Looper Exclusive: Jake Johnson Weighs In On His Future In The Jurassic World Series

Fans were thrilled back in 2020 when all signs pointed to Jake Johnson's return to the "Jurassic World" universe as the delightfully nerdy Lowery Cruthers in "Jurassic World: Dominion." He entered the franchise in 2015 when the fourth "Jurassic Park" film made waves in 2015 — and fans got hooked on the new iteration of the iconic '90s series. Despite initial plans for the third installation of the new trilogy, the global 2020 COVID-19 pandemic had other ideas for a slew of planned productions. 

Between Hollywood halting for months and production delays, some things just weren't in the cards anymore — and many TV shows and films are irrevocably changed because of it. Whether it was filming impossibilities due to set locations and travel restrictions, illnesses, or a myriad of other issues, writers had to slash and burn planned scripts and rewrite their stories to fit with the physical limitations of a global pandemic. 

During an exclusive interview for his heartwarming new film, "Ride the Eagle," actor Jake Johnson dished on what exactly is happening with Lowery in "Jurassic World: Dominion." 

When Looper asked Jake Johnson if he could tell us anything about "Jurassic World: Dominion," he bluntly said, "Well, unfortunately, I'm not in the third one." He clarified, "Well, I was written in, so it's announced that I was, but what happened was the pandemic hit." And, of course, the pandemic ruins everything. The connection cut out for a minute, and Johnson joked with a laugh, "I think the publicist did this because they don't want the 'Jurassic World' information out." In fact, Johnson's name is still on the IMDb listing as of this moment.

He continued, "No, I was in it. So, Colin [Trevorrow] had written a great part. Lowery came back. It was a great conclusion. I was excited to do it. The pandemic hit, and at that time, there was a two-week quarantine. It was a bunch of stuff that I couldn't get out and leave the family, and we kept trying to make it work. And in the end, the dates just didn't work out for that one, which was heartbreaking because apart from being in that movie, Colin's a very old friend." They tried really hard to make it work, but all to no avail.

"We did 'Safety Not Guaranteed' together, and years before that, we did a bunch of like YouTube shorts. So, he tried everything he could to make it work. I tried everything we could, and the math just didn't ...," Johnson trailed off. "Hopefully, what happens is as they're cutting the movie, they realize they can do a quick reshoot, and we'll pop something off really fast now. But as of now, it's not happening, but Lowery never dies — he just multiplies. So, maybe there's another chance he can find his way in." 

Can we get a collective "fingers crossed" moment of silence for Lowery? You all know what to do: Go tell The Powers That Be that "Jurassic World: Dominion" just won't be the same without Johnson. 

Fans can check out "Ride the Eagle" in select theaters, On Demand, and Digital on July 30.