Ever since the summer of 2015 when it became clear that director Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World was going to be a very big hit worldwide, fans of the dinosaurs-run-amok franchise have been gearing up for a sequel. Now more than a year later, not only do we know that Jurassic World 2 is set to arrive in 2018 but we’re also clear on the concept that the Jurassic World franchise will be a three-part trilogy - with the third film arriving at some distant date that has yet to be confirmed.
For now however, what is currently known about Jurassic World 2 seems to be building every day. This time around Trevorrow has moved to a writing/producing role on the film, making way for J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage) to take on directorial duties. A scarier and darker sequel has been promised by both Trevorrow as well as Bayona; and as far as casting goes, we know that Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard will be returning to reprise their roles as Owen and Claire. Beyond these two, there is no current word on who else will return.
One character that won’t be returning for the sequel, however, is Jake Johnson’s control room operator Lowery Cruthers. When asked on Twitter by a fan as to whether or not he would be part of Jurassic World 2, the New Girl star responded, “From what I hear, Lowery will not be in JW2.” Fans will remember Lowery as the geeky Jurassic World employee who paid $150 for a vintage Jurassic Park T-shirt and who eventually shut down the park’s systems before evacuating to safety.
What exactly this morsel of information can tell us about Jurassic World 2 is hard to pin down. In terms of importance to the overall functionality of the park, Lowery was quite an important character. He was a great help to Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) as the chaos unfolded on Isla Nublar - and his genuine love of dinosaurs weighed heavily on his moral conscience, when it came time to evacuate the park. Given that Trevorrow has previously said that Jurassic World 2 would deal with animal rights as they relate to dinosaurs, Lowery could have a been a nice fit for dealing with such an issue. Without Lowery’s return, does this mean that Jurassic World 2 won’t see the park rebuilt?
It makes sense that if Jurassic World 2 is part of a trilogy, then this second installment could very well highlight the moral issues surrounding a return to Isla Nublar to round up the remaining dinosaurs. This would explain why shortly after announcing Jurassic World 2, Howard revealed that she would not be in heels this time around. It’s understandable that if Masrani Global Corporation wants to return to Isla Nublar after the disaster that was Jurassic World, they would want Claire Dearing and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) on hand – which means suitable footwear for all, of course.
If Jurassic World 2 is in fact, more about a raw jungle experience, it makes sense that Lowery could not be of much use. Without an actual park or requiring the technical knowledge to run one, Lowery’s skills would be wasted. As of this writing, Universal has declined to comment on Jake Johnson’s involvement in the upcoming sequel, so there’s always a possibility that things could change in time.
NEXT: Jurassic World 2 Deals with Animal Abuse
Source: Jake Johnson
