Jurassic World Rebirth director Gareth Edwards revealed that Mahershala Ali's character, Duncan Kincaid, originally had a tragic fate in the ending.
The two-time Oscar winner is one of the main stars of the new installment in the Jurassic franchise, playing the role of Duncan Kincaid, a military team leader who works alongside Zora Bennett and Dr. Henry Loomis.
Was Mahershala Ali's Character Originally Going to Die in Jurassic World Rebirth?
In an interview with Variety, Edwards revealed that Ali's character, Duncan Kincaid, was originally going to die in the end in the original draft of the script.
"It flipped back and forth a couple of times. In the draft I first read, he died, and I thought, 'That’s great!' We started to pursue Mahershala, and for whatever reason, it felt like, well, if we’re going to get Mahershala, we’ve got to keep him alive, right?" he said.
When Ali read the script, he also supported the idea of having his character die in the end.
Edwards added, "But then Mahershala read it, and his only main note was, 'Can we kill him?' I agreed, so I joined Team Mahershala, and we both pushed to have him killed; the script changed back to him dying."
However, the studio wanted Edwards to shoot a scene where Ali's character lives, in case they decide to have him survive.
The director continued, "But, when we edited the movie and did the director’s cut, I ended up sending the version that had him dying. It went well, but the studio said, 'Oh, it’s great. But can we just see the version where he lives?'"
"We hadn’t put it together, so we went back and edited that, and everyone just said, 'It’s got to be that.' We did two test screenings, and the reaction to him living, everyone was a lot happier."
Is Jurassic World Rebirth Getting a Sequel?
Edwards also addressed the possibility of doing another Jurassic movie with the same actors from Rebirth.
"The honest truth is we haven’t had a single conversation with anyone about it — not the studio, not the producers, not David [Koepp] and not Steven [Spielberg]. No one’s said a word. I think it’s because we all don’t want to jinx anything," he said.
While there are no plans yet to make a follow-up, Edwards is aware that the possibility is strong, as Jurassic is one of the studio's biggest franchises.
"You can smell it when you watch a film like this, if everyone’s trying to make it lead to a franchise. I think it’s more when the franchise is given, right? It’s got the word Jurassic at the front of it," he said.
"How will the world receive this movie, to the point where they want it to carry on with these characters? I personally think what the actors have brought to it is amazing. I loved what David wrote, so I think it’s all going to be OK. I’m very happy."
Are you glad that Ali's character survived the movie's ending? Let us know in the comments.
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