Colin Trevorrow’s upcoming sequel, Jurassic World: Dominion, sees the return of several legacy characters from legendary director Steven Spielberg’s 1993 monster movie classic, Jurassic Park. Audiences cannot wait for the likes of Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm, and Ellie Sattler to reunite, and it sounds like Spielberg himself can’t wait either, with Trevorrow revealing to Empire the beloved filmmaker’s moving reaction to seeing them all together again after all these years.

“The moment everybody shows up for the first time together, they’re all packed into a Jeep. And I took a picture of it and I sent it to Steven [Spielberg]. He got very emotional. I don’t think even he was prepared for how moving it would be to see all of those characters that he loves, and people that he loves, looking incredible and on an adventure together.”

Steven Spielberg was of course the one to bring the three doctors together in the first place, and clearly seeing them assembled once again was a poignant experience for him. As it no doubt will be for audiences come June next year.

While many had expected that the Jurassic Park trio would simply have cameos in Jurassic World: Dominion, similarly to how Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm appeared in the previous installment Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, director Colin Trevorrow has assured fans that this is far from the case. Story details are mostly being kept under wraps for now, but it has been revealed that Sam Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant, Laura Dern’s Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm will team-up with Jurassic World characters Chris Pratt as Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing, with the movie balancing between the two sets of heroes.

“A movie like this, with our legacy characters playing as large a role as our modern characters, it’s challenging to bring it all together in a way that has momentum, and also isn’t a five-hour-long movie. It was nice to have the time to make sure that every character is honoured in the way that they need to be.”

It sounds like the experience of returning to this dino-infested world has been an emotional one for all involved, with Laura Dern having described the experience of working with the Jurassic Park cast again as “extraordinary,” adding, "I feel really excited and privileged to be part of something that in its core, you know, was environmental messaging thanks to [book author] Michael Crichton long ago."

Aside from the trio of Jurassic Park good guys, Jurassic World: Dominion will also feature the return of a long-forgotten bad guy. While most of the movie remains a mystery, Trevorrow did recently reveal that none other than Lewis Dodgson will also be making a comeback as the movie’s villain. "He is the main villain throughout both of [Crichton's] novels, and I think what Campbell's done with the character is just amazing,” Trevorrow said of Campbell Scott’s performance. “I can't wait for people to see it.”

Delayed by a year thanks to the ongoing global circumstances, Jurassic World: Dominion is now scheduled for theatrical release on June 10, 2022, by Universal Pictures.