
Chris Pratt in a screenshot from the Jurassic World Dominion trailer.
It’s been over two years since filming began in the Merritt-area, but Jurassic World Dominion is finally in movie theatres around the world.
The sixth movie in the Jurassic Park franchise, it was supposed to be released in June of last year, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking in a video with the movie’s producer, Patrick Crowley, Merritt Mayor Linda Brown says she was excited to see some of the scenes shot in and around her community.
“We are absolutely thrilled that we are even in your movie. It is a great benefit to us to have that out there,” she said. “This doesn’t happen every day for us.”
“It is great for the economy, great for just chit-chat in town, great for the people to get out and see who you are and what you do. We love it that you are spending money in the town which makes our life a little easier. We would love for you to come back.”
Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) Board Chair, Ken Gillis, added he is looking forward to what the future holds.
“Of course, its an economic driver, there is no secret about that. You know, Merritt and surrounding areas have had some trouble economically with a shrinking forest industry so it is a tremendous benefit to have your folks here,” he said.
“It’s been gratifying to hear how well you have been received and how welcome you have been made, particularly by Aspen Planers here who’s log yard this is. I’m not at all surprised. We are a pretty welcoming community.”
In a second video, both of which are posted on the Thompson-Nicola Film Commission’s YouTube account, Crowley said, it was “great” to be in the Merritt-area.
“I’ve shot all over Canada, I’ve shot in Calgary, I’ve shot in Smithers, I’ve shot five movies here, and we’ve had a great reception here,” he said. “We’ve had the hotel we stayed at, all the places we’ve been in have been really hospitable. We had a great time, and the locations are fantastic.
Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian agreed, noting people in the area want to “share the bounty that’s ours here” with people who are coming through.
“One of the things that strikes me is that Kamloops and the region in in this bunch grass, pine tree, biogeoclimatic zone that gives you so many different vistas, and then we have four seasons, so you can shoot whatever you need,” he said.
“It is just an interesting area because if you want an European village go to Sun Peaks or go to Blue River, if you want the desert, go down to Ashcroft and Merritt, and certainly so many unique sites and locations in this region.”
Jurassic World Dominion stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard with Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum reprising their roles from the original Jurassic Park movies.