When it was revealed that Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World wouldn’t be a reboot, fans immediately started speculating about which of the characters from the original trilogy might make a return in this fourth outing.
The Safety Not Guaranteed director has now revealed that while we likely won’t see the returns of Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum, there is at least one character from the original who will be back.
“I know a lot of fans want to see the original characters back. They’re iconic. But I respect those actors too much to shoehorn them into this story for my own sentimental reasons. Jurassic Park isn’t about the bad luck of three people who keep getting thrown into the same situation. The only reason they’d go back to that island is if the screenwriters contrived a reason for them to go. But there is a character from the first film who makes sense in our world. This hasn’t been announced yet, but BD Wong will be returning as Dr. Henry Wu. He had a much larger role in the original novel, he was the engineer of this breakthrough in de-extinction. He spent two decades living in Hammond’s shadow, underappreciated. We think there’s more to his story.”
Wong’s Henry Wu had only a very small supporting role in Jurassic Park, but it sounds as if he’ll play both a major part in this movie and serve as a way of connecting this new movie with those which preceded it. Despite the fact that some will likely be disappointed over the lack of returning cast members, it’s hard to complain about the new ones, with Trevorrow describing Guardians of the Galaxy’s Chris Pratt as follows.
“He’s a classic hero in a very modern context. He’s the guy who will get you through the jungle alive – but like Malcolm, Grant and Sattler, he’s an expert in a scientific field that’s connected to our story. The character allows us to explore some new ideas about our relationship with these animals, without losing the humor and sense of adventure. He’s a great contrast for Bryce Dallas Howard’s character, who starts off very corporate, very controlled. Until the running and screaming starts. Then they need each other.”
As for how the director is approaching this new take on the iconic franchise, he revealed that he has a very clear plan in mind for what he intends to bring to his take on Jurassic Park with Jurassic World.
“I’m not on a mission to separate this film from the ones that came before. That will happen naturally – I have different instincts. But, like a lot of people my age, I grew up on Amblin movies. They’re a part of who I am as a filmmaker, and arguably as a person. This film will have a lot of new ideas in it, but I think the spirit will be familiar. It will have an old soul.”
Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Irrfan Khan, and Ty Simpkins, Jurassic World is set to be released on June 12th, 2015.
Source: IGN Movies
