Posted in: Movies, Universal | Tagged: bryce dallas howard, chris pratt, colin trevorrow, jeff goldblum, jurassic park, jurassic world, jurassic world: dominion, laura dern, sam neill

Jurassic World: Dominion Actor Laura Dern Offers BTS Update

Published Wed, 05 Aug 2020 14:45:55 -0500

by Tom Chang

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What is arguably the most anticipated return to the Jurassic franchise for the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion is Laura Dern. As paleontologist Dr. Ellie Sattler, she was one of three scientists tasked to possibly approve John Hammond's (Richard Attenborough) dinosaur theme park in Jurassic Park (1993). An exploratory tour turned to an adventure of survival as Ellie, Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) try to find a way to escape the park after sabotage shut down its security. Like Neil, Dern posted her first on-set photo straight to her Instagram with custom black production chairs created for their characters in all caps. "Day one. Hello, old friend. #JurassicWorldDominion," she posted while tagging all her co-stars and director Colin Trevorrow.

VENICE, ITALY - AUGUST 29: Laura Dern attends "Marriage Story" photo-call during the 76th Venice Film Festival on August 29, 2019 in Venice, Italy. (Image: Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com) — VENICE, ITALY – AUGUST 29: Laura Dern attends "Marriage Story" photo-call during the 76th Venice Film Festival on August 29, 2019, in Venice, Italy. (Image: Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com)

Of the Jurassic Park trio, Dern was the odd one of the trio left out of any real involvement in the sequels. While Neill started in 2001's Jurassic Park III, the Oscar-winner was regulated to only a background cameo revealing Grant and Sattler to be married prior to the events of the film. Goldblum starred opposite Julianne Moore in The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997 and had a glorified cameo bookending 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It's a shame; no one turned to Dern to front her own film within the franchise, given how invaluable she was in the 1993 original film. Thanks to Trevorrow, audiences will see the primary cores from the 1993 and 2015 movies unite in an equal capacity presumably. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard star in all the Jurassic World films since the franchise's 2015 revival.

Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Laura Dern, and Sam Neill in Jurassic Park (1993). Image courtesy of Universal Pictures — Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm, Richard Attenborough as John Hammond, Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Sam Neill and Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993). Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

Joining director Colin Trevorrow in writing Jurassic World: Dominion are Emily Carmichael and Derek Connolly. Also returning to the franchise is BD Wong, who reprises the role of Dr. Henry Wu from the 1993, 2015, and 2018 films. Joining them are Dichan Lachman, Jake Johnson, Daniella Pineda, Justice Smith, Kristoffer Polaha, Campbell Scott, and Omar Sy. The Universal film is scheduled to be released on June 11, 2021. While we're at it, give Ellie Sattler her own damn movie.