Jurassic World Dominion Director Addresses if Jurassic Park’s Lex and Tim Were Considered for the Film

Jurassic World Dominion hit theatres this weekend and it’s having a lot of success at the box office despite mixed reviews. The new movie is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with a 31% critics score and an 80% audience score. ComicBook.com gave the movie a 3.5 out of 5 and called it “overly long but full of heart.” One of the biggest draws of Dominion is the return of Jurassic Park‘s Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), Sam Neill (Alan Grant), and Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm). BD Wong is also back again as Dr. Henry Wu, and the character Lewis Dodgson plays a significant role, but he is now portrayed by Campbell Scott. However, there are some Jurassic Park staples who aren’t in the new film, including Ariana Richards (Lex) and Joseph Mazzello (Tim). Recently, Dominion director Colin Trevorrow had a chat with The Hollywood Reporter and was asked if Lex and Tim were ever considered for the new movie. 

“Every one of these characters takes up so much oxygen in every room they step into that we really needed to be careful and thoughtful,” Trevorrow explained. “I’ve always tried to keep a good sense of when it would start to feel like a Love Boat episode or something. (Laughs.) Where it’s just like, ‘Who’s the special guest in this scene?’ And we have five characters [counting Lewis Dodgson] from Jurassic Park. BD Wong has been in all three of these movies, and he’s a major character in this film. And so when you’re looking at a movie like Jurassic Park, which probably had a total of eight characters and five of them are in this movie, that actually is a lot.”

While it sounds like Lex and Tim were never considered for Dominion, Richards did walk the red carpet at the premiere, which was a nice surprise for fans. While Richards has since retired from acting, Mazzello can still be seen in various projects, including Bohemian Rhapsody, American Crime Story, and the upcoming Unexpected. 

ComicBook.com recently spoke with Trevorrow and asked if he had any requirements for the legacy cast. The director revealed he reached out to the actors to see what they envisioned for their characters nearly 30 years after the original film.

“I came in with questions for the actors. And for me, I had a feeling of what I would want to see as a fan, but I wanted to know what Laura Dern, where she felt Ellie Sattler would be at this point in her life and what Sam Neil felt. And I respect these actors so much as the authorities of the characters they play more than I could ever be. And so, there was a lot of listening that went on and what you’re seeing is a result of those conversations. And all of those scenes are moments that they believed in. They felt comfortable playing. And I think that’s why it works, is because you can tell that’s what they want their character to be doing,” Trevorrow shared. 

Jurassic World: Dominion is now playing in theatres.