Jeff Goldblum and his character Ian Malcolm were almost completely cut from the original Jurassic Park.
Ian Malcolm has been a fan favourite character in the Jurassic franchise ever since his debut in the Steven Spielberg classic. Jeff Goldblum reprised the role in this year’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom but now news has come to light that he nearly didn’t appear in the franchise at all.
Speaking on a special feature for Fallen Kingdom’s home video release, the actor said: “When I first met Steven Spielberg at Amblin, he came in and said, ‘You know, there’s a movement afoot, a new rewrite is happening, and your character, Ian Malcolm, is being written out. We probably wanna give these funny lines and kinda incorporate your character into the Sam Neill character.'”
It’s certainly interesting to think what could have been if this decision was made. There’s no question that Jurassic Park would have been a very different film. Thankfully things panned out as they have.
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It’s been four years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles.
When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who’s still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.
With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful series in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favorite characters and dinosaurs—along with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before. Welcome to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom sees J.A. Bayona directing a cast that includes franchise veterans Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong and Jeff Goldblum alongside newcomers Toby Jones (Captain America: The First Avenger), Rafe Spall (Black Mirror), Justice Smith (The Get Down), Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs), James Cromwell (The Young Pope), Daniella Pineda (The Detour) and Geraldine Chaplin (A Monster Calls).