Alan Grant (Film Universe)
| Alan Grant | |
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| Occupation | Curator of Paleontology |
| Affiliation | Museum of the Hills (Formerly) Museum of the Rockies |
| Title | Dr. |
| Significant other | Ellie Sattler (Former Girlfriend) |
| Status | Alive |
| Production Notes | |
| Created by | Michael Crichton |
| Portrayed by | Sam Neill |
Alan Grant is a world renowned Paleontolgist whose career is most notable for his participation in the Jurassic Park Incident. He was the Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of Hills and then later the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University. Initially funded by InGen, he and his girlfriend of the time Ellie Sattler were approached by CEO John Hammond to inspect and hopefully endorse his newest park and quell investor worry following the death of a worker.
Whilst visiting Isla Nublar, the park fell prey to an act of sabotage, leaving Grant and others stranded until they were able to contact rescue.
Following the San Diego Incident in 1997, and the surge in dinosaur awareness it caused, a rapid decline in interest in paleontology began and by 2001 Grant himself was struggling to fund his digs. His experiences at Jurassic Park combined with lack of investment led to him being coerced by Paul and Amanda Kirby into the rescue of their son Eric who had gone missing on the island 8 weeks prior.
Biography
By 1993, Alan Grant had become a massively successful and well-known Paleontologist. He was serving as curator of Paleontology at the Museum of the Hills, had been awarded a fellowship from the Nimitz Foundation the previous year and his first book Dinosaur Detectives was a nationwide bestseller.
That summer, Grant was busy working in the Bad Lands at an InGen funded dig site with his girlfriend, paleobotantist Ellie Sattler. Whilst excavating a recently unearthed Velociraptor fossil with Sattler, the pair were called over by a volunteer to observe another trial of new radar technology capable of imaging fossils in the ground. Grant voiced his distaste of computers, much to Sattler pleasure. As the radar fired a powerful shock wave into the ground, the pair both watched the monitor eagerly as the image of a fossilised Velociraptor began to form. In full paleontologist mode, Grant began analysing the specimen, remarking the similarities between Velociraptors and modern birds and postulating his surprise that they never learned to fly. This earned a shared laugh from the surrounding volunteers much to Grant's surprise. It also caused a young boy to call out his underwhelmed impression of the raptor. Grant proceeded to demonstrate the lethal hunting tactics employed by a pack of Raptors, successfully terrifying the boy. Walking away with Sattler, the pair jousted with their differing opinions on children, Grant expressing his dislike and Sattler the opposite when their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a helicopter, blowing harmful sand onto the recently uncovered fossil below. Whilst Sattler hastily supervised the other volunteers, covering the exposed fossil with tarp, Grant chased after the helicopter which had now landed. Yelling for the pilot to shutdown his engine, his was directed towards a nearby trailer in which the occupant had hurried off to. Bursting into the trailer, Grant found an old man raiding through the fridge and opening a bottle of Champagne. Revealing himself to be John Hammond, the financier of the dig site, Grant's demeanour quickly changed. Sattler soon joined the pair, and after pouring the champagne Hammond told them of his latest endeavour; a biological preserve in Costa Rica. He explained that he had run into some difficultly and the lawyer representing his investors asking for expert opinions on the resort. Hammond then proposed that Grant and Sattler attend his theme park over the weekend, and if impressed sign a testimonial endorsing it. Though initially reluctant, both Grant and Sattler's position changed after Hammond offered to continue funding their research for a further three years.
The Jurassic Park Incident
The pair travelled down to Costa Rica with Hammond, meeting Donald Gennaro and his expert Ian Malcolm before boarding the InGen Construction Helicopter to Isla Nublar. Grant showed distaste towards Malcolm's flirtatious attitude towards Sattler. Arriving over the island the helicopter became turbulent, which Hammond explained as the island's bad wind sheers. The group all fastened their seatbelts with the exception of Grant who had grabbed two female clasps. After several unsuccessful attempts to pair them, he wrapped them around each other and tied them off with a smirk.
Landing on a Helipad, Grant boarded one of the Jeeps along with Sattler and Malcolm, leaving Hammond and Gennaro in the second Jeep. Travelling off, they passed through a pair of massive gates in a large electrified fence before travelling off into the jungle. Arriving in a large clearing, Hammond instructed the Jeeps to stop seeing something up ahead. Grant surveyed the area, unsure of why that had stopped until he caught sight of something alongside them. Pulling off his hat and sunglasses and climbing to his feet, he gasped grabbing the unaware Sattler by the head and forcibly turning her head in the direction that he was looking. Before them stood a Brachiosaurus, not a fossil, but a living breathing dinosaur. Clambering from the jeep, the pair stumbled towards the animal in disbelief. Joined by Hammond the pair began rattling off different questions about the Brachiosaur, still in a state of shock. At the mention of a T-rex, Grant finally collapsed and Sattler hurried to steady him. They then noticed even more Brachiosaurs, herding together with a group of Parasaurs down by the lagoon. Asking how he had done this, Hammond promised to show them.
Re-boarding their Jeep, they were then taken to the Visitors' Center, a massive tropically themed building still under construction. Ushered inside, they passed by fossilised exhibits as Hammond boasted about his park's attractions. Sattler asked Grant what he thought of it all, to which he responded that they were out of a job. Malcolm then corrected him, joking that he meant extinct. Entering a small Theater, they watched an animated film hosted by Mr D.N.A. explaining Jurassic Park's De-Extinction process of using prehistoric DNA from Mosquitos trapped in fossilised Amber. With more technical questions than the film answered, the group continually interrupted the film and as the motorised theater rotated around the Park's laboratory Grant, Sattler and Malcolm forced the lap restraint off of themselves and entered the lab. Descending into the sterile workspace, the group looked around cautiously before noticing an incubator on the other side. Approaching excitedly, one of the eggs began to shake. As Hammond explained that he had be present for the birth of every creature on the island, they watched as the egg slowly fell apart and a small baby dinosaur emerged. Eventually the newborn was passed to Grant to hold, as he carefully turned it over in his hands he asked lead geneticist Henry Wu what species it was. Informing Grant that it was a Velociraptor. Looking critical, Grant asked again if they had bred raptors, to which Wu confirmed.
Charging off into the Main Compound, Grant located the Velociraptor Pen and observed in fascination as the handlers proceeded to lower a steer into the pen. The rest of the group arrived just after Grant with Hammond informing Grant that the handlers were feeding the Raptors. The group ascended the viewing platform as the steer was lowered into the pen. Though they could not see anything, the unmistakable bloodcurdling shrieks of the animal painted a clear picture of what was happening below.
Life After Jurassic Park
Life After the San Diego Incident
Following the San Diego Incident and the revelation of the existence of dinosaurs to the world, the field of paleontology saw a massive decline in both interest and funding. By 2001, even Grant was struggling to fund his dig sites. As his research into raptors continued, he established another dig site at Fort Peck Lake, Montana. It was here, alongside associate professor Billy Brennan, that Grant began developing his theories on raptor communication.
With funds dwindling, Grant went of a fund-raising tour culminating in a visit to Washington D.C.. On the night prior to his last engagement, he visited Ellie Sattler at her home and met her husband, Mark Degler and son, Charlie.
Rescue of Eric Kirby
Returning to Fort Peck, Grant was greeted by Billy Brennan who demonstrated the new Rapid Prototyper he had rented. Feeding it scans from a recently excavated Velociraptor skull to produce a replica of its Resonating Chamber. Grant was impressed by the discovery, but stated it had come too late to save their research. The pair were interrupted by Paul Kirby, who requested Grant's presence at dinner so he and his wife Amanda Kirby could make a business proposal.
Later Life
Grant would publish another book, The Lost World of the Dinosaurs, chronicling some of his experience on Isla Sorna including the use of the Velociraptor's resonating chamber to communicate with the raptors.
Relationships
Ellie Sattler
Production Notes
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park III
Jurassic World: Dominion
Pre-production
On September 25th 2019, during a Collider screening of Jurassic World and Battle at Big Rock, franchise alum Laura Dern joined guests Colin Trevorrow and Emily Carmichael to announce her return as Ellie Sattler as well as confirming the returns of both Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum as Alan Grant and Ian Malcolm; the original Jurassic Park trio.
Production
On August 4th, 2020, Sam Neill tweeted a picture from his dressing room of Alan Grant's Hat announcing his first day on set.[1] The next day Neill also revealed a look at both his and Laura Dern's cast chairs on location.[2]
