In the upcoming addition to the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World: Dominion, actor, writer, and director Sam Neill returns to the park for the first time in 19-years. Neill, who rose to prominence as Dr. Alan Grant, last stepped foot in the park during the franchise's third iteration, Jurassic Park III. In an interview with Variety, Neill expressed his excitement about the scale of the upcoming film, noting that Jurassic World: Dominion "is a big film for big audiences."
When asked where audiences will find Dr. Grant all these years later, Neill relayed that while his character has remained the same, the world around him has significantly changed. Neill also hinted that viewers may see some old relationship dynamics revisited in the new film, noting that "Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler (Laura Dern) haven't seen each other for some time," and that viewers will have to wait and see "how that pans out."
Neill also praised director Colin Trevorrow's handling of the franchise and compared his "childlike sense of wonder, playfulness and inventiveness," to famed director Steven Spielberg. Apparently, Neill was not the only cast member excited to be back on the Jurassic World set, relaying that the whole cast was "very gung-ho," and happy to be working together amidst the pandemic. "It was somewhere between rehab, summer camp, and Easter break," stated Neill. "We were compulsorily in each other's company and much richer for it. If we were shooting in L.A., we'd go off to our different caves every night, but we got to know each other so much better."
While Neill hopes that "thousands of theatres" will be open in time for Jurassic World: Dominion's release, he added that life under lockdown, although strange, has had some benefits: "The world turned into a darker place and that was strange, but I found it liberating in a creative way." Beyond his involvement in Jurassic World, Neill used his time in lockdown as an opportunity to channel his love for cinema into a short film series, which he appropriately dubbed Cinema Quarantino. During the pandemic, Neill also filmed videos playing his ukulele and shared cooking demonstrations with his fans.
Evidently, Neill has been making the most of life amidst the pandemic, and has managed to maintain a positive outlook throughout it all stating, "I never felt less than privileged to be in work last year."
Jurassic World: Dominion is slated to be released June 10th, 2022.
Source: Variety