Jurassic World Offers Lead Role To Bryce Dallas Howard

While her father preps Rush for a wider release, Bryce Dallas Howard might be signing her name for an anticipated sequel in a lucrative franchise eyeing a 2015 release.

That would be Jurassic World, which The Wrap reports wants Howard to plug in to a lead role. The trade says that the actress “has long been rumored” for a key part in the sequel, but that she “only recently received an offer.” Colin Trevorrow, who directed the outstanding time-travel romance-comedy Safety Not Guaranteed will direct the latest film in Universal’s dinosaur franchise.

Let’s celebrate with a montage of all of the deaths from the various Park movies, set to death metal!

Since we don’t know the story being told in Jurassic World, it’s impossible to even speculate which character Howard might play. Her red hair already has some on Twitter speculating that she might be a relative of Julianne Moore’s The Lost World character, Sarah Harding. While that’s far-fetched and thin, we can at least hope that it means Howard might actually have a scene in the new movie as amazingly cool as this:

Then again, that’s pure Spielberg spectacle, and as much as I adore Safety, Trevorrow hasn’t shown that he’s up to that kind of popcorn staging … yet.

Casting Howard in a major summer tentpole film seems so 2004, though, doesn’t it? I mean, the talented actress hasn’t really proven herself to be a bankable leading lady. Though she has been part of major sequels (like the despised Spider-Man 3) and pretigious Oscar bait (like The Help), I more associate her with envelope-pushing indies like Lars von Trier’s Manderlay and the cancer comedy 50/50, in which she had a small role. Universal must have a key role that Howard fits for Jurassic World. Maybe we’ll see a plot summary soon to learn where she fits in the grand scheme of the next Jurassic film, which will be in theaters on June 12, 2015.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.