As life "er" finds away, Hollywood is in overdrive that Jeff Goldblum is returning to his iconic role as Ian Malcolm for Jurassic World 2. Goldblum last portrayed the charismatic mathematician in 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park. However, he did not make an onscreen appearance during Jurassic Park III in 2001 and was similarly absent from 2015's Jurassic World (save for an Easter Egg reference).
Goldblum isn't the only seasoned Jurassic franchise veteran returning for the Jurassic World sequel, what with B.D Wong also reprising his role as Henry Wu from both the first Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. Nevertheless, given that Dr. Malcolm hasn't actively been part of the Jurassic movie series in twenty years now, many fans are all the more curious to learn more about Goldblum's role in this new installment.
Speaking to EW about his highly-anticipated return to the series, Goldblum promises more of the same for Ian, but also that director J.A. Bayona's sequel will tackle the "marvels of science." He also revealed what would be new for Dr. Malcolm, and indeed the prehistoric franchise:
“Off I go in a few weeks to London, where they’ve been hard at work, and I’ll try to contribute something to the plate of dino-entertainment. I like my character. I think my character is a saucy, sassy man of some integrity and deep thinking. And of course, that whole world continues to be popular, slam-bang, top entertainment.”
Malcolm certainly added a light-hearted tone to Steven Spielberg's original Jurassic Park in 1993. However, returning as a family man for The Lost World, it seems that the first trip to Isla Nublar impacted Malcolm's view on tampering with nature.
You may remember the climax to Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World, which saw B.D. Wong's Dr. Henry Wu escaping the second Isla Nublar incident with a fresh batch of dino DNA. It is presumed that the sequel will take place off-island, but still follow the nefarious InGen corporation in their scheme to dominate the genetic-engineering market. We already know that James Cromwell's Benjamin Lockwood will have ties to the first film as John Hammond's scientific business partner, but Goldblum also teased that the greed of man will once again be the downfall of those in the film:
"I talked to the director, J.A. Bayona, over the phone... Even though some might say it’s popcorn-y entertainment (top-notch, of course), in our conversation he was very focused on the serious issues of greed as it oftentimes comes up in those movies, and the marvels of science and reason and the very fascinating point at which our species finds itself both in real life and in this imaginary world too. I’m very interested in that myself, so I’m looking forward to this. I’ve got a few things to do. I’m nothing if not conscientious, so I’m enjoying working on it every day.”
Alongside Laura Dern's Ellie Sattler and Sam Neill's Dr. Alan Grant, Goldblum was a shining star of the series. While Neill has always refuted claims that he could return - even citing Dr. Grant as probably dead - Goldblum always seemed up for the idea of a triumphant return. To be honest, two rounds of running away from dinosaurs sounds like more than enough adventure for anyone, but we will have to wait and see what lures Dr. Malcolm back for Jurassic World 2.
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Source: EW
