When Jurassic World became one of the highest-grossing movies ever, it came as little surprise when Universal Pictures announced a sequel. Since then, news has been slow regarding the follow-up, which has seen some creative shake-ups in its development phase. The film's plot and most of its cast are still unknown, but now the film has announced one of the first new additions to Jurassic World 2. Justice Smith, who most recently was seen in Netflix's The Get Down, has officially joined the cast.
The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop and they report that Justice Smith will be the latest to take a trip the most famous/only dinosaur theme park. No details about Smith's character were revealed, but one would wager that it's important given that he's one of the first new additions to the cast to be announced. Smith will be running from dinosaurs with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, the only two confirmed returning cast from the 2015 blockbuster. (Though BD Wong's likely back, as well.)
Jurassic World 2 will be Smith's largest film to date. The young actor recently played the lead of Ezekiel in Baz Lurhmann's The Get Down, a musical drama on Netflix set in 1970's Bronx. Smith also appeared in the film Paper Towns, an adaptation of a YA novel that starred Nat Wolff and Cara Delevingne. Before he makes his trip to Isla Nublar, Smith will appear in an off-Broadway played called Yen, which opens at the end of January.
It's looking more and more likely that Jurassic World 2 will feature a cast largely of new characters. With Jake Johnston not returning for the sequel and most of the other characters dead, Jurassic World 2 is due for some fresh meat. Toby Jones and Rafe Spall join Justice Smith as fellow new kids on the block, both of their characters being kept under wraps.
Though the faces in front of the camera will be largely new, the behind-the-scenes team will largely remain the same. Colin Trevorrow, director of the first film, returns as an executive producer and co-writer of the screenplay alongside Derek Conolly. Too busy developing his Star Wars movie, Trevorrow has passed the director's chair to J.A. Bayona, the man behind A Monster Calls and The Impossible.
The plot of the film is still unknown but given the set up of genetically spliced dinosaurs from the first film, audiences might be in for more new creatures in the vein of the Indominus Rex. There's still much more to be revealed before Jurrasic World 2's release into theaters on June 22, 2018.
