently told Yahoo Movies UK, “We’re all the way through the film, Jeff [Goldblum], and me, and Laura [Dern],” implying the trio will have more than just cameos.
It’ll be interesting to see how the old guard mingles with the new stars, Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing and Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady.
Below is Universal’s press release, which broadcasts not only the return of Neill, Dern, and Goldblum, but the involvement of screenwriter Emily Carmichael, who co-wrote the forthcoming third film with returning director Colin Trevorrow. (Trevorrow helmed Jurassic World, but not the infinitely battier Fallen Kingdom, which was handled by A Monster Calls director J.A. Bayona.)
“When the whole world’s gone prehistoric, you call in the experts. Jurassic Park stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum are all set to reprise their legendary roles as Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Dr. Ian Malcolm (respectively) in the third chapter in Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World saga. Neill, Dern and Golblum will be joining Jurassic World stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard for Jurassic World 3. Colin Trevorrow is returning to direct.
Joining the Jurassic team is Emily Carmichael (Pacific Rim Uprising, The Black Hole), who has co-written the Jurassic World 3 screenplay with Trevorrow. They worked from a story by Derek Connolly and Trevorrow, who together co-wrote Jurassic World and Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom.”
It remains to be seen how much dino actions our old friends will get up to in Jurassic World 3, but we’ll no doubt be pleased to see them all together once more. I guess it’s true what they say: they do travel in herds.
Featured Image: Universal Pictures
Note: This post was originally published on 9/25/19 and updated on 7/2/20.