Jeff Goldblum Is Passing the Jurassic Park Torch to His Wicked Co-Star

Jeff Goldblum may have reprised his role of Dr. Ian Malcolm in 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, but his time in the popular dinosaur franchise has come to an end, and now, he’s ready to pass the torch to newcomer Jonathan Bailey. Goldblum and Bailey star together in the upcoming musical fantasy Wicked, with Bailey taking on the part of Fiyero Tigelaar, while Goldblum will portray none other than the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

In a recent interview with Variety, the 72-year-old Goldblum said he couldn’t be happier to be handing the baton to Bailey, who will portray paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis alongside Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali in next year’s Jurassic World Rebirth. “The hope of the world resides,” Goldblum proclaimed before singing the Jurassic Park theme. Always one for a little flair, he added, “and I can’t think of no better baton receiver to carry on the da da da da da. It’s Jonathan Bailey! It’s like no other!”

Bailey was also on hand for the interview, mentioning that he finally got to talk to Goldblum about joining the franchise earlier this year. He said the original film remains etched in his heart as a classic, and that he hopes to achieve some of the same magic that Goldblum, Sam Neil, and Laura Dern managed to accomplish all the way back in 1993.

“I had the invitation to join the Jurassic world, to join the conga line led by Jeff. The original film was a seminal cinematic moment, purely because of Jeff, but also, I went with my family, and the multi-sensory experience of going to see a film so perfectly realized. There’s so much that I am so proud to join. But obviously, much like with Wicked, there is a sense of responsibility. And if I can match half of what Jeff and Sam Neill and Laura Dern achieved, I’ll be very lucky.”

Jurassic World Rebirth Is a Reset for the Franchise

For the better part of a decade, the Jurassic World trilogy has rested firmly on the shoulders of Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. The latest sequel ended with dinosaurs and humans getting used to co-existing with one another, but when the series returns next year it will have a fresh crop of faces, essentially resetting things while at the same time continuing from where the previous entry left off.

Set five years after the events in Dominion, the prehistoric creatures are once more faced with extinction, but hold the key to a life-saving drug that will benefit all humankind. As such, Bailey, Johansson, and Ali are tasked with leading a covert mission to nab some genetic material from the three most massive dinos of them all, and along the way they discover a secret that’s been kept locked up for decades.

Rebirth is expected to kick off a new trilogy and do big business at the box office, but its struggle will come with maintaining its momentum, a problem the franchise has had from the very beginning. Though the original trilogy kicked off with a massive $407 million box office take in 1993, by the time the third entry came around eight years later, it only managed to gross $181 million. The same thing happened with Jurassic World, which grossed $653 million, compared to Dominion’s haul of $376 million.

Rebirth will have to maintain enough interest in its story if it wants to do better, and not face diminishing returns as things progress. Thankfully, director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One) is at the helm, so we have complete faith that he’ll be able to deliver a piece that blends together all the elements needed for a summer blockbuster.

Jurassic World Rebirth

Cast

Scarlett Johansson , Mahershala Ali , Jonathan Bailey , Rupert Friend , Manuel Garcia-Rulfo , Luna Blaise , David Iacono , Audrina Miranda , Philippine Velge , Bechir Sylvain , Ed Skrein