Glen Powell reveals why he rejected new ‘Jurassic Park’ movie
Currently, there aren’t many more in-demand figures in Hollywood than Glen Powell, but despite receiving a proposal, he won’t be appearing in the forthcoming Jurassic Park movie.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that a reboot is being developed at Universal. Screenwriter David Koepp, who was responsible for the first two Jurassic Park movies, is set to helm the upcoming project.
Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard aren’t expected to return to their roles from the previous films, which led to a gaping hole in the cast which Universal looked to fill with Powell. However, the Anyone But You star didn’t believe he was the right fit for the movie, but he’s confident it will be a box office sensation nonetheless.
During a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Powell explained the appreciation he has for the franchise, noting, “Jurassic [Park] is one of my favourite movies. It’s one of the things I’ve wanted to do my whole life.”
However, while it would have been a bucket list moment to appear in Jurassic Park, Powell didn’t let sentimentality distort his vision for his career, and remained true to his artistic principles, stating: “I’m not doing that movie because I read the script and I immediately was like, my presence in this movie doesn’t help it. And the script’s great. The movie’s going to f**king kill. It’s not about that.”
Ultimately, Powell’s decision was due to two factors, he explained, “It’s about choosing where you’re going to make an audience happy and where you’re going to make yourself happy.”
In the same interview, Powell reflected on the success of Anyone But You, which saw him star alongside Sydney Sweeney in a rom-com which became an unlikely hit at the box offices considering the genre’s recent history.
Powell explained that the key reason why the movie managed to get people talking was because it was released in cinemas, noting, “We had offers from every streamer and it was guaranteed [paydays] and a much bigger budget, but Syd and I really have a very similar worldview about Hollywood.”
The two stars of the hit film could have easily accepted a guaranteed payday from a streaming service, but Sweeney and Powell wanted more than money. Powell said that at the time, they felt that “if we make this on a streamer, it won’t have any cultural impact.” Knowing the risks and hearing from others that “rom-coms were dead,” they decided to “take the gamble” in the hopes that “we could bring them back.”
Despite his comments about streaming services, Powell’s latest movie, Hit Man, directed by Richard Linklater, is set to arrive on Netflix on June 7th.
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