Original ‘Jurassic Park’ Stars Sam Neil, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum Reunite for Xfinity Super Bowl Commercial
Comcast is taking a little time out of the telecast of Super Bowl LX on NBC to conduct some business.
The cable giant, which is also NBC’s corporate parent, will run a 60-second commercial for its Xfinity video service during the Super Bowl that reimagines the premise of 1993’s “Jurassic Park,” the first of seven films centered around a wildlife park for dinosaurs. Sam Neil, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, will reprise their roles as Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler and Dr. Ian Malcom. In this version of the story, the dinosaur scientists get to relax, as a reliance on Comcast’s Xfinity connectivity keeps the park systems online.
“For more than three decades, the franchise has captured the imagination of audiences around the world, and this partnership with Xfinity allows fans to experience that world in a completely fresh way,” says David O’Connor, chief brand officer of Universal Entertainment, part of Comcast’s NBCUniversal. “By combining the timeless characters and iconic moments of the original film with modern technology, we’re celebrating the legacy of Jurassic Park while introducing it to a new generation.”
Comcast purchased actual advertising inventory in Super Bowl LX, according to a person familiar with the matter, and is not relying on time typically reserved for promotions from the media company producing the telecast.
CBS, NBC and Fox have all used what is known as “promo time” in the past to tout new shows, different divisions of their companies and various corporate initiatives. CBS in 2016 gained notice for a Super Bowl promo announcing that “The Good Wife,” a fan-favorite drama, would end that season. In 2010, CBS raised eyebrows with a promo featuring both David Letterman and Jay Leno, two late-night hosts who often quibbled.
Comcast has tested the movie strategy in the past. In 2019, the company surprised viewers during an NBC telecast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with a vignette showing E.T., the alien protagonist from the blockbuster 1982 film of the same name, meeting up with an older Elliott, played by Henry Thomas, the actor who also inhabited the role as a child. Like “E.T.,” the original “Jurassic Park” was directed by Steven Spielberg.
Xfinity does more for the movie characters, letting Laura Dern’s scientist stream music and Jeff Goldblum’s watch a TV series via Wi-Fi.
Recreating favorite Hollywood films can help spark connection with Super Bowl audiences. Last year, Unilever’s Hellmann’s mayonnaise surprised audiences by tapping actors Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan to revive their characters from 1989’s “When Harry Met Sally.” General Motors in 2022 reconvened the cast of the 1997 hit “Austin Powers” in a new tale that has the popular character Dr. Evil, played by Mike Myers, trying to take over the auto giant in a new bid to control the world. In 2019, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Stella Artois ran a Super Bowl spot featuring Jeff Bridges as “The Dude” from “The Big Lebowski” sitting near Sarah Jessica Parker playing Carrie Bradshaw from “Sex and the City.”
Taika Waititi took up duties in place of Spielberg for this commercial, but the director’s Amblin Entertainment was involved in the production, along with composer John Williams, whose original score is utilized, special-effects house Industrial Light & Magic, Universal Pictures and the ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
