Laura Dern can currently be seen in theaters making her mark on the world's biggest franchise. She turns in a great performance as Vice Admiral Holdo in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but for some fans, she will always be Ellie Sattler from Jurassic Park. After over a decade, the dino franchise returned to theaters to the tune of $1.6 billion with 2015's Jurassic World. Given her return to blockbuster films in Star Wars, fans are itching to see Laura Dern reprise her iconic role in a sequel to Jurassic World. The sequel film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom arrives in theaters next year, meaning the time has never been better to see Ellie Sattler on the big screen again. Laura Dern played it cagey when asked about the possibility, saying:
[It] could be fun. I mean, I love Ellie Sattler. She's a tough feminist, come on! We need her back.
Well, she didn't say no. If Laura Dern cameos in the film--and she seems keen to come back at some point--she certainly wasn't confirming it to ET. We've now seen the exciting first full trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and while it is full of great moments, it leaves a lot of the story and the arc of the film a bit of a mystery. While you'd think we may have heard about a cameo by now, she wouldn't exactly be the only character returning. Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm was seen in the trailer and will be in the film in what the actor described as a small part. So while it seems that, much like Star Wars, we may never see Jurassic Park's big three reunited on-screen together, it would be cool if Laura Dern did pop in to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom or another Jurassic World film.
Last we saw Laura Dern's Ellie Sattler, she was Ellie Degler in Jurassic Park III. While she didn't have a huge role in that film she provided a crucial last minute escape to Sam Neill's Dr. Alan Grant. Her character always seemed to have the most emotional and empathetic view towards the dinosaurs and that would fit in very well with what we know about Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. There is something of an animal rights issue at the heart of this film, as the dinosaurs face a second extinction from the volcanic eruption on Isla Nublar. I'm just saying, Ellie Sattler could provide the dissenting voice to what appears to be Ian Malcolm's recommendation to let the dinosaurs die! Even if she doesn't make it into next year's film, something tells me Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will make enough to warrant a sequel, and thus another chance to see the return of Dr. Ellie Sattler.
Laura Dern is having something of a banner year. In addition to her return to big box office filmmaking in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, she can be seen in Alexander Payne's Downsizing on December 22nd. She is also gracing the small screen, with parts in David Lynch's return of Twin Peaks and HBO's Big Little Lies. Laura Dern has already won an Emmy for and has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in Big Little Lies. A return to the franchise that made her famous could be a fun next move.
Laura Dern can be seen rocking purple hair and fighting the First Order in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, in theaters now. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom hits theaters on June 22, 2018. For all the biggest movies coming next year, check out our release schedule.
