The body count in the Jurassic Park/World movies is often high, leaving plenty of open spots for a follow-up. Jurassic World 2 will be no exception, as the sequel has slowly been building its cast over the last couple months. Fortunately for them, they've just scored one of the most memorable people from 1991's Silence of the Lambs, as Ted Levine has been officially cast in Jurassic World 2. Does this mean he'll have a basket with lotion in it to give to the dinosaurs?
Yes, folks, the man who played serial killer Buffalo Bill nearly 30 years ago has joined Jurassic World 2, although Variety didn't have any details about the character he'll be playing. Ted Levine joins a cast that consists of Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprising Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, respectively, as well as Toby Jones, Rafe Spall and Justice Smith playing new characters who haven't been identified yet either. BD Wong is also expected to reprise Dr. Henry Wu, though that's not confirmed.
Ted Levine has been acting since the early 1980s, but his breakout role came with Silence of the Lambs, where he played Buffalo Bill, a.k.a. Jame Gumb, the main antagonist who Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling hunted down for the FBI. Although Anthony Hopkins frequently gets more recognition for playing Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the same movie (for good reason), Levine's performance was almost as chilling, from the uncomfortable way he said "It puts the lotion in the basket" to his awkward dance to "Goodbye Horses."
Outside of Silence of the Lambs, Ted Levine's notable credits include playing Captain Leland Stottlemeyer on Monk, Detective Mike Bosko in Heat, Sheriff James Timberlake in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, the warden in Shutter Island, Hank Wade in The Bridge and voicing Sinestro in the DC Animated Universe. Levine is often seen playing two types of characters: villains or authority figures. Either are equally likely for Jurassic World 2 right now given the lack of details, but since these romps often have a human causing trouble in the midst of the dinosaurs rampaging, it wouldn't be surprising if Levine's character proved to be a nuisance during the sequel, similar to Vincent D'Onofrio's Vic Hoskins in Jurassic World. That would also mean the likelihood of Levine's character being slashed or eaten by one of those prehistoric creatures significantly goes up.
On the off chance you haven't seen Levine in anything recently, here's how he looked while appearing on Ray Donovan. Long hair and beard not guaranteed for Jurassic World 2.
No plot details for Jurassic World 2 have been revealed yet, although director J.A. Bayona has said it will work as both a sequel to its 2015 predecessor and as Jurassic Park 5. The blockbuster will be released on June 22, 2018.
