‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Co-Writer Reveals Why One Jake Johnson Did Not Return

Jurassic World completely revitalized the Jurassic Park franchise by delivering audiences new adventures in a familiar universe. One key element was bringing in new actors to inject new perspectives on the saga, including Jake Johnson‘s Lowery. Despite audiences enjoying the character, Lowery didn’t appear in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, though co-writer Colin Trevorrow teased there were early plans that potentially featured an appearance from Lowery.

“There may have even been an early moment where Lowery was Franklin’s character, because he potentially could have done that job,” Trevorrow confirmed with Empire. “But he didn’t quite have the same spirit. We did like the idea of [Zia and Franklin] being pretty idealistic young people who are activists who really believe in the cause that Claire believes in. I wasn’t really able to shoehorn [Lowery] into that, he’s kind of a cynical guy.”

In Jurassic World, Lowery served as a technician who helped try to get the park under control while all hell broke loose. A key component of his attitude was that he had a nostalgic connection to the original Jurassic Park, admitting how much money he shelled out to purchase an original souvenir t-shirt from the failed park.

In Fallen Kingdom, Franklin, played by Justice Smith, was a reluctant visitor to the former Jurassic World location who was brought in merely for his computer expertise. Were Lowery to have been involved, he likely would have been more willing to visit and altered the tone of the role.

This latest sequel focused on Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing, while also bringing back Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm for the first time since The Lost World. Fans of the franchise were excited for the character’s return, yet some were disappointed that the character was featured so briefly.

“We never did. It always felt really cheap to me. It always felt fake,” Trevorrow shared in regards to early ideas of making Malcolm more prominent in this film. “It felt like a construct of screenwriters trying to figure out how to fit in a character they love. I have so much respect for those characters I just wouldn’t want them doing anything I don’t think they’d naturally do.”

With a third Jurassic World film on the way, it’s possible more fan-favorite characters could make their returns.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is in theaters now. Jurassic World 3 is slated to hit theaters on June 11, 2021.

Do you wish Johnson was involved in this film? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T Empire]