Jurassic Park Gets A World Builder

Courtesy of Universal

When last I discussed Jurassic World, it was with the news that Vincent D’Onofrio had joined the cast as a representative of a new company that are cloning InGen style dinosaurs. Now comes word that B.D. Wong has joined the cast as Dr. Henry Wu. Wong previously played Wu in the original Jurassic Park as the chief geneticist responsible for creating the animals for Hammond. If a new company is taking over where Hammond left off, it would stand to reason that Wu, the man who practically invented the technology, would be involved.

The third film of the series was made up largely of set pieces from the original novel that weren't used in the original movie. And it stands to reason that the producers of this new film would return to the source material to create this fourth edition. I've already explained how D’Onofrio's character might take some inspiration from the Dodgson and Biosyn scenarios from The Lost World novel. Wu's inclusion is a nice supplement to the original novel, where he has a much larger role in the plot (the film gave most of his scenes to Bob Peck's Muldoon, reducing Wu to one scene that also ensured his survival).

Perhaps more important to his role in Jurassic World will be a scene in the original book between him and Hammond, where Wu explains that with genetic engineering, they can design "better, slower and tamer dinosaurs." He explains to Hammond that people don't want to see real dinosaurs, they want to see what they expect dinosaurs to look like. Colin Trevorrow announced this casting by saying, "He spent two decades living in Hammond’s shadow, under-appreciated. We think there’s more to his story." If they incorporate the novel's belief that they can make the dinosaurs into whatever they want (what JP3's Grant described as "theme park monsters"), it could explain why Jurassic World's dinosaurs won't have feathers - because that runs counter to the public perception of the animals.

Trevorrow also described Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard's characters in greater detail, saying:

"He’s 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. He’s a great contrast for Bryce Dallas Howard’s character, who starts off very corporate, very controlled. Until the running and screaming starts. Then they need each other." 

I've been healthily skeptical about World thus far, but I think I'm starting to come around to the idea.

Via Collider.

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About MR. Clark

Adopting the descriptor of "successfully unpublished author", MR. Clark began writing things on the internet in 2012, which he believed to be an entirely reputable and civilized place to find and deliver information. He regrets much.