“Jurassic World: Dominion” hit theaters this summer as a culmination of sorts for the franchise. For one, it marked an end to the trilogy Colin Trevorrow oversaw since 2015’s “Jurassic World.” But it also brought together “Jurassic Park” characters of old like Sam Neill‘s Alan Grant, Laura Dern‘s Ellie Sattler, and fan-favorite Jeff Goldblum‘s Ian Malcolm to tie up loose ends. And that’s a wrap, right? No more “Jurassic Park” movies from here on out?
Not so fast, reports Empire. In a new interview with Trevorrow, the director went into detail about his approach to the “Jurassic Park” franchise, and how he wanted “Dominion” to mark a transition for the series. “I specifically did something different than the other films in order to change the DNA of the franchise,” he explained to Empire. “The previous five films are plots about dinosaurs. This one is a story about characters in a world in which they coexist with dinosaurs. For the franchise to be able to move forward – because it’s inherently unfranchisable, there probably should have only been one “Jurassic Park” – but if we’re gonna do it, how can I allow them to tell stories in a world in which dinosaurs exist, as opposed to, here’s another reason why we’re going to an island?”
So, in Trevorrow’s thinking, taking the dinosaurs off-island and integrating them into the larger world opens up a range of possibilities for future movies. “This movie clearly takes a real interest in creating new characters that a new generation is going to latch on to,” continued Trevorrow. “Kayla Watts [DeWanda Wise], and Mamoudou Athie’s character Ramsay Cole, who I think, in the Extended Edition, you really feel his purpose in a greater way. And Dichen Lachman’s character [Soyona Santos], who just gets arrested at the end,” the writer-director points out. “There’s more to come.” The extended version of “Jurassic World: Dominon,” which adds 14 minutes of runtime, buffers these characters a bit. But is it really necessary? After all, “Dominion” as promoted as “the epic conclusion of the Jurassic era” by Universal Pictures.
But Trevorrow insisted to Empire that “Dominion” isn’t the finale of the “Jurassic” films. “I never knew that this was the ending of the franchise until I saw the marketing,” Trevorrow said. “Those guys are brilliant at what they do, but for me I think it might have been clearer if they’d said, ‘The end of an era’, as opposed to all of it. Because regardless of the cynical approach – of course they’re gonna want to make more money, which is what “Jurassic World” was about – a new dinosaur fan is born every day. Kids deserve these movies, and young filmmakers grow up on these stories – much like “Peter Pan” and “The Wizard Of Oz” and worlds we’ve returned to constantly.”
From this writer’s perspective, if the series had ended with Steven Spielberg‘s 1993 original, then, yes, the movie would hold up as a classic alongside “The Wizard Of Oz.” But the last few movies in the franchise are atrocious, a far cry from Spielberg’s film (and his follow-up, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park“). That doesn’t deter Trevorrow from the prospect of even more “Jurassic Park” content, though, whether it’s him or someone else who makes it. “What I get fired up about is, if a table has been set here for another mind to do what I did with Steven [Spielberg] and sit down and say, ‘Listen, I’ve got an idea’, I would love for that person to sit with me, or Steven, and just be like, ‘I got it!’” said Trevorrow.
Or maybe someone should come up with an original idea for a new blockbuster series and let the “Jurassic Park” franchise fade into memory. That’d really be life finding a way, as Ian Malcolm refrains in the series, as opposed to just resurrecting fossilized franchise back from the dead. The extended version of “Jurassic Park: Dominion” is available on streaming and home video now.