How ‘Jurassic Park’ Character Survived Off-Screen Death in 1993 Film for Sequel Return

While the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise is on the verge of its seventh installment, unlike many other long-running franchises, this one has yet to commit one of the biggest clichés a lot of modern-day movies are guilty of — bringing characters back from the dead. This is all the more surprising now that it’s even introduced human cloning into the mix.

There are also many off-screen deaths throughout the six Jurassic movies the franchise could take advantage of, even in the original 1993 film alone: chief security engineer Ray Arnold (Samuel L Jackson), game hunter Robert Muldoon (Bob Peck), and computer programmer Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight). In fact, the only character in that film whose death cannot be questioned is InGen lawyer Donald Gennaro (Martin Ferrero)!

Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Sequel May Bring One of These Characters Back From the Dead

However, there are many other ways the franchise could bring back fan-favorite characters who have been killed off, even ones beyond the first film, with the most obvious method being through the use of a prequel. Or, you know, some good old-fashioned retconning, which requires no explanation (but audaciously demands a greater suspension of disbelief).

Enter the upcoming first-person action-adventure video game Jurassic Park: Survival (TBA). A direct sequel to the 1993 film, it takes place twenty four hours after the collapse of Jurassic Park to find a scientist named Dr. Maya Joshi stranded on Isla Nublar after failing to evacuate the island with the rest of the InGen crew. Clever girl? Not quite.

Related: ‘Jurassic’ Star Killed in ‘The Lost World’ Returning for ‘Jurassic World 4’

Though it’s unlikely we’ll see characters like Muldoon or Arnold return (unless it’s a flashback or some “Previously on Jurassic Park” recap), Survival has already brought a familiar face back from the dead (albeit a rather scaly one): the Velociraptor that was locked inside a walk-in freezer in the kitchen by Lex Murphy (Ariana Richards) and Tim Murphy (Joe Mazzello).

Needless to say, that dinosaur became a prehistoric popsicle, but now, the game has retconned this off-screen death, as revealed in the official trailer which you can check out below, courtesy of Jurassic World YouTube:

Related: ‘Jurassic World’ Sequel Trailer Arrives With Brand-New Dinosaurs

But how did the raptor get out? Well, we know these dinosaurs “figured out how to open doors,” but in the film, we see Lex fix the latch on. Call us crazy, but the last time we checked, raptors don’t possess telekinetic abilities, however intelligent they may be.

There’s really only one way this raptor has been freed (again). The shot in the trailer (or image below) shows the freezer door slightly ajar with the latch intact, which suggests that someone has opened it from the outside. Dr. Maya Joshi, perhaps? Or some unfortunate cannon fodder?

Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Sequel May Bring One Character Back From the Dead

We’re going to lean into our Dr. Maya Joshi theory. Whether she heard banging on the other side of the door and thought there was a person trapped inside, or simply wanted some ice cream, we know that InGen employees have a penchant for releasing dinosaurs from captivity. Wanting to enjoy dessert also seems to be a great way to attract raptors on that island.

Or maybe the raptor got out by itself somehow — life always finds a way.

When is Jurassic Park: Survival out?

There’s currently no release date for Jurassic Park: Survival, however, some sources claim it will be released before the end of the year.

Per the official website, here’s the synopsis for the game:

Return to Isla Nublar the day after the events of the beloved 1993 Jurassic Park film in an original adventure 65 million years in the making.

Survive thrilling first-person action as InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who was unable to “evacuate Isla Nublar, in this single-player action-adventure game and discover a never-before-told story.

Through thrilling encounters, experience the wonder and danger of dinosaurs, each with their own distinct and adaptive behaviors brought to life by John Hammond’s vision.

The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

There’s a lot to look forward to in the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise. In addition to Jurassic Park: Survival, Universal Pictures has confirmed that Jurassic World 4 (2025) is in active development and will arrive in theaters on July 2, 2025. There’s also the upcoming animated series Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024) which follows on from Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020 — 2022) and will premiere on Netflix later this year.

There’s no shortage of real-world experiences, either. Universal Studios’ Jurassic Park and Jurassic World theme park attractions such as Jurassic World: The Ride and VelociCoaster continue to immerse guests, while Jurassic World: The Exhibition and Jurassic World Live Tour are showing in select worldwide locations.

Are you excited about Jurassic Park: Survival? 

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