How can you not get excited over the fact that Jurassic World 3 is going to mark the return of Sam Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant and Laura Dern’s Dr. Ellie Sattler?! Along with Jeff Goldblum reprising Dr. Ian Malcolm again, the Jurassic Park all-star trio is reuniting to help bring some extra bang to director Colin Trevorrow’s big threequel to the Jurassic World series. If franchise fans are lucky, this will also wrap up their stories for good.
Yes, it’s awesome that Jurassic World 3 is bringing those beloved characters back, but if Trevorrow and his team are not careful, these supposedly substantial roles could be disappointing. Or worse, they could lead to an unhealthy extension of Jurassic Park’s franchise lore. If this is to be a true celebration of the franchise, Jurassic World 3 should keep the following points in mind when using Alan, Ellie and Ian for their storytelling needs in the future.
The Jurassic World Series Has Done Pretty Well Without Them
The presence of Jurassic Park royalty is nothing to sniff at, considering that even as far back as when Jurassic World was announced, the world wondered if Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, and Dr. Malcolm would return, or even what they’d been up to, by the point of that first legacyquel. Though fans had to wait until Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom to see Jeff Goldblum bookend that film’s events as Dr. Ian Malcolm, we still hadn’t seen Sam Neill or Laura Dern’s faces at that point.
Now that we’re getting the Jurassic band back together, it’s certainly time to celebrate! At the same time, it’s hard not to admit that Jurassic World’s first two films have worked rather well in the absence of the three doctors from Jurassic Park. While there’s certainly a respect and deep ties to the series’ past in those two films, the creative forces behind this new trilogy haven’t dwelled too much on their roots.
Jurassic World Is Really A Trilogy About Owen And Claire
If we’re telling the truth, as much as Jurassic Park’s original trilogy may have been defined by the actions of the Grant/Malcolm/Sattler triangle, Jurassic World has been defined by those adventures had by Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing. Bringing back fan favorite characters certainly spice things up, and if this is the final Jurassic World film, it’s a fitting end.
But if the Jurassic World series is going to continue past Jurassic World 3, Owen and Claire will undoubtedly have to remain the front and center leads of the saga. Unless there’s a development that wraps up their characters up once and for all in Jurassic World 3, our intrepid leads still need to be the focus. And even if they aren’t, there’s another possibility that makes for an interesting continuation of the Jurassic saga.
Battle At Big Rock Already Set Up Some Cool New Jurassic World Characters
With the short film Battle At Big Rock, director Colin Trevorrow and co-writer Emily Carmichael bridged the gap between Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World 3’s future story. In that mini-adventure, there was a concentrated dose of character development and action-adventure that built up the presence of a new family in the Jurassic World saga.
If anyone should take over the Jurassic World saga after Owen and Claire depart, the family unit led by André Holland’s Dennis and Natalie Martinez’s Mariana should be given the first shot to take the reins. In such a short span, their characters and their children created a compelling narrative that packed a Jurassic franchise punch; so naturally people are going to be curious what they’ll get up to in the future.
It Would Make Their Appearance in Jurassic World 3 Mean Something
Bringing back Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic World 3 is a pretty momentous occasion. Now that it’s actually happening, it could be a moment that tips events in the franchise into larger territory than has ever been charted in the legacyquel saga. With those sorts of stakes, it’s important to know where you’re going with your characters, and part of that intent should be to make sure this appearance actually means something to the series.
Jurassic World 3 shouldn’t be an excuse to try and work these characters back into the fabric of the entire series. Rather, it should be a fitting close to their adventures, with an ending that rights their fates once and for all. Otherwise, it cheapens the memory of Dr. Grant, Dr. Malcolm and Dr. Sattler, and turns a cool story idea into stunt casting.
Their Appearances In Jurassic World 3 Would Be A Fitting End To The Series
The future of the Jurassic World saga past the third entry in the series is unknown. While there’s certainly a potential for huge developments past Jurassic World 3, the real question is should it continue beyond Colin Trevorrow’s return to the franchise? Should this be the end, bringing in the Jurassic Park trio would not only be a fantastic end to their respective stories, it would be a perfect ending for the story that Jurassic World is trying to tell on the whole.
Resolving the story of John Hammond’s dream park and the consequences of its success have been the driving force of all the events leading up to Jurassic World 3. No one would be better qualified to sew up the series in style than the legendary characters that first experienced that dream and the fallout firsthand. The three doctors who saw Jurassic Park come to a disastrous end have enough clout and knowledge to send things off for good, and in the most fitting way possible.
Drs. Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler and Ian Malcolm have all remained pillars of the Jurassic Park lore, despite their roles being omitted or limited in the Jurassic World films. Jurassic World 3’s inclusion of their characters shouldn’t be used merely in the name of boosting box office grosses, or worse, to draw them into a series of increasingly ridiculous adventures.
To focus solely on their characters would be detrimental to everything built on the back of Owen Grady and Claire Dearing’s adventures thus far, as well as the entire Jurassic series. Whether it’s to close out the Jurassic World series in total, or to help set the stage for the next evolution of the franchise, having Jurassic Park’s legendary characters should be a temporary measure, rather than a long term strategy for continuing the trajectory of the film series they helped build.
Jurassic World 3 bursts into theaters on June 11, 2021. However, if you’re looking for an adventure to enjoy in the meantime, you can check both the 2019 release schedule, as well as the calendar for 2020. It’s going to be a bit of a wait, and you don’t want to miss out on any of the fun during the interim!
