The Jurassic Park franchise has been captivating fans for more than 20 years now. The four-film franchise, based on the novel by Michael Crichton, is already adding a fifth installment coming next year. With the overwhelming success of Jurassic World, it is no surprise that the franchise would attract big name actors. With that in mind, the Jurassic World 2 cast is gaining veteran actor James Cromwell.

Cromwell, now 77, has more nominations and awards than you can shake a raptor’s claw at. If you’re having trouble remembering him, he was a warden in The Green Mile, Arthur Arden in American Horror Story, and Dudley Smith in L.A. Confidential. James Cromwell will be joining Jurassic World 2 cast members like returning Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ted Levine, and many more.

The film is being Directed by JA Bayona who is noted for his direction of The Orphanage and A Monster Calls. He will be filling the shoes of Colin Trevorrow, who is directing Star Wars: Episode IX set to release in 2019 and is among the producers for the sequel. In a recent interview he had some interesting things to say about the direction of the next film:

The audience has given us permission to a certain extent to take this to the next level, and I don’t necessarily mean in scale. I feel very strongly that it’s not about more dinosaurs or bigger and better dinosaurs, it’s about using this as a starting point for a much larger story about our relationship with these animals.

Jurassic World was very much made with the fans in mind, and I’m not going to forget it, but now we’ve seen a lot of ‘dinosaurs chasing people around on an island’ movies. I think you guys and also the general audience is going to be down to explore where else we can go.”

Ultimately it sounds like the Jurassic World 2 cast will be helping to carry the film in a new direction that may be more scary and suspenseful. With the film already in production and an already awesome cast, it may be safe to say that we can at least expect something pretty epic for the future of the franchise. Jurassic World 2 is set to release June 22, 2018.

What do you think of James Cromwell joining the Jurassic World 2 cast? Are you excited for the sequel to Jurassic World? Sound off in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for gaming and entertainment news live 24/7.