One Jurassic World Actor Explains Why They Missed A Chance To Be In Dominion

Judy Greer and Andy Buckley in Jurassic World

(Image credit: (Universal))

Hold on to your butts, because wow, are we in for a ride once Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World: Dominion comes out in summer 2022. The action film will pick up right where the dire circumstances of Fallen Kingdom left off, meaning dinosaurs are running rampant outside of Isla Nublar and across the globe. The third Jurassic World film will feature a massive cast, including Jurassic Park’s original trio, but one key character from the new series missed out on reprising his role.

Andy Buckley, who is best known for playing David Wallace in The Office, played the father of Nick Robinson’s Zach and Ty Simpkins’ Gray in 2015’s Jurassic World. The Mitchell family played an important role in reestablishing the Jurassic World movies, when Zach and Gray are shipped off to Isla Nublar to spend some time with their estranged aunt, Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing. Here’s what Andy Buckley said when Comicbook asked if he’ll return:

I'm probably not supposed to say anything but the quick answer is no. So it doesn't matter. If I was, I guess I couldn't say that. I think there was a time, there was a time I was in it but then I think I got... You know, during rewrites.

Andy Buckley didn’t play a large role in Jurassic World as parents to Zach and Gray alongside Judy Greer, but these characters could certainly have been explored further if the story wanted to dive into Claire Dearing’s family more. It doesn’t seem like any of Claire’s sister’s family will be joining the conclusion to the Jurassic World saga, which is a shame because they were among the 2015 film's strengths.

On the other hand, the Jurassic World movies have expanded into a much larger story since the first film, and getting to see Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler, Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm and Sam Neill’s Alan Grant (who recently caught up with Chris Pratt over the holidays for a good cause) reunite will certainly make up for it. The movie will also see the return of Jake Johnson, BD Wong, Justice Smith, Omar Sy and Daniella Pineda, along with adding some new cast members, like Mamoudou Athie and DeWanda Wise.

We don’t know too much about the plot just yet, but Jeff Goldblum recently teased that the movie has attached some meaning during the COVID-19 era that would not have materialized otherwise. The production was among the first major studio films to get back to work following shutdowns due to the pandemic, and it became a pioneer for other movies to learn from as a result.

Jurassic World: Dominion wrapped production in the UK in November ahead of its release date on June 10, 2022. Before life can find a way to release the exciting blockbuster, check out what movies are coming out this year with CinemaBlend’s 2021 release schedule.

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.