‘Jurassic World Dominion’ director denies the legacy cast were last-minute additions

Jurassic World Dominion hits theaters today, and the sixth and potentially last installment in the decades-old Jurassic Park franchise brings things full circle, finally bringing together the Jurassic World stars with the stars of the beloved original film; Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum. And director Colin Trevorrow wants fans to know that’s by design, not coincidence.

Trevorrow recently sat down with The Playlist along with his co-writer Emily Carmichael to chat about the newest Jurassic chapter. When the subject of the three original stars came up, Carmichael was quick to dispel any rumors that they were added out of whimsy at the last minute. “I was actually asked the other day when we knew that the legacy cast was coming back, but they were always coming back,” Carmichael told the website.

Trevorrow went on to explain that, indeed, the plot grew out of knowing the three would return. He also explained how the film is driven by Dern’s character:

“It all happened very quickly. Because people were super down to come and do it, then it became the question of, ‘OK, what are we going to do when we get there?’ And that was the hard part for us; it was knowing, even once you have a story, once you have a general plot structure, understanding what each of these people have been doing. What their perspective on the world, what their relationship is with each other, how we’re going to, in this movie, create a plot engine that’s driven by the Ellie Sattler character because she’s just the one of the three that never had a movie where she was the engine of the plot.”

– Colin Trevorrow

Audiences can see just how well the two casts meshed by visiting a nearby movie theater. Jurassic World Dominion releases nationwide today.