Sam Neill's Dr. Grant in Jurassic Park served as the protagonist with Laura Dern's Ellie Sattler as the secondary star, but neither character returned in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. In 1993, Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park emerged as a cinematic tour de force, adapting Michael Crichton's best-selling 1990 novel into a monumental blockbuster. The film captivated audiences worldwide, raking in nearly $1 billion and spawning a lucrative franchise. Central to the film's success were the charismatic characters of paleontologists Alan Grant (Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Dern), respectively. Their dynamic added a compelling human element to the thrilling dinosaur encounters.

By 1997, Spielberg was set to captivate audiences once again with the sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which shifted focus to a new narrative arc centered on Dr. Ian Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, who reprised his role in a leading capacity. The plot thickens on the fictional Isla Sorna, where Malcolm and a team of InGen scientists encounter rival factions vying to relocate dinosaurs to the mainland. Amidst the returning cast, notable absences were Neill's Grant and Dern's Sattler, whose journeys had taken them away from the forefront of the Jurassic saga, which left audiences wondering why.

Dr. Alan Grant & Ellie Sattler Aren't In The Lost World Novel

Steven Spielberg Decided To Remain Faithful To Michael Crichton's Vision

The reasons for The Lost World not including Sam Neill or Laura Dern returning as Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler come down to the story and development. Crichton was initially hesitant to write a sequel book for Spielberg to develop a movie around, and the early discussions between them and writer David Koepp didn't include Alan or Ellie returning. The Lost World novel didn't have roles for either of the former stars and only made mention of what they were up to, and Spielberg and Koepp's screenplay took the same approach.

Dr. Alan Grant & Ellie Sattler Returned In Jurassic Park III

But Ian Malcolm Was Missing & Ellie Was Kept Out Of The Action

The Lost World: Jurassic Park might have moved forward without Alan and Ellie as part of the story, but the franchise quickly corrected course. Sam Neill was brought back in a lead role for Jurassic Park III a few years later, while Laura Dern was featured in a small capacity. However, Laura Dern was underused, as Ellie Sattler had married and had children in the time between the first movie and Jurassic Park III. Oddly enough, their returns also happened without Goldblum making another appearance, which kept the original trio out of the same film once again.

Alan Grant & Ellie Sattler Returned In Jurassic World: Dominion

It's The First Time The Trio Have Been Together Since The Original 1993 Movie

After an extended absence from the franchise, Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler finally returned in Jurassic World: Dominion and were significantly involved in the action of the most recent installment in the series. Additionally, Goldblum also reprised his role as Ian Malcolm, marking the first time the three of them were together since the original 1993 film. The movie, directed by Colin Trevorrow, unites the legacy characters with the new generation from the Jurassic World series, ing forces with Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing.

This crisis reunites Grant and Sattler in a professional and personal capacity as they navigate the complex dynamics of their past

The storyline of Dominion takes a more expansive approach, incorporating a global crisis triggered by a genetic company’s manipulation of both dinosaurs and plant life. This crisis reunites Grant and Sattler in a professional and personal capacity as they navigate the complex dynamics of their past and the pressing need to address the ecological disaster. Their expertise in paleobotany and paleontology proves crucial in uncovering the extent of the ecological threat. Throughout the film, their enduring chemistry and shared history provide a nostalgic touch to the film, making up for their absence in The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

What Laura Dern & Sam Neill Said About Returning To The Franchise

Allan & Ellie May Be Back For More

As iconic as Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler are, both Sam Neill and Laura Dern went on to have hugely successful careers outside of the Jurassic Park movies. However, after being absent from the franchise for so long, the two actors expressed eagerness about returning to these characters in Jurassic World Dominion whom they have come to love so much. Dern in particular spoke about returning to Jurassic Park which was spurred by the fact that Ellie served as an inspiration for a lot of female viewers:

"I love Ellie Sattler and I have grown up with her alongside me. So many children and particularly young women who idolized and felt she was sort of one of their first feminist bad-ass action characters. I love the idea of seeing where she is now."

Likewise, Neill its that after so many years, he still has a fondness for the character of Dr. Grant in the Jurassic Park movies and wanted to play him again. With the original three main actors in Jurassic Park not appearing together since that first movie, having them all return for Jurassic World Dominion was another enticing prospect for Neill:

Well, mostly his great and abiding affection for those characters and how he wanted them to be completely integrated into the Jurassic World world. And so that persuaded me. And also the idea of hanging out with Jeff and Laura again which, of course, is an attractive one in itself.

As much as Neill seems to hold the Jurassic Park franchise close to his heart, as well as the people he was able to work with, when asked about returning to the franchise in Jurassic World: Rebirth, Neill itted that he felt his days of running from dinosaurs were over.