Jurassic World Rebirth’s Ending Originally Killed This Fan-Favorite Character

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Gareth Edwards, director of “Jurassic World: Dominion,” has shared insights into the studio’s influence on the original ending of the film. He discussed the initial plan for Mahershala Ali’s character, Duncan Kincaid, and how an alternate version was shot on location. The audience response during the premiere supported their decision regarding this change.

Duncan Kincaid was going to die in Jurassic World Rebirth, says Gareth Edwards

In a chat with ScreenRant, director Gareth Edwards of Jurassic World Rebirth disclosed that the character played by Mahershala Ali, Duncan Kincaid, was initially intended to perish in the movie’s third act. According to Edwards, the original script had it written that Kincaid would meet his end, and they approached this development with excitement: “We thought, ‘Alright, cool, he’s going to die. That’s exciting.'” The Distortus Rex, a new dinosaur in the story, was set to take Kincaid’s life during the team’s mission.

During filming in Thailand, Universal Pictures asked for an alternative version to be made since they wouldn’t return to the location. As Edwards put it, “The studio said, ‘Since you’re already in Thailand and we won’t be coming back, how about you shoot a version where he stays?'” Edwards then started imagining a different ending for the character.

Edwards shared that balancing both possible endings in the film with equal importance was a challenge. He noted, “As we were working on the movie, this point subtly reminded me of its significance. If the story unfolds with him surviving, I’ll have to carry that for the rest of my career. I truly want it to be an outstanding and elegant portrayal.

In the end, it’s shown that Kincaid lives on, but Edwards decided to maintain all the visual and narrative elements suggesting a character’s demise. “We chose to preserve those even though we knew he would return,” Edwards explained. “I thought it could seem disingenuous.

At the premiere of the movie in New York City, the decision turned out to be a success. He commented, “The response the other night… it was the most incredible moment for them during the entire film.” They all immediately realized… I almost shed tears. Edwards continued, “I was like, ‘Wow, studios are right sometimes.’ I’m happy we filmed that.

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2025-07-07 09:10