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

Jurassic World 4 is bringing back a franchise star who was killed in one of the sequels.

The upcoming sequel Jurassic World 4 has had the fanbase in a tight grip since it was announced in January. Rumored to be titled Jurassic City, the seventh installment in the long-running series will be directed by Gareth Edwards of Godzilla (2014) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) fame and produced by Universal Pictures.

While the film has yet to confirm any cast members, no actors from the previous movies are expected to return. In separate interviews that were unrelated to Jurassic World 4, Bryce Dallas Howard (the Jurassic World trilogy’s Claire Dearing) and DeWanda Wise (Jurassic World Dominion‘s Kayla Watts) have each confirmed they won’t be reprising their roles.

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However, there are still plenty of Jurassic franchise stars back in the fold: Steven Spielberg, who directed Jurassic Park (1993) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), is returning as executive producer, having served as EP on the last four Jurassic sequels; Jurassic World trilogy producers Patrick Cowley and Frank Marshall are also back; and paleontologists Steve Brusatte and Jack Horner will once again lend their expertise to the new film.

Another returning Jurassic veteran who was announced alongside the film is screenwriter David Koepp, who penned the scripts for the first two films that were based on the best-selling novels by Michael Crichton. However, the difference between Koepp and the other creatives above is that he’s actually starred in one of the Jurassic sequels.

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In the 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Koepp appears as a random San Diego citizen who winds up in the path of the “buck” Tyrannosaurus Rex after it emerges from the SS Venture’s cargo hold pumped up to the eyeballs with adrenalin.

While stomping down a boulevard bustling with terrified pedestrians (all of whom are, of course, “running and, er, screaming”), the Rex closes in on Koepp, who, at the last second, decides to try and hide inside a store, only to find the doors are closed… Woops.

Check out the morbid (yet oddly hilarious) scene below at the 00:50 mark, per Movieclips:

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While David Koepp doesn’t appear to be playing himself in The Lost World (he’s aptly credited as “Unlucky Bast*rd” in the credits), the 1997 sequel features a ton of fourth-wall-breaking moments, particularly during the already-out-of-place San Diego/T-Rex sequence.

In addition to the film’s screenwriter being eaten alive by the T-Rex, we see a video store filled with fake movies, and when the dinosaur passes a fixed net while stomping through a backyard, you can see one of his forearms mimicking the action of dribbling a basketball.

With the last two films, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022), being met with mixed to negative reviews, many fans feel reassured that Koepp is back in the writer’s room for the new Jurassic sequel. However, since writing the screenplay for The Lost World, Koepp has lent his writing talents to other disappointing sequels such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).

Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Sequel Confirms Return of Character Presumed Dead in 1993 Film

We’ll just have to see what he delivers this time around. Despite rumors of a script involving a “human-dinosaur hybrid serum,” Universal has yet to confirm the premise. The film begins shooting in the UK this summer and will arrive in theaters on July 2, 2025.

But there are more sequels beyond Jurassic World 4 in development. The animated series Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024) will premiere on Netflix this year, while the action-adventure video game Jurassic Park: Survival (TBA) will reunite fans with the Jurassic Park era. Meanwhile, Jurassic World: The Exhibition, Jurassic World Live Tour, and Universal Studios’ Jurassic theme park attractions continue to wow guests.

Are you happy to see David Koepp back in the writer’s chair for Jurassic World 4, or would you rather see him eaten by a dinosaur again? 

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