As Jurassic World 3 is set to bring the series to a potential close, there are a lot of things folks are going to want to see included in this earth-shaking would-be finale. One of the obvious talking points for those who are looking ahead is the fact that this sixth film would be a great chance for classic Jurassic Park characters to make their returns, much like Dr. Ian Malcolm did (ever so briefly) in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. With this subject in the air, we asked Bryce Dallas Howard which actor / character she would bring back, if she were given the chance to bring back just one -- Malcolm excluded. With no hesitation whatsoever, she gave CinemaBlend the following answer:
Laura Dern. Duh. She's like a supernatural being, no matter what, in real life. I think it'd be incredible. I'm certainly not the only person who'd think this.
During our time at the press day for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's home video release, we were able to talk with Howard about various facets of her role as Claire Dearing, one of the new Jurassic trilogy's commanding leads. And as anyone will tell you, the bridge between the past and the present of the franchise is a subject that is an eagerly discussed among fans of the series. Not only that, but as I had previously discussed in that same conversation with Bryce Dallas Howard, she feels that this is a key part of the game plan for Jurassic World 3's path forward.
Her choice of Laura Dern's paleobotanist, Dr. Ellie Sattler, as her one character to bring back, is probably the best choice -- despite the fact that each member of the original Jurassic Park trio is iconic in their own right. Dr. Sattler's story lacks the sort of proper closure that Sam Neill's Dr. Alan Grant and Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm's possess. While it's true that we see her in Jurassic Park III, all we're given in terms of Ellie's story beyond Jurassic Park is that she settled down to have a family. Other than that, her inclusion in the film felt like merely lip service to fans of the first film, without much detail behind it. Meanwhile, we learned more about Alan's life past their initial adventure in the film's first act, with Ian Malcolm getting an entire film of his own and a bookending cameo in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
It's hard to imagine Dr. Ellie Sattler merely staying home, raising kids, and being a loving wife who has no interest in Paleobotany, especially when Jurassic Park's harrowing adventure only helped bring Jurassic World into being. So bringing Laura Dern back for Jurassic World 3 would give us all an opportunity to not only learn what happened to Ellie's career, and if Jurassic Park III is still part of the proper canon, it'd also give us more time with a well-respected character that never got her proper due, storywise. We know a lot about what happened to Alan and Ian after Jurassic Park, so the last frontier from the original story left to cross is to catch up with the woman who once bested a Raptor with a chain link door.
Also, as Bryce Dallas Howard and even Chris Pratt had said in the past, how can you turn down a Dern performance in a Jurassic movie? It's not like it's going to be hard to convince Laura Dern to come aboard for Jurassic World 3, as she's already stated that she'd return to the series, simply because, "we need her back." Consider my fingers officially crossed for Ms. Dern's return to the Jurassic fold, and consider us here at CinemaBlend on the hunt for any further information that comes out about such a possibility becoming a sweet reality.
In the meantime, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is currently available in Digital HD, with DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD physical releases landing on September 18th.
