Kayla Watts, a new character introduced in Jurassic World: Dominion portrayed by DeWanda Wise, may define the future of the franchise, according to director Colin Trevorrow. Releasing in theaters on June 10, Dominion is the sixth overall installment in the film franchise that began back in 1993 with Steven Spielberg's modern classic, Jurassic Park, and the third movie in the Jurassic World reboot trilogy that began in 2015, spearheaded by Trevorrow. Considering its significance in the franchise, Dominion is one of the most highly-anticipated blockbusters this summer has to offer.
Set four years after the events of Fallen Kingdom, Dominion finds dinosaurs and humans living side-by-side. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return to lead the cast once again as raptor wrangler Owen Grady and former Jurassic World park manager Claire Dearing. They will be joined by the original Jurassic Park trio of Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill, who have not starred together since 1993. The threequel will also introduce a few new characters, one of them played by She's Gotta Have It's DeWanda Wise. Not much is known about her character, Kayla Watts, other than she's a former Air Force pilot who aids Owen and Claire on a dangerous mission.
Now, for a Variety profile highlighting the film's female characters, Trevorrow talked about Wise's role and revealed some surprising plans for her character. Referring to Kayla, the Jurassic World: Dominion director says, “It was very important to introduce a new hero who could potentially define the future of this franchise.” Read his full quote below:
It was very important to introduce a new hero who could potentially define the future of this franchise. We’ve had the opportunity to hopefully make someone that young girls are going to be dressing up as at Halloween for years to come.
The first look at Wise's new character in Jurassic World: Dominion was revealed earlier this year with her standing next to Pratt with knives in hand, facing off against an unseen predator. At the time, the character's name had not yet been revealed and many theorized she may be Dr. Ian Malcolm's daughter, Kelly Curtis, who was introduced in 1997's Jurassic Park: The Lost World, portrayed by Vanessa Lee Chester. Given that studios have lied about an actor's role before a film's release, some fans haven't fully let go of that theory.
Trevorrow's comment is a clear indication that Kayla isn't meant to be a one-off role for Wise, but an important fixture of the franchise. However, the very future of the Jurassic franchise is undetermined at the moment. Dominion has been billed as both the culmination of the Jurassic World trilogy as well as the decades-long Jurassic Park saga. Pratt flat out called Dominion the end of the franchise, though he later walked those comments back. Whatever lies ahead for the franchise after Jurassic World: Dominion, there's a good chance Wise will be the face of it all.
Source: Variety
