Dinosaurs will once again rule the world, or at least the island of Isla Nublar, in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, as will a host of returning characters. Directed by J.A. Bayona (A Monster Calls) the sequel to the 2015 mega-blockbuster continues the story from the first film, which saw the open and widely attended theme park overrun by escaped dinosaurs and terrorized by the InGen Corporation’s newest creation, the Indominus Rex.

The dinosaurs of Fallen Kingdom find themselves an endangered species once again when an active volcano threatens to destroy the island. Instead of fleeing from the dinosaurs in terror, the human characters must now attempt to rescue the dinosaurs to safety and not get eaten in the process. Humans and dinosaurs will be fighting for survival together.

Read More: The Dinosaurs Aren’t The Big Threat in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Fallen Kingdom promises to introduce several new characters and some fresh species of dinosaurs, but obviously fan favorites from the Jurassic franchise are also returning. Here are the familiar faces once more pitting their courage and mettle against both cloned prehistoric creatures and the fury of nature itself:

DR. IAN MALCOLM

Arguably the most beloved human character in the Jurassic franchise, Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) is returning, along with his uniquely eccentric belief in chaos theory. Malcolm survived the incident of the original Jurassic Park in 1993 and reluctantly lent his services to InGen once more in The Lost World in 1997. Though Goldblum’s role in Fallen Kingdom is small - he’ll merely be talking about dinosaurs and not running from them - it will still be a treat to see Goldblum in a Jurassic film again. To paraphrase his most famous catchphrase - “Life finds a way…” - fans are glad Jeff Goldblum always seems to find a way back to the Jurassic franchise.

OWEN GRADY

Chris Pratt is back once again as Owen Grady, Jurassic World’s former Velociraptor trainer and the male lead hero. Owen was once the alpha of his own Velociraptor pack, and in the first film helped the park’s operations director Claire Dearing rescue her two nephews, who were lost in the wilds of the park during the Indominus Rex’s outbreak. A former U.S. Navy Seal and an expert in Velociraptor behavior, Owen was able to deduce that the Indominus Rex had raptor DNA in its genetic makeup.

In Fallen Kingdom, Owen is recruited once again by Claire to help her save the dinosaurs on Isla Nublar from the imminent volcanic destruction. Owen and Claire had a burgeoning romantic relationship in the first film, but that he’s being called in indicates things may not have quite worked out.

CLAIRE DEARING

Bryce Dallas Howard returns as Claire Dearing, the former operations director of Jurassic World who is infamous for fleeing from the rampaging dinosaurs in the first film while wearing impractical footwear. In the years since Jurassic World fell to the dinosaur outbreak, Claire has founded the Dinosaur Protection Group to save the animals on Isla Nublar from the erupting volcano threatening extinction.

Howard also teased that the status of Claire’s relationship with Owen, whom she recruits to help her save the dinosaurs, “is not exactly what you expect.” Fans do expect Claire will be wearing more sensible shoes during her next visit to Jurassic World so that she can better outrun both the dinosaurs she’s trying to save and a volcanic eruption.

DR. HENRY WU

Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong), InGen’s chief geneticist, has been with the franchise since the first Jurassic Park film. Henry was responsible for the creation of the original park’s batch of dinosaurs, though his on-screen role ended up being minor. In Jurassic World, Henry was again the park’s top dinosaur maker, this time responsible for the creation of hybrid dinosaurs, specifically Indominus Rex.

Henry also surprised fans by being more malevolent, escaping Jurassic World with several hybrid dinosaur embryos while it was under attack by the escaped animals. What Henry did with those hybrid embryos is a big question fans want Fallen Kingdom to answer, but his prior warning that “we’re not always going to be the only ones who can make a dinosaur” could be a sinister clue.

T. REX AND BLUE THE VELOCIRAPTOR

The original T. Rex survived its battle with Indominus Rex in Jurassic World and presumably has ruled Isla Nublar in the years since. One of the creatures was seen tied down during one of the teasers, but it’s unclear how long it’ll remain docile.

Owen’s pet Velociraptor, named Blue, was the only one of its pack who lived through its fight with Indominus Rex and was also set free on the island while the humans fled. Rescuing Blue will likely be one of the reasons Owen agrees to help Claire and the Dinosaur Protection Group. It’s hoped these two will eventually cross paths. After all, you can’t have a Jurassic movie without a T. Rex and a Velociraptor.

  • Jurassic World 2 Release Date: 2018-06-22