Mamoudoun Athie joins the cast of Jurassic World 3 in an unknown lead role. After laying dormant for an extended period following 2001’s Jurassic Park III, the iconic franchise returned in a big way via 2015’s Jurassic World, a record-breaking box office success that spawned a new trilogy. The series continued last year with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, earned more than $1 billion worldwide. Universal is forging ahead with a third Jurassic World, due in theaters June 2021.

So far, much of the news regarding Jurassic World 3’s cast and crew has been about returning faces. Colin Trevorrow is coming back to the director’s chair, with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprising their roles from the first two Jurassic World movies. More recently, it was announced the original Jurassic Park trio of Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern would have roles in Jurassic World 3. However, there’s room in the ensemble for a fresh face as well.

Deadline is reporting that Mamoudoun Athie has landed a lead role in Jurassic World 3. Character details are being kept under wraps for the time being. Athie is arguably best-known for starring in the Facebook series Sorry For Your Loss. His other credits include Patti Cake$, The Circle, and The Front Runner.

Though Athie’s character is unknown, that won’t stop fans from speculating about how he fits in. Since this is a lead role, it indicates he’s playing someone of importance to the plot. He could be an ally for Pratt’s Owen and Howard’s Claire as they look to deal with their latest dinosaur adventure (similar to Justice Smith and Zia Rodriguez in Fallen Kingdom). Another possibility is he’s one of the new human villains, working with InGen to see through whatever plan the company is working on now. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out, but there’s no denying this’ll be a nice boost for Athie’s profile and could lead to more opportunities down the line.

With Fallen Kingdom seen as an underwhelming installment, the hope is Jurassic World 3 can be a return to form for the franchise. Trevorrow’s said his intention is to make this film more of a “science thriller” akin to the original Jurassic Park, which sounds like a step in the right direction. After all these years, the first movie remains the high bar for the property and is widely considered to be the best one. Emulating that approach will ideally make Jurassic World 3 a treat when it reaches theaters. And, it’s worth pointing out short film Battle at Big Rock is arguably the best Jurassic World’s been to date, so perhaps things are starting to look up.

More: Jurassic World Short Film Copies The Lost World’s Biggest Moments

Source: Deadline

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