It's been four years since the surprisingly emotional Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom captivated the imaginations of the entire planet, with big box office numbers and an ending that got everybody talking. And yet before any of this had landed on fan's mental doorsteps for opening weekend, there was another sequel waiting in the wings, ready to take the stage once those closing moments played out. So naturally, now is the perfect time to start talking about the future installment in the series, Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World: Dominion.
While there’s still a lot to learn at this particular moment, there's a good amount of information we do know, which we'll share here. But be warned, there will be some speculation based on the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ending and as soon as we have updated information, this guide will be refreshed to reflect it. For now though, let's dive into the future of what was once simply known as Jurassic World 3.
The Jurassic World: Dominion Release Date Is Set For June 10, 2022
When Jurassic World: Dominion was first announced in early 2018, the third entry in the Jurassic World trilogy had a release date of June 11, 2021, which would have been 28 years to the day of the release of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park back in 1993. As we all know now, that obviously didn’t happen and Jurassic World 3 was pushed back nearly an entire year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will now be released in theaters June 10, 2022.
The Jurassic World 3 Cast Includes Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill, Laura Dern And Jeff Goldblum
The Jurassic World: Dominion cast seems too good to be true when you first look at it, but rest assured, this is not some fan-fiction novel or fake movie poster released as a sick April Fool’s Day prank. The third Jurassic World movie will see the return of Chris Pratt as Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Denning, but it will also see three stars who haven’t been on screen together in nearly 30 years. That’s right, Sam Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant, Laura Dern’s Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm --all fixtures of the original Jurassic Park -- are back in the fold in this epic dinosaur adventure. They’re going to need a bigger gate for this cast.
Outside of those five leads, Jurassic World 3 will also see the return of BD Wong’s Dr. Henry Wu, Justice Smith’s Franklin Webb, Omar Sy’s Barry Sembène, Jake Johnson’s Lowery Cruthers, Daniella Pineda’s Zia Rodriguez, and Isabella Sermon’s Maisie Lockwood. And Jurassic Park villain Dr. Lewis Dodgson (Dodgson! We got Dodgson here!) will be returning, this time played by Cameron Scott.
Franchise newcomers Mamoudou Athie, Scott Haze, Dichen Lachman, DeWanda Wise, and Dimitri Thivaios also join the stacked cast.
Jurassic World: Dominion Will Have Two Parallel Stories
With a cast as large as the one featured in Jurassic World: Dominion, you can see where people would get worried about some characters getting overshadowed or maybe the returning stars from Jurassic Park being nothing more than a cameo (like Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom). That doesn’t appear to be the case, as director Colin Trevorrow told CinemaBlend in June 2021:
They are such big characters in the film. It’s not a cameo. They’re in the whole movie, so I think it’ll be difficult to market the film without revealing them because they’re all over it. I think that their roles are just as big as Chris and Bryce’s are. So it’s really a story that is two parallel lines that are getting closer and closer together until they collide. The thing that I could do that would show the most respect to these characters is put them on an adventure together and not just have them sit around. I don’t want them commenting on what’s going on. I want him to be in it. So that’s what we did.
And by the sounds of it, we’ll be seeing Sam Neill reunite with an “old friend” when Jurassic World: Dominion opens.
Jurassic World: Dominion Wraps Up The Trilogy But More Is Expected For The ‘Jurassic’ World In The Future
With the stars of the original Jurassic Park sharing the screen with the new blood, Jurassic World: Dominion feels like it’s the end of the road for the franchise, but that’s not necessarily the case. In a January 2022 interview with SlashFilm, producer Frank explained that although Dominion does wrap up the Jurassic World trilogy, the beloved franchise won’t be ending anytime soon:
I think that Dominion’s going to wrap up this trilogy, but we’re not resting on our laurels. We’re going to sit down, and we’re going to see what the future is. We have that wonderful series, Camp Cretaceous, on Netflix. We obviously want to make quality, good movies with great storytelling, great writers and director, but we’re definitely looking to do more in the ‘Jurassic’ world.”
What this means in terms of theatrical releases remains to be seen, but with the success and popularity of the movies so far, dinosaurs will continue to walk the Earth for the foreseeable future.
A Jurassic World 3 Teaser Debuted Ahead Of F9 IMAX Screenings In June 2021
In June 2021, Universal Pictures gave moviegoers the opportunity to see five minutes of footage from Jurassic World: Dominion at IMAX screenings of F9. This extended preview took audiences back to the Cretaceous period, a time when dinosaurs truly did rule the Earth. Instead of picking up with any of the characters (humans, at least) from the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies, the special IMAX preview was set 65 million years before the events of the films and provided a detailed look at the mosquitos who harvested the dino DNA that would later be used by InGen to create the awe-inspiring yet incredibly dangerous theme park.
Speaking of which, the Jurassic World: Dominion special preview also showed the present-day park, showing the dinosaurs leaving the confines of Isla Nublar like we saw at the end of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Two months later, Universal showed off exclusive footage at CinemaCon 2021 that included behind-the-scenes clips as well as a video of Chris Pratt interacting with the “legacy” cast.
There Is One Scene In Jurassic World: Dominion That Made Steven Spielberg Very Emotional
From everything we’ve seen and heard about Jurassic World: Dominion in the lead-up to its June 2022 release, it’s easy to see how someone could get emotional about the movie and its place in the franchise. It appears that this was the case for Steven Spielberg, who became particularly emotional during one scene, as Colin Trevorrow told Empire in December 2021:
The moment everybody shows up for the first time together, they’re all packed into a Jeep. And I took a picture of it and I sent it to Steven [Spielberg]. He got very emotional. I don’t think even he was prepared for how moving it would be to see all of those characters that he loves, and people that he loves, looking incredible and on an adventure together.
It’s not surprising at all that Steven Spielberg would have such a response considering he helped kickstart the franchise 30 years ago and has remained a major player behind the scenes throughout the production of all subsequent entries.
Production On Jurassic World: Dominion Wrapped In November 2020 Following Extended COVID-19 Delays
Cameras officially started rolling on Jurassic World: Dominion in February 2020 with shoots taking place in Vancouver, Canada before shifting to England the following month. Not long after the production shifted across the pond, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cameras to stop rolling and the shoot was put on hiatus as the world began to deal with effects of the public health crisis.
Jurassic World: Dominion became one of the first major shoots to resume in July 2020 but shooting was slow and steady as the cast and crew dealt with delays brought on when members of the cast and crew tested positive for COVID-19. Production was finally able to wrap on November 7, 2020, which Colin Trevorrow celebrated with a sweet photo of the cast and crew. A little over a year later on November 9, 2021, Trevorrow took to Twitter to share that sound mixing had been completed.
A Short Film Titled Battle At Big Rock Bridges The Gap Between Jurassic World 2 And 3
In September 2019, Universal Pictures released Battle at Big Rock, a 10-minute short film written and directed by Colin Trevorrow that helps bridge the gap between Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Dominion. Set one year after the events of the second movie, the short follows a family of four who finds themselves trapped in the middle of a battle between two Jurassic beasts: a triceratops and an allosaurus. You can check out Battle at Big Rock here.
There Won’t Be A New Hybrid Dinosaur In Jurassic World 3
As both Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom have used hybrid dinosaurs as their show-stopping creations/partial antagonists, a third go 'round must have some audience members asking, 'how the hell are they going to top the Indominus Rex and Indoraptor creations?' Thankfully, whether that question was asked with a serious or derisive tone, an answer has already been made apparent. There will be no hybrid dinosaur in Jurassic World 3, per Colin Trevorrow's wishes to get back to basics with the dinos of the series, which is probably the best decision. Not only does this mean that folks will not be given the chance to get tired of hybrid dinosaurs, it fits perfectly with the ending in which all of the "pure" dinosaurs were let into the wild. At this point, the series doesn't need more species, especially if this film is supposed to wrap things up.
After reading all of this, it’s easy to see why everyone is so excited for the upcoming release of Jurassic World: Dominion. If you want to know what else is coming to theaters this year, check out CinemaBlend’s schedule of all the 2022 new movie releases.
There is still plenty that we don’t yet know about one of the most highly anticipated 2022 movies, but expect to hear (and see) more in the coming months. And while we wait for Jurassic World: Dominion, why not check out all the 2021 movies that will be busting into a theater near you.
