Well, the verdict has been emphatic, to say the least, ever since the fourth Jurassic Park film was officially announced by Universal Pictures way back in January last year.
No matter whether it's twitter, facebook, message boards, or other various online comments, most fans want to see at least Sam Neill's Dr Alan Grant return, but preferably with appearances from Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern too.
Numerous "What We Want in Jurassic World" articles sprang up on movie-news websites, including one on IGN.com which listed a potential Alan Grant and Ian Malcolm reunion as a top priority, and TotalFilm.com asserted that "Sam Neill NEEDS to be in Jurassic World."
Despite this enormous expression of demand, fans were left perplexed, dismayed, and even outraged when Sam Neill told Examiner.com earlier this year that he would "never say no" to reprising the role of Dr Grant, but that the film's producers "didn't need" him, and had not asked him back.
When queried months later by the AAP whether Jeff Goldblum or Laura Dern might be returning instead, Neill replied bluntly, "None of us are in it, it's a total reboot. There wasn't a choice to be made (about whether we wanted to be in it or not), it was all out of everyone's hands.''
Unsurprisingly, word that neither Neill, Goldblum, or Dern would feature in Jurassic World in any capacity did not go over well. The majority of online feedback on the issue was profoundly negative, some even suggested they no longer had any interest in seeing the film when it is released.
And it wasn't just those who grew up with the original Jurassic Park who were upset, young fans who had discovered the series more recently had hoped to see Grant don the fedora again.
But that presupposes Grant and friends would have to be literally dragged kicking and screaming back to the dinosaurs. Not necessarily. Sam Neill mused in 2001 that "Alan Grant has a problem with Jurassic Park in that he both detests and is compelled by it at the same time, and he's never going to be able to shake that completely. Because if you live and breathe dinosaurs, as he does, he's actually seen them in the flesh, it's a pretty amazing thing."
There is unquestionably a strong case to be made that if the right scenario were to present itself, then Grant would not need to have his arm twisted too much to be convinced.
His unyielding scientific curiosity and thirst to study these animals could believably lead him back.
Plus, it seems that Jurassic World's story centers on Isla Nublar being reopened as a functioning dinosaur park. Logic says the island's owners would want to get someone of Grant's unique experience involved somehow, especially as he was an inspector on the original failed park. His knowledge would be extremely valuable.
Also, there is the mere fact that Grant, Malcolm, and Sattler are played by tremendous actors who would be more than capable of introducing new layers and developments in their characters.
One could understand wiping the slate clean and "rebooting" from a casting perpective if these characters no longer had any significant cache with the mainstream moviegoing public. Instead the opposite is true, as Doctors Grant, Malcolm, and Sattler are very much still at the forefront of pop-culture. Their adventures continue to inspire countless dreams, careers, and interest in scientific fields like paleontology, and creative endeavors such as film-making. They remain costume-party favorites, and even Goldblum's Ian Malcolm laugh was recently turned into a viral song!
Their fanbase transcends all countries and age-groups, thanks to over twenty years of television reruns, home video releases, and even last year's huge theatrical 3D rerelease of Jurassic Park.
It's not just about the dinosaurs. Neill, Goldblum, and Dern's crusading boffins have found as big a place in our collective hearts as the Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptors. They are defining heroes for multiple generations.
Dr Grant and company are entrenched in that rarefied level of public consciousness alongside the likes of Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, and Marty McFly.
As Trevorrow put it, "They're iconic."
There is undeniably a global all-ages audience out there that believe there is still mileage and storyline value to be gotten out of Grant, Malcolm, and Sattler. It defies logic that Universal would not want to take advantage of this built-in fanbase and fulfill the demand to see more from those characters, which if anything seems to have just gotten stronger as time goes by. Bringing back Neill, Goldblum, and Dern to their beloved roles would be a significant box-office draw-card in itself.
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The Lost World and Jurassic Park III refreshed the character palette by having largely new casts, with only one classic character returning as a lead in each sequel, yet also featured several well-placed cameos that advanced the narrative.
This is a very good formula.
As TotalFilm.com reasoned in their argument of why Neill should be brought back, "If Trevorrow wants World to sit comfortably in the Jurassic pantheon while taking us off in exciting new directions, a passing of the torch is just what he needs to tie the film to the rest of the franchise."
Grant, Malcolm, and Sattler would not have to all be the main focal point, but we simply cannot accept that there isn't any suitable place for them in the film.
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Popcorn blockbusters that are part of an established property, like Jurassic Park, are supposed to be very fan-driven, as they carry a massive, passionate built-in audience with them. And when the majority overwhelmingly sends a message of something, or someone, they would like to see, then the filmmakers owe it to their audience to keep the integrity of their own vision, while also finding a way to give them what they want.
- @JP4NEEDSNEILL
