While the future of the larger Jurassic Park franchise is still very much in the “wait and see” phase, we do know that there will be a future. A new Jurassic movie is currently in development, set to be directed by Rogue One’s Gareth Edwards and written by Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp. The biggest outstanding question regarding the new film is just who will be in it, and while Jurassic World: Dominion’s DeWanda Wise doesn’t know her character’s future, she's not optimistic.
DeWanda Wise played Kayla Watts in the last Jurassic World movie. Watts was a former Air Force pilot who became a smuggler, which included smuggling prehistoric animals after the creatures got loose in the world. While we don’t know if any actors from the previous films are planned to appear in the upcoming movie, Wise recently spoke with Collider where she admitted she doesn’t expect to return, saying…
Because it's you, I'm gonna be honest with you, and I don't think so. And that makes me sad.
It’s unclear why DeWise is so sure she won’t be returning unless casting decisions are already being made and simply not publicized, and she knows she hasn’t received a call. Her character was a significant part of Dominion and if the upcoming movie is set after the effects of the last movie, there’s no reason she couldn’t appear.
Of course, at this point, we don’t know what the next movie is. While it’s currently being called Jurassic World 4, that’s almost certainly a placeholder title. The new movie could launch an entirely new trilogy with entirely new characters. It would certainly make sense to not bring DeWise back if nobody from the last trilogy is returning.
It could also be set almost anywhere in the timeline of the franchise. There’s no need to make a movie that’s a sequel. There’s potentially a story to be told in the years between trilogies since we never saw the actual functioning Jurassic Park created. There could even be a movie set in between the last two, focusing more on what a world with humans and dinosaurs together was like.
DeWise may not think she’s going to be in the next Jurassic film, but she’s not the only person from the last trilogy that would love to be in it. Nick Robinson, who played teen Zach Mitchell, nephew to Bryce Dallas Howard’s character, says he’d love to come back in the next film, though he also seems to feel such a thing is a pretty long shot.
The Jurassic World 4 release date is already set for July 2, 2025, which means the movie will likely be going into production soon. Those casting decisions can't wait too long so whether Wanda DeWise, or anybody else, will be returning is something we'll know for sure soon.
