In both the book and the film, Hammond is the wealthy owner of Jurassic Park, a theme park containing genetically modified cloned dinosaurs. He is the founder of InGen, and the grandfather to Lex and Tim Murphy.
Although a villainous character in the book, Hammond is more heroic in the film, and does not experience the death that his book counterpart suffers. Instead, he is implied to have died between the events of Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World.
Hammond is one of the primary antagonists in the novel and is portrayed as a cold, sociopathic, and eccentric CEO whose desire to re-create dinosaurs stems solely from a desire to make a profit for InGen and shore up his legacy. To demonstrate the capabilities of genetic engineering, Hammond showcases a miniature elephant to potential investors, ultimately raising nearly $1 billion for the Jurassic Park project. Although some bioengineering companies strive to cure disease and illness, Hammond views such endeavors as financially risky and bogged down by government regulations, telling his chief geneticist Dr. Henry Wu: "That's a terrible idea. A very poor use of new technology... helping mankind [is] a very risky business. Personally, I would never help mankind".[2][3]
Hammond takes little responsibility for the park or its failures and instead blames others for anything that goes wrong. He concludes that the people he selected as the park's senior staff have character flaws that prevent his vision from being realized. Through much of the novel, he remains in the relative safety of the Visitor Center and his private bungalow, continuing to believe that he is in control, even as the surrounding situation grows exceedingly dire. When his grandchildren become lost in the park, he maintains his belief that order will soon be restored and that the children are in no real danger. Near the end of the novel, it is revealed that he has no real love for his grandchildren nor does he care about the fate of his workers. When the staff regains control of the park, he rationalizes the disaster in the unemphatic, detached manner of a corporate systems analyst, deciding that everything that has happened was merely a fluke and even convincing himself that he should rebuild the park. However while taking a walk outside, he is startled by a Tyrannosaurus roar, falls down a hill, and breaks his ankle. He is unable to climb up the hill and is subsequently killed by a pack of Procompsognathus.
The personality of the film's Hammond is a near opposite to the novel's version, sharing only his eccentricity. Hammond is depicted as a kind, jovial and charismatic Scottish capitalist who takes responsibility for his actions, a sympathetic and loving grandfather and leader who means well and tries to keep everyone safe. Despite valuing money, he appears less interested in profit than his novel counterpart and explicitly states that he does not want to create a park that caters to the extremely rich—his motto being "spare(d) no expense"—he is instead concerned with sparking interest in others. The film's Donald Gennaro possesses the majority of the negative and greedy aspects of the novel's Hammond.
Hammond has a deeper emotional understanding of creating attractions for children and families, and wants to make Jurassic Park a scientific reality. He notes that his first attraction was a motorized flea circus, but for the park he wants to show visitors something real rather than an illusion. However, he is misguided in his steadfast belief that his creations are under control, as he underestimates the power of genetics and nature. He also has little regard for pure scientific research, being more interested in the applications of genetic engineering. When the security system breaks down, he and his staff work to restore power and rescue the experts and his grandchildren while they remain in a secure control room. Eventually, he and the other survivors ruefully leave the island, with a depressed Hammond agreeing that the park has failed.
In the second novel, Ian Malcolm briefly reveals the true secrets behind the InGen Incident, reviewing Hammond's investment strategies and rise to monetary power. He describes why the park failed and why Site B existed. According to Ed James, Hammond merely died on a business trip to InGen's Island in Costa Rica.
In the second film, he is older and appears to be in failing health. He is relieved of his position as CEO in a coup, which the board of directors gives to his nephew, Peter Ludlow, after an accident on Isla Sorna, Jurassic Park's "Site B". The film states that Hammond had initially begun construction of Jurassic Park: San Diego, before abandoning the project in favor of the Isla Nublar location. Ludlow intends to finish the San Diego project and populate it with dinosaurs that he plans to take off of Isla Sorna. Hammond devotes what resources he has left to keeping the island's dinosaurs isolated from the rest of the world. He sends a small team to Isla Sorna to document the animals, so that he can garner enough public opinion to preserve them and the island. Hammond is ultimately successful, with Isla Sorna being declared a nature preserve.
Hammond died shortly after the events of The Lost World. In real life, Richard Attenborough died of natural causes on August 24, 2014, aged 90.[4][5]
Hammond is only mentioned during Grant's lecture on Velociraptors: "What John Hammond and InGen did at Jurassic Park is create genetically-engineered theme park monsters".
Simon Masrani, CEO of the Masrani Global Corporation and son of Hammond's personal friend Sanjay Masrani, bought InGen in 1998.[6] In 2005, a new dinosaur theme park opened on Isla Nublar: Jurassic World.[7]
Two decades after the original disaster, John Hammond's dream has finally come true in the form of a new fully-functional dinosaur park. The cloning facility on the island is named after Hammond: Hammond Creation Lab. Ever looking towards the future, his statue stands in the Innovation Center, before the entrance to the Hammond Creation Lab, in remembrance of his heart, passion and imagination.[7]
Masrani tells his employee Claire Dearing that Hammond entrusted him with his dying wish. When Claire tells Masrani that they have the highest structural engineers, Masrani sarcastically states "so did Hammond." When Masrani berates Dr. Henry Wu for the creation of the Indominus rex and tells him to shut down all activity, he even mentions that Hammond wouldn't be there to protect him this time.
When the campers of Camp Cretaceous are visiting Dr. Henry Wu's lab in Jurassic World, Brooklynn, one of the campers, told Wu that he could let Hammond and Masrani take the credit, in order to stroke his ego and convince him to be part of her video about Jurassic World for views.
Season 3
When Camp Cretaceous campers Darius Bowman, Kenji Kon and Yasmina Fadoula come across the original park, Yasmina (or Yaz by her friends) says she heard that the original park owner broke his ankle there and was then eaten alive by Compies. Darius then says that Hammond died of natural causes.
In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Hammond was revealed to have been partners with Benjamin Lockwood in the de-extinction of the dinosaurs until Lockwood's family plans to use the same technology on his daughter Charlotte led to their falling out. A painting of Hammond appears in the film. Later in the film, Lockwood's employee and murderer Eli Mills eventually tells Owen Grady, Claire and Maisie that what drove Lockwood and Hammond apart was that Lockwood cloned Charlotte, ultimately revealing that Maisie was a clone of Lockwood's deceased daughter, and not Lockwood's granddaughter like he said she was.
He has antagonistic traits in the novel which are removed for the film adaptation. Although he is not modeled after anyone in particular, Crichton explained that Hammond is like the "dark side of Walt Disney".[8] Director Steven Spielberg said about the novel: "I felt Hammond was a brilliantly written, but patented villain, and I was much more interested in portraying Hammond as a cross between Walt Disney and Ross Perot".[9][10] Attenborough was initially hesitant to accept the role, as he had not acted in 14 years and found film directing much easier. He eventually accepted the part after Spielberg pleaded for him to do so, stating "I can't see anyone else playing it but you".[11]
A year before the release of Jurassic Park III, it was reported that Attenborough would reprise his role for a cameo appearance,[12] although this did not occur. Hammond is only mentioned in the film. Attenborough was not upset by his character's absence in the third film, while saying: "Did I die in the last one? I don't know, I looked pretty decrepit. I've never seen it. I don't like going to see my own movies".[13]
Attenborough was to reprise his role for the fourth film,[14][15][16][17] although he suffered a fall at his home in 2008 and subsequently retired from acting.[18]
Reception
John's character has been well-received by critics. Tom Chapman from Screen Rant ranked him as the 5th Best Jurassic Park character, stating "As the jolly mad scientist, Jurassic Park literally owes its entire creation to Hammond, and although the conception is a little farfetched (just ask Ross Geller from Friends), you can let it slide for the sake of pure childhood whimsy."[19]
Attenborough's portrayal has also been praised, with Neil Mitchell of the British Film Institute (BFI) listing John as Attenborough's most essential performances, stating "Charming, sophisticated and single-minded, Hammond was also deeply flawed, a personality trait Attenborough always excelled at portraying. The veteran actor brought a lifetime's experience to a character as myopic as he was visionary."[20]
