Jurassic World: Dominion Star Sam Neill Calls Film "Very Ambitious," Praises New Cast

Jurassic World: Dominion is finally hitting theaters this summer, and the first trailer for the movie has fans extra hyped. The new movie will see the return of Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing and Chris Pratt as Owen Grady, but the biggest draw of the film is the return of original Jurassic Park stars Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler), Sam Neill (Alan Grant), and Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm). Recently, Neill spoke with The Hollywood Reporter and teased a lot of excitement for the upcoming movie.

"Well, we had a blast. I was pleased to do it for a number of reasons. First of all, to be with my old friends Laura and Jeff, you know. We were – this was in the middle of the pandemic – we were locked up in a hotel together in somewhat idyllic rural England and everyone all got on really well. The new cast I liked very much; and the established Jurassic World cast, they're just the nicest people. Bryce and Chris are absolute sweethearts. Because we were so beleaguered by COVID at this point, we felt we were on our own brave enterprise in a way, and that brought us closer together than ever. It was really an unforgettable time and I'm very grateful for it," Neill shared.

He added, "I haven't seen the finished film yet. I'm sure it's a very ambitious, huge story, a lot of characters, a lot of dinosaurs. [Laughs] It's going to be unquestionably big, so they've been holding it back until hopefully cinemas are fully open and all that. It's something that needs to be seen on a very big screen."

In a recent interview, director Colin Trevorrow explained why they waited to bring in Dern, Neill, and Goldblum.

"This is the movie that I've been waiting to make from the beginning," Trevorrow told reporters. "It's the one that we have spent the past two movies building to. It really was part of a larger story and part of the design. And I think people may be underestimating the size and importance of Laura Dern and Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum's characters in this movie. It is very much an ensemble, and that [includes] the ability to take these beloved characters from almost 30 years now, and understand how they interact with each other in the context of a world that we've really never seen before, and have not been able to witness until now. It's very exciting for me. I'm having the time of my life."

Jurassic World: Dominion is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on June 10th.