Why Jurassic World 3 Is Recasting An Original Jurassic Park Character

Jurassic World 3 is bringing back a character from Jurassic Park but another actor will be portraying the role. The character, Lewis Dodgson, made a brief appearance in the 1993 original film directed by Steven Spielberg but his actions presented the dark side of science involved with the recreation of dinosaurs in modern-day. Cameron Thor played the role of Dodgson but the role was recast for Jurassic World: Dominion, and for a very good reason.

Dr. Lewis Dodgson was a primary antagonist in the Jurassic Park novels written by Michael Crichton. For the big-screen adaptation, the character was toned down a bit. Dodgson was a scientist with unethical tendencies who worked for Biosyn Corporation, the rival of John Hammond’s InGen. He wanted the technology and research needed to clone dinosaurs so he hired Dennis Nedry to steal dinosaur embryos from Jurassic Park’s lab. Dodgson met Nedry covertly in Costa Rica, giving him $750,000 and an embryo transfer device disguised as a Barbasol shaving cream can. The scientist was not seen again after Nedry failed to deliver the embryos after getting killed by a Dilophosaurus.

Related: Why Jurassic World Couldn’t Use Dennis Nedry’s Stolen Embryos

The Jurassic World series made an effort to build its own narrative but there’s still a sense of familiarity mixed in through elements of the original trilogy. Whether it’s a location or returning characters, Jurassic World makes an effort to blend with the Jurassic Park universe. Dominion will amplify that notion by bringing back a slew of characters, including Jurassic Park‘s forgotten villain. This time around, Campbell Scott will be portraying the role of Dodgson. The actor is best known for his roles in The Sheltering Sky, Royal Pains, and House of Cards as well as playing the father of Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Some might wonder why the role of Dodgson was recast and it was a necessary action due to the fact that the original actor is currently serving time in prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

Before appearing in Jurassic Park, Thor worked on films such as Curly Sue, Hook, and A Few Good Men. His last acting role came in 2013 with the TV film, Ring of Fire. Thor was forced to step away from acting after he was charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 2014 while working as an acting coach. 13 of the 14 charges were later dropped but his despicable actions caused the case to go to trial. In April 2016, Thor was officially sentenced to six years in a California state prison.

Director Colin Trevorrow and the Jurassic World 3 team had no choice but to recast the Dodgson role. Even if Thor finished up his prison sentence, audiences would not be keen on having a sex offender involved in the film. It will be interesting to see how the troubled scientist fits into the modern trilogy. The sequel will presumably focus on the start of the Neo-Jurassic Age and the topic of humans and dinosaurs co-existing. Aside from Dodgson, Jurassic Park vets Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Dr. Ian Malcolm will be back, as well as the actors who originally portrayed them–Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum, respectively.

Next: Jurassic World 3: Every Returning Character In The Sequel

About The Author

Kara Hedash is a features writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty. Kara can be found on Twitter @thekaraverse.

More About Kara Hedash