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‘Jurassic World 4’ Confirms Return of Beloved Paleontologist

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Posted on by Daniel Roberts 4 Comments
Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and Alan Grant (Sam Neill) seeing the Brachiosaur for the first time in 'Jurassic Park'

Credit: Universal Studios

Jurassic World 4 has confirmed the return of a beloved paleontologist.

The Jurassic films are the closest we’ll ever get to seeing real dinosaurs. Not only did the original 1993 film by director Steven Spielberg pioneer ground-breaking digital and practical effects that transformed cinema, but its prehistoric stars are startlingly convincing.

However, though terrifyingly realistic (at least in the first two films, Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park), it’s no mystery that the franchise’s genetically engineered “theme park monsters” have been widely criticized for their “scientific inaccuracies.”

The Mosasaur eating a Great White Shark in 'Jurassic World'
Credit: Universal Studios

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Still, that doesn’t mean the franchise doesn’t need real experts to help the filmmakers bring the dinosaurs as close to reality as possible. Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) is even based on paleontologist Jack Horner, who has been a long-time consultant on the films.

Now, another world-renowned paleontologist Dr. Steve Brusatte, who wrote The Sunday Times bestseller The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs (2018), is returning for the Jurassic World sequel, having previously worked with Horner on Jurassic World Dominion (2022).

Brusatte, who is described as “a star of modern paleontology,” confirmed the news on X (formerly Twitter), citing fellow dinosaur expert Jack Horner whose X handle is @dustydino:

It’s happening. The reports are true. A new @JurassicWorld film is in the works! And I’ll be back as a consultant, helping the moviemakers get a pulse on what we really know about dinosaurs. Honored again to follow in the footsteps of @dustydino. Stay tuned..

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So far, the post has amassed 166.6K views on X with hundreds of responses at the time of writing.

One fan, @movieposterguy, shared their excitement at the news, saying:

This is so exciting. I’m so happy for you and grateful for the work you do. Congratulations and cheers to the new era of Jurassic!

@SeamusW32709713 praised Brusatte’s best-selling non-fiction book, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs:

Amazing to have you on board! Reading the chapter ” The King of the Dinosaurs ” in your book gave me goosebumps. Brought to life.

@Faren70256031 says they hope the script for the new film will be better than the last three films, saying “the underwhelming writing was the weakest point” of the Jurassic World trilogy, adding that they don’t want to see another “monster dino,” referring to the two hybrid dinosaurs, the Indominus Rex and the Indoraptor:

I wish the movie script would be good this time; the underwhelming writing was the weakest point of JW Trilogy (like JW:D wanting to have 3 different genres in one movie with too many characters) I hope the dino designs will be accurate and we won’t see another monster dino.

As for the series’ fictional paleontologist, Alan Grant, played by Sam Neill, it’s unlikely he’ll return as the film is said to be launching “a new Jurassic era” with an “all-new storyline.”

The same can be said about the rest of the Jurassic ensemble: Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), and Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon), who we last saw in Dominion.

While there has been some conflicting information about the new installment being a “complete reboot,” at this time, it is understood that it will be set in the same universe as the previous Jurassic Park/Jurassic World films.

Are you excited about Jurassic World 4? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!

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