Putting the DNA together: everything we know about ‘Jurassic World 2’*

2015’s Jurassic World was everything us JP fanboys needed. It brought the franchise that marked our childhoods back to life in the grandest of ways: a fully operational park, just like Hammond imagined, plenty of easter eggs and nostalgic nods to the first movie, and of course fantastic action sequences and a terrifying new dinosaur species. Much like the dinos in the movie, Jurassic World ran amok at the box the box office, generating over $500 million in its opening weekend, and becoming the third-highest grossing movie of all time**.

Within four months Universal Pictures announced a sequel which is to be released June 22, 2018. Little is known about the plots at this point, but let’s just channel our inner Mr. DNA and see how much we can ‘fill in’ about the upcoming release.

“We’re not always going to be the only ones who can make a dinosaur”

With dinosaur cloning so far exclusively available to John Hammond’s InGen and later Simon Masrani’s Masrani Global, geneticist Henry Wu's successful escape from the island with a number of embryos at the end of JW is something bound to develop into another exciting scenario. The ambitious scientist’s next move will be an interesting one. Will he sell to the highest bidder? Will he continue his experiments with hybrids? Either way, as Wu says in the movie when he warns Masrani, ‘We’re not always going to be the only ones who can make a dinosaur’, I feel that all bets will be off in JW2. When dinosaur cloning becomes open source, there’s no way of predicting the outcome.

What we know for sure: Henry Wu has escaped the island with a number of embryos.

JW/JP4 had been in the making for many years, with several writers coming in to work on it at different times. It is known that at one point the script focused on ‘weaponized dinosaurs’, with some zany concept art to show for it. Enter Vic Hoskins, Jurassic World’s head of security, who is obsessed with weaponizing predatory dinosaurs. Hoskins participated in the IBRIS Project which was designed to train Velociraptors to obey commands. It is very likely that that the concept of dinos as ‘war beasts’ will be explored further in the sequel.

Additionally, Colin Trevorrow has hinted in interviews that he definitely sees applications for cloning beyond entertainment. This could mean that the theme park/island chase formula has probably run its course.

What we know for sure: JP writers have long been obsessed with weaponized dinosaurs.

If you’ve been clicking around on MasraniGlobal.com, a wonderful piece of JW marketing, you may have stumbled upon an excerpt that mentions Masrani’s Martel expedition in Siberia. Having yielded an abundance of highly preserved carcasses, it is not entirely out of the question that the company could recreate animals from the Cenozoic era, such as woolly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers and glyptodons.

With Trevorrow stating that he wants to further explore bringing extinct animals back to life and how the world evolves in relation to these animals and animals in general, it is not out of the question that JW2 will be bigger than dinosaurs.

What we know for sure: Trevorrow wants to focus more on the relationship between dinosaurs and man.

Conflicting rumors exist on JW2’s timeline. Some say that the events of the sequel closely follow the events of JW, with Claire and Owen on a mission to address the trail of problems after the Indominus disaster. Others suggest a time leap, with JW2 picking up several years later, in a future where dinosaurs are possibly already in use as military weapons.

What we know for sure: Jurassic World 2 will expand the Jurassic franchise and its universe.

Where will JW2 take place?

We are done with theme parks. Colin Trevorrow has stated that Jurassic World 2 will not be about dinosaurs chasing people on an island, suggesting that that particular formula ended with JW. After two failed theme parks, good luck revisiting the idea a third time! If we read further into Trevorrow’s comment, this could possibly hint at dinosaurs roaming the mainland. All this underscores that the new trilogy will indeed tell an overarching story, building on previous events.

What we know for sure: The sequel will not feature a dinosaur theme park or an island full of dinosaurs.

As of yet, it is unknown where on the mainland JW2 will take place. Since Wu ran off to Costa Rica, it is rumored that the sequel’s plot will take place there. But of course anything could happen. There have also been rumors that location scouts have been checking out London, which would be awesome, but could very well be much ado about nothing. Note that Trevorrow will be setting up base in London’s Pinewood Studios for Star Wars: Episode IX, which could be how the rumor originated.

What we know for sure: Jurassic World 2 will take place on the mainland.

What will the cast look like?

Raptor trainer Owen Grady and park operations manager Claire Dearing were the lead characters in Jurassic World. It has been confirmed that Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas-Howard will reprise their roles as the brawn and the brains, respectively. Both Trevorrow and Dallas-Howard have hinted that Pratt’s character Owen will take a backseat to the high-heel wearing Claire, who will reportedly be a ‘completely different person’ in JW2. Trevorrow even went as far as to reveal that BDH’s character will evolve the most over the new trilogy.

What we know for sure: Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas-Howard will reprise their roles as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing.

Since B.D. Wong’s character Dr. Henry Wu has an expanded role in Jurassic World and is seen escaping Isla Nublar at the end of the movie, it is safe to assume that the scienctist will return in the sequel. Colin Trevorrow even said that after two decades of living in Hammond’s shadow, there’s definitely more to Wu’s story. In JW, he was working with Vic Hoskins to militarize dinosaurs.

What we know for sure: Dr. Henry Wu escaped the island with all his research and some embryos. His storyline could easily continue. No confirmation yet on his return.

There has been a lot of speculation about whether or not Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum will take part in Jurassic World. Surely the iconic Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler and chaotician Ian Malcolm deserved a presence in Trevorrow’s reboot? As of now, Neill and Dern appear most likely to return to the franchise, according to a tweet by a JW fan Twitter account that reads ‘If @starwars can include original cast in their new trilogy, so can @JurassicPark! RT if you agree!’. The tweet was accompanied by a picture of Neill and Dern, so there is definitely a demand for it.

Jeff Goldblum, on his part, has teased us about the possibility of an appearance in the sequel, but there is no confirmation as of yet.

Note that Steven Spielberg held the trio out of JW by choice, wanting to focus on the future instead of the past as to introduce the franchise to a whole new generation.

What we know for sure: There have been a lot of rumours about a possible return for Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, with Neill and Dern slightly ahead of Goldblum.

According to ‘reports’, the following actors and actresses have been enlisted to appear in the sequel: Omar Sy as Owen’s sidekick Barry, Julianne Moore as Sarah Harding, Jake Johnson as Lowery Cruthers, Lauren Lapkus as Vivian Krill, Cameron Thor as Lewis Dodgson, Aasif Mandvi as Jack Masrani, Jack Kennedy as Morton Vics, Steve McQueen as Jack Levine and Livia Milano as Mya Jones. Samuel L. Jackson’s rumored return as chain-smoking chief engineer Ray Arnold has been confirmed to be a hoax.

What we know for sure: As much as we would like to confirm these names, we can’t. It is unclear at this point where this list even originated.

Now what?

With the script still being hammered out, filming not slated to begin until 2017, and the final edit still over two years away, all we have right now is educated guesses.

Let’s hear what the experts think will happen:

Sam: "In terms of what will think will happen and what I would like to see? That is a tough one. As long as it is a perfect mix of both Jurassic Park and The Lost World, like Jurassic World was, I will be happy. I have full trust in Colin and Derek."

Jack: "The Jurassic films so far have had 2 concerning theme parks and 2 about people trapped in lost worlds. For the 5th adventure how can we possibly have any idea of what to expect?

As long as it feels JP, in terms of storytelling devices (aka sans dream sequences and shaky cam), I'm happy. A film in the style of Crichton's Twister would be sweet. Following the destructive path/effect of these reborn animals on our modern natural world."

Ross: "I'd like to see dinosaurs in the wild but on the mainland, perhaps becoming an invasive species like cane toads in Australia. It would be interesting to see how they would be tolerated if they started altering the natural world."

Matteo: "I’m going out on a limb and say the Indominus Rex is still alive. BioSyn manages to capture it and use it to finally perfect their cloning technique, using it do to all kind of no good behind closed doors. Dr. Henry Wu, meanwhile, sells his services to the highest bidder, experimenting with new hybrids and ice age animals for the private zoo of a Hammond 2.0 type. Claire, who has been dealing with the aftermath of the Jurassic World disaster, is feverishly looking for the remains of the I-Rex. She is contacted one day by Alan Grant, who has found out the whereabouts of the Indominus via his old friend Billy. When Owen is recruited by Wu’s boss to come check out his collection, the zoo is attacked by former IBRIS Project guys, setting free dinosaurs, hybrids, mammoths and saber-toothed tigers."

And what do you think the plot will be?

- Matteo Van Mol

*The title will almost certainly not be ‘Jurassic World 2’. Rumored titles include ‘Jurassic Earth’, ‘Jurassic War’ and ‘Jurassic Squad’.

**Recently bumped to fourth place by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.