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Which Original 'Jurassic Park' Character Returns in 'Jurassic World'?

by Ethan Anderton
March 18, 2014
Source: IGN

The cast of Jurassic World, the fourth film in the dinosaur adventure franchise that began with Jurassic Park over 20 years ago, is already pretty full with Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt in the lead roles, not to mention Jake Johnson ,Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Vincent D'Onofrio and Irrfan Kahn. But some fans have been wondering if any of the original characters from the first film will return. Jeff Goldblum already said he wouldn't be back, and in a recent chat with Colin Trevorrow, he told IGN that only one character would make a return, and it's someone we haven't seen in the franchise since the original film.

First of all, regarding bringing back any of the fan favorite characters, Trevorrow says:

“I know a lot of fans want to see the original characters back. They’re iconic. But I respect those actors too much to shoehorn them into this story for my own sentimental reasons. 'Jurassic Park' isn’t about the bad luck of three people who keep getting thrown into the same situation. The only reason they’d go back to that island is if the screenwriters contrived a reason for them to go. But there is a character from the first film who makes sense in our world."

And that's Dr. Henry Wu, who B.D. Wong played in the scene where a baby raptor was born. Trevorrow explains his place in the mythology of Jurassic Park, mostly the book by Michael Crichton:

“This hasn’t been announced yet, but B.D. Wong will be returning as Dr. Henry Wu. He had a much larger role in the original novel, he was the engineer of this breakthrough in de-extinction. He spent two decades living in Hammond’s shadow, underappreciated. We think there’s more to his story.”

If the rumors of John Hammond's original theme park idea becoming a reality are true, maybe he's integral to making that work this time around. But we're not even sure what story will be told here. However, Trevorrow does give us an idea of what we can expect from Chris Pratt. When it comes to the former actor, the star of Guardians of the Galaxy, the director calls his character "a classic hero in a very modern context. He’s the guy who will get you through the jungle alive – but like Malcolm, Grant and Sattler, he’s an expert in a scientific field that’s connected to our story. The character allows us to explore some new ideas about our relationship with these animals, without losing the humor and sense of adventure.”

As for Howard, her character is a "great contrast for Howard’s character, who starts off very corporate, very controlled. Until the running and screaming starts. Then they need each other.” If she's a corporate and controlled type, she could very well be one of the executives in charge of the new park if that story rumor is indeed true. It would serve as a familiar reboot of the franchise while still introducing new characters, dinosaurs and more. Production is supposed to begin very soon, so some details should be surfacing.

Finally, for a technical bit behind the scenes, Trevorrow explained how they're shooting this latest dinosaur sequel. The director says, "We’re also using an aspect ratio that hasn’t been seen theatrically in a very long time. The movie will be presented in 2 to 1. It’s basically a middle ground between 2.35 and 1.85. It allows us enough height to fit humans and dinosaurs into a single frame, without giving up that sense of scope. It’s very close to the ratio of the digital IMAX screens, so it will look great in large format." And we're sure Universal will give it an IMAX release too. Sound good?

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