Santiago da Costa

Santiago da Costa is the protagonist of ARK 2. He is a survivor on the alien planet Arat, raising his daughter Mika in a world occupied by dinosaurs and by the hostile Aratai faction.

Casting

Vin Diesel was originally attached to voice and executive-produce Santiago, with his real-world personality shaping the character's final identity. Studio Wildcard has publicly said that Santiago was initially written as a nerd and a gearhead, but after Diesel came aboard the character was quickly rewritten to fit his on-screen persona.

Involvement in Question

With ARK 2 now targeting 2028, Studio Wildcard has publicly said that Vin Diesel's continued involvement is 'an open question'. Karl Urban has become more visible in recent marketing materials as Bob, which some observers have taken as a hedge on the Diesel situation; Studio Wildcard has not formally replaced Diesel in the role.