Jeff Goldblum thinks he’s facing his last dinosaur. In an interview with Total Film for the latest edition of the publication, the actor said he believes his “Jurassic Park” character, famed mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm, may be coming to an end, as the franchise prepares to relaunch next summer with the release of “Jurassic World Rebirth,” starring Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Billy and Mahershala Ali.
“I think Ian Malcolm might have walked off into the sunset. Maybe,” Goldblum said. “Because this one coming up — my friend Scarlett Johansson and my new friend Jonathan Bailey from Wicked, I think they’re taking over. I can’t wait to see what they do. I think this is a good idea.”
Goldblum appeared in four of the six “Jurassic” entries, starring in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 original alongside Sam Neill and Laura Dern. Goldblum then helmed the director’s sequel in 1997, The Lost World. More than 20 years later, the actor returned to the franchise in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which featured a framing device of Dr. Ian Malcolm testifying before a committee about how bad an idea it was to try to revive giant creatures and control them. Prehistoric creatures for tourist traps. Goldblum then reunited with Neill and Dern for 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, which served as the conclusion to the Jurassic World trilogy led by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. This entry grossed over $1 billion worldwide, but received particularly negative reviews from critics.
“I was focused on trying to make our buck there work, and fulfill our part of the bargain,” Goldblum told Total Film of his meeting with Dern and Neil, calling it a “very fun experience.” “I enjoyed working on it and I enjoyed trying to make it good. I think it sold a bunch of tickets. But, you know… everyone has an opinion about it. It’s hard to make a good movie.”
Just three years after the franchise’s so-called end, Universal is reviving Jurassic World Rebirth, set to hit theaters on July 2, 2025. Along with Johansson, Billy, and Ali, the cast also includes Rupert Friend, Philip Felg, and Bashir. Sylvain, Ed Skrein, Manuel Garcia-Rolfe, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, and Audrina Miranda. Gareth Edwards is directing from the screenplay by David Koepp.