June 2016 – Jurassic Outpost

New Jurassic World concept art paints a very different picture!

Posted on 26th June 201626th June 2016 by Chris Pugh

Jurassic World released in theaters over 1 year ago, and since then we have received many small glimpses at the making of via artists portfolios and the Blu-ray release. Today, concept artist Seth Engstrom updated his blog showcasing select portfolio pieces he did for the film.

While some of these are very close to the final film, many are brand new – such as a different version of the Pteranodon Attack and final battle climax. One of the most noteworthy is the image of the Indominus Rex attacking people on a bridge, as a volcano erupts in the background while Velociraptors look on and attack! (above)

Check out the rest below.

That’s a lot to take in – Brachiosaur shaped gates, robo-tyrannosaurs, volcanoes in the park and more! Through the art shared here and elsewhere, we can see how Jurassic World evolved over its development to the final film!

It’s a mystery why Universal never released a Jurassic World ‘Art and Making Of’ book – Jurassic Park 4 was in development for over 14 years, and is the number 4 film of all time in with its box-office. It only would have made sense, and there are clearly tons of great pieces from numerous artists warranting its existence.

Be sure to hit Seth’s blog, which has even more great artwork, and stay tuned for all the latest news! Like what you see? Sound off in the comments below!

Source: Seth Engstrom

First Jurassic World 2 promo poster at 2016 Las Vegas Licensing Expo

Posted on 21st June 201621st June 2016 by Chris Pugh

The first ‘promo poster’ for Jurassic World 2 has been shown off at the 2016 Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Thanks to Collider News for the image.

*Photo credit: Steve Weintraub/Collider News*

For those following the production closely, they will recognize the temporary ‘June 22nd, 2018’ logo from the date announcement which happened in July of last year. While the logo isn’t anything new, it’s still exciting to see some official promo material. It’s unclear if the untitled Jurassic World sequel has any other presence at the expo, perhaps behind closed doors, but we will be sure to post any updates should they arise.

Stay tuned for more news – admittedly it seems unlikely we will get anything substantial before San Diego Comic Con, if even then.

Source: Collider News

Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall talk the Jurassic franchise, JA Bayona and more!

Posted on 15th June 201615th June 2016 by Chris Pugh

Today The Hollywood Reporter published a fantastic interview with Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall which talked the industry, particularly managing franchises like Jurassic Park and Star Wars. It’s a fantastic, candid piece that explores the creative processes of these amazingly talented individuals which I recommend reading in full, however below are some choice excerpts that pertain to the Jurassic franchise.

*Image courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter*

On Steven Spielberg’s involvement with Jurassic World, and hiring Colin Trevorrow:

SPIELBERG I was very involved in breaking the story, working on the script with [director Colin Trevorrow] and [writer Derek Connolly]. I was not on the set, but I watched dailies every day. If I felt something about the dailies, I would send a note to Colin directly. But Colin was doing a great job; you could tell by the rushes. I didn’t even find Colin, Frank did.

KATHLEEN KENNEDY Well … I …

SPIELBERG Oh — Kathy. Sorry. Anyway, Kathy told Frank, and Frank told me.

KENNEDY I saw [Trevorrow’s debut movie] Safety Not Guaranteed when I was looking for who was going to direct [Star Wars:] Episode 7. Then when Frank and Steven were looking for a director, and I had already decided on J.J. [Abrams], I said, “Hey, I know this is going to be off the wall and you’re not going to immediately think this young director could do this movie, but I’ve come to the realization he is the real deal, and he could handle it.”

FRANK MARSHALL Then I cold-called him. I looked at his movie and thought he definitely knew what he was doing.

SPIELBERG I looked at his movie and thought it was really good, but I wasn’t convinced until the last scene ’cause that film could have gone two ways. When this [character] who I thought was certifiably insane actually invented something that could travel through time, that crystallized the choice that it had to be Colin to do Jurassic World.

On who’s ‘in charge’ of Jurassic now:

So when you have Jurassic World, I assume you feel pretty possessive?

SPIELBERG No, I don’t. I honestly don’t feel possessive at all. I think Colin feels possessive now — and he should. I passed the torch to Colin.

You really feel that way?

SPIELBERG I absolutely do. He’s the guy who has to feel possessive.

KENNEDY Don’t you feel that? I mean, I think it’s all about the joy that comes from the ability to keep it going and keep audiences entertained.

MARSHALL It’s what you did with Star Wars now.

On hiring Jurassic World 2 director Juan Antonio Bayona:

MARSHALL We spent a lot of time with Colin. We’re doing that on [the next] Jurassic, too, with Juan Antonio [Bayona]. Kathy and I have spent a lot of time with Juan Antonio over the years. We had talked about him doing Jurassic World, but he has a long process for production.

SPIELBERG We had been very impressed with his Naomi Watts movie about the tsunami [The Impossible]. You’ve got to pick the right directors, and that’s what Kathy has done so brilliantly on the Star Wars series. Rian Johnson and Colin are the two best directors who could be doing Episode 8 and 9. And that’s the whole key. I think Harry Potter had a huge infusion of a second life when Alfonso Cuaron did No. 3. He changed the paradigm of Harry Potter and gave it another six years just based on the art he brought to the third movie.

It sounds like the Jurassic franchise is in great hands! It’s fascinating to learn that JA Bayona was in talks to direct Jurassic World before Colin Trevorrow was chosen. If you haven’t already, b e sure to give the full article a read, which goes into more detail and talks Star Wars as well. As always, sound off in the comments below and stay tuned for the latest news!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

#ThrowbackThursday: Kenner Jurassic Park Carnotaurus Design Sketch (Exclusive)

Posted on 9th June 20169th June 2016 by Chris Pugh

Hey everyone, it’s Thursday and that means it’s time to look back into the prehistoric past of the Jurassic franchise! Today for #JurassicJune we have a very special exclusive throwback: the original conceptual design sketch of the Kenner Jurassic Park Carnotaurus! This sketch dates back to around 1992, and is straight from the table of the artists themselves (note the clay smudges!) Check it out in its full glory below:

The Jurassic Park Series 2 Carnotaurus released in 1994 and is one of the more iconic and sought after classic Jurassic toys by collectors. Due to its rarity and fan favorite status, it nets a hefty price if you manage to find one now (upwards to $500 MIB). This piece of art is an awesome, previously unseen part of Jurassic history that gives a very rare peek behind the curtain of its creation.

Want to know more about about the series 2 Carnotaurus? Head over to its page at JPtoys.com and read up! As always, sound off in the comments below, join the discussion in our forums, and stay tuned for the latest on everything Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and more!

Thanks to an anonymous contributor for sharing this art!

New art from cancelled version of ‘Jurassic Park 4’

Posted on 8th June 20168th June 2016 by Chris Pugh

We all know the road to Jurassic World was a wild one, with Jurassic Park 4 taking many different shapes and stories over the years. Today we’ve been given another peak into just how crazy some of those ideas really were. Concept artist Carlos Huante took to his Instagram to share new unseen art of the abandoned version of Jurassic Park 4 which he was working on with Joe Johnston back in 2004.

Following Jurassic Park 3, the idea was to push the sequel into bold new territory. The same basic concepts of Jurassic World existed then: hybrids, ex-military protagonists, and dinosaurs created for military application. However, the shape these concepts took were drastically different. The militarized animals were quite literally dinosaur soldiers, hybridized with human and canine DNA. And from the latest art, it turns out there were cyborg human/raptor hybrids as well. Weird.

Little is known about the story concept for this version of Jurassic Park 4, other than it was a further evolution of the story John Sayles wrote in the 2004 script. If you haven’t already, you can download and read that script via our downloads sections! Word is that Steven Spielberg threw it all back to the drawing board a few weeks after this outlandish art was created.

Despite the art taking things a bit too far, the core concepts were never abandoned. In 2006, Universal Pictures and Art Asylum had a small Jurassic Park booth at New York Toy Fair. On display were small diorama statues of a very mean looking Tyrannosaurus, alongside a Triceratops. Years later, the full story was uncovered:

“They were part of a new proposed ‘Jurassic Park’ toy line (…) that would have had nastier dinosaurs, and soldiers with all kinds of dino-fighting gear and vehicles. The ‘R-Rex’ was the first. It’s not based on any [prior] JP design. I was told to simply come up with a Next-Gen T-Rex ‘on steroids’, with maybe a bit of raptor DNA thrown in (note the 3-digits on hands). I had a week to sculpt and paint it for display. Sadly, though Universal Studios was very impressed, the toy line didn’t get approved for production.”

While that toy line may have never came into fruition, its clear that it again has many similarities to the story of Jurassic World: a Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor hybrid, alongside a soldiers vs dinosaurs focus. From 2006 onward, it was mostly radio silence, but one thing remains clear: the ever winding road to Jurassic World was paved many years ago.

Be sure to sound off in the comments below, and let us know what you think of the latest art! While the concept sounds straight out of a SyFy channel special that has nothing to do with Jurassic, I have to say on a artistic level I love the art Carlos created.

Stay tuned, and keep enjoying #JurassicJune 2016!

Win a Jurassic World poster SIGNED by Nick Robinson & Ty Simpkins! [CLOSED]

Posted on 7th June 201614th June 2016 by Jack

To celebrate Jurassic June, we are happy to announce our first competition under our new name Jurassic Outpost: Win a Jurassic World poster signed by Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins themselves, who played Zach and Gray in Jurassic World!

Along with the poster, you could also win a Hasbro Tyrannosaurus Rex, Jurassic World on DVD, a Jurassic World t-shirt (large) and a replica brochure from the first movie!

There are three ways in which you can enter:

1. Retweet this tweet and make sure you are following us on Twitter
2. Like this image on Instagram and comment your favorite quote from the Jurassic Park franchise
3. Like this photo on Facebook and comment your favorite quote from the franchise

We are allowing you to enter via all three options to increase your own chances of winning – but please only answer on each platform once!

The competition is ~~NOW OPEN~~ and will close Saturday 11th June. Winners will be announced Monday 13th June and prizes will be shipped out within 7 working days.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

WINNERS:
1st Prize – Via Twitter – Electrazahra
2nd Prize – Via Facebook – Jacqui
3rd Prize – Via Instragram – JurassicWill

Is the cancelled Jurassic World video game back in development?

Posted on 6th June 20166th June 2016 by Jurassic Outpost

Is the ‘cancelled’ Jurassic World video game back in development? We’ve heard yes. Before we dive into that bit, lets recap what we know about the game:

Developed with Unreal Engine 4, Cryptic Studios Seattle was planning to release the game as a digital download title on Steam, Xbox Live, and Playstation Network. It was described as a high budget, open world third person shooter action/adventure game. Allegedly, the title had MMO-like elements not unlike those seen in H1Z1.

Set on Isla Nublar, the player controlled Chris Pratt’s character, Owen. Several dinosaurs from the series were going to be in it, including: Gallimimus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, Spinosaurus, Pteranodon, Ankylosaurus and Baryonyx. It’s unclear exactly how the game played and what its general plot focus would have been, but it was likely more mission/quest based with little focus on a story.

(A screenshot from the Telltale Jurassic Park game)

Flash forward to now: about a month back we were emailed by an individual who wished to remain anonymous, and was claiming that the game was back in development. To the best of our ability, we validated the authenticity of the persons claim through a small series of communications with them. Here’s what they had to say:

“It was back in development at a different studio by the time those artists shared their work from it, but they were unaware. They assumed that their contracts were void and NDA’s fulfilled as the initial development studio had closed, and went and shared the work. Once your site picked up on the story it spread like wildfire, and the publisher Perfect World cracked down HARD on them because it was still very much alive. The issue wasn’t that people knew the game existed, but rather so many key assets leaked. Plus the cancellation news coupled with the imagery immersed the project and IP holders with with negative attention, rather than positive.”

At this time, we’re unsure if and how the games assets, story and scope have changed. Considering it was close to being released on Steam Early Access last June, it seems likely the game has evolved into something larger and more comprehensive. While we’re unsure when the game will be formally announced, e3 starts June 14th which is as good of guess as any!

As with any news like this, we do recommend you take it with a healthy sense of understanding, and a grain of salt. We have done our best to validate it, however behind the scenes many gears are always turning, and things can often change. While the game has resumed development, that doesn’t guarantee it won’t be cancelled again – however, that does seem incredibly unlikely.

Pre-order now: Official limited Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus Breakout statue!

Posted on 4th June 2016 by Chris Pugh

Brand new from Chronicle Collectables, the Tyrannosaurus Breakout statue is now available for pre-order! This high-end officially licensed Jurassic Park statue will have a very limited run, so make sure you secure your purchase before it goes extinct! Based upon the iconic scene and measuring 24″ long, 16″ tall and 12″ wide this diorama statue is a must have for any Jurassic fan. This is a hand-numbered, limited edition piece. (The edition size will be set in 30 days). Priced at $499.99 for the first 30 days, before raising to the normal price of $549.99. There is a 10 month payment play available, so you can pre-order with as little as $49.90 down!

Chronicle truly spared no expense to get this statue right. Working from an ILM model, Chronicle refined the digital sculpt to be as accurate as possible to the scene. From there they posed the Rex in her well known pose, and crafted the destroyed electrical fence around it. The Tyrannosaurus herself is painted with incredibly accuracy, and Chronicle went to extreme painstaking lengths to match the original. The base is inspired by the shape of the T-Rex Paddock on the Jurassic Park Map, and is engraved with a bronze Jurassic Park logo.

So what are you waiting for? Pre-order now! And while you’re at it, be sure to listen to our interview with Paul Francis of Chronicle Collectibles where he details some of their other planned upcoming Jurassic products – including 12″ articulated Alan Grant and Owen Grady, a Mosasaurus diorama, and a few products involving Velociraptors!

Excited for the product? Sound off in the comments below, share the article, and join the discussion on our forums!

Reddit’s /r/JurassicPark Gift Exchange!

Posted on 3rd June 20163rd June 2016 by Jack

To honor the anniversary of the original Jurassic Park film’s release, the subreddit dedicated to all things Jurassic Park has announced a subreddit Gift Exchange!

If you’ve not heard of the gift exchanges before, then it’s relatively simple! All you need to do is sign up, and then you are provided with a fellow redditor’s details where you can send them a Jurassic related gift, worth around $15!

Sign ups close on June 10th and you will receive the relevant contact information the follow day, which is the 1993 release date of Jurassic Park in theatres! Gifts should be sent no later than the 25th June, and gifts should have a value of around $15.

The Jurassic Park subreddit is a great side of the fandom and this is really worth getting involved in. The Reddit Gift Exchange is something that has run for years now and has proven to be very successful, not only among redditors but also among celebrities like Bill Gates, Stephen Colbert and many more.

What a great way to celebrate Jurassic June! Will you be getting involved? Let us know in the comments section below and be sure to check out the /r/JurassicPark subreddit if you haven’t already!

Escape from Jurassic Park – 1993 animated series detailed

Posted on 1st June 20163rd June 2016 by Chris Pugh

It’s no secret that Jurassic Park nearly had a cartoon – over the summer William Stout revealed many pieces of concept art, which unsurprisingly went viral. Despite the great artwork, and the franchise lending itself to the concept perfectly, the cartoon was sadly canceled in the early stages of production. Other than these glimpses of concept art, little was known about the mysterious series. Until now.

1993: Hot off the heels of Jurassic Parks success, the now defunct Universal Cartoon Studios began to explore a continuation of the story via an animated series. The series was meant to be tonally similiar to the film, utilizing an art style that appropriately matched. The story revolved around the essential characters and dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, alongside many fun new additions – drawing further story inspiration not only from the film, but from the book.

Over the month, we will be exclusively revealing details about the cartoon straight from the story bible, including a breakdown of its planned episodes. We’re thrilled to be celebrating #JurassicJune in such a fun way, and we hope you’re as excited as us.

Stay tuned, we’ve got a wild month planned!

Huge thanks to an anonymous contributor for making this happen.