Chris Pugh – Page 23 – Jurassic Outpost

Director J.A. Bayona talks Balancing Animatronics and CGI in Jurassic World 2

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

Back in September Colin Trevorrow confirmed to us that the upcoming Jurassic World sequel would feature more animatronics than its predecessor. Jurassic World skewed noticeably CGI heavy, only utilizing an animatronic neck and head for the dying Apatosaurus. Now, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter J.A. Bayona elaborated on their upcoming plans and challenges:

“Obviously you don’t have real dinosaurs — sometimes you have people playing dinosaurs — but we love animatronics and we’re trying to do as much with them as possible, it’s complicated because the audience now is so used to seeing CGI that they’re sometimes reluctant towards animatronics. But at the same time, I think animatronics bring soul and reality to it. We’re trying to find the balance between animatronics and CGI in order to cheat the audience so they don’t know what they’re seeing.”

Unfortunately, the mention of audiences having a reluctance to accepting animatronics as ‘real’ on screen feels like pushback from the studio. It’s no secret those in charge of the business end have a tendency to prefer CGI over practical effects for numerous reasons – and they often seem to covince themselves it’s an artistic favor for the audience, when in reality it is not (for more on the challenges modern filmmakers face with utilizing practical effects, give our podcast with Matt Winston a listen). The Thing (2011) particularly made a name for itself when the studio forced to replace all its practical effects work with CGI.

The Jurassic Park franchise has always done an amazing job balancing its practical effects work against CGI, and the results show. The first Jurassic Park still holds up – namely with the practical effects, which look stunning and lifelike. Jurassic World is a strange film, visually. In terms of the technology, it is the best looking Jurassic film – however, the majority of its creatures are the worst looking in the franchise, coming off as cartoony and not grounded in reality. The major exception for this tends to be the Indominus Rex, who looked stunning in almost every scene, and had a sense of reality behind her animation. There is certainly nothing wrong with CGI when done right, and 90% it is done right and the audience doesn’t even realize what they’re seeing isn’t reality. However, when you can actually put something real on screen, it’s going to have a sense of reality that computer generated images do not.

Take the Tyrannosaurus Rex from Jurassic Park, and compare her to the Rex from World. Park outclasses her entirely, and while World’s CGI may be more advanced, it has almost no sense of reality behind it when compared to the orginal.

No audience is going to say that the top image from Jurassic Park looks less realistic than the bottom one from World. However, that’s not to say practical VFX are always the answer – I think the CGI compys in The Lost World look far better than the practical counterparts. Actually, I think the CGI Compys look ridiculously ahead of their time and more real than most creatures in World.

There is nothing wrong with animatronics/practical effects when used right – nor is there anything wrong with CGI. For some reason those in audience (and sometimes the industry) tend to lead a crusade against one or the other, which is certainly unnecessary as both are phenomenal artistic tools. But make no mistake, practical effects are the underdog currently. They’re more difficult to get right, take more planning and time, which tends to scare studios. However when they are done right they will almost always outclass CGI (unless we’re talking about real jaw droppers like Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean.)

All I ask is that Universal listens to the artistic talent heading the franchise, and listens to the fans. Jurassic Park made a name for itself for cutting edge practical effects, and CGI. Take a note from Lucasfilm and Disney with the Star Wars franchise: embrace its history, its legacy, its identity. Let the franchise continue to be what made it special, and let it blow audiences away with what they see on screen.

Jurassic World may have visually faltered at times, but now that the franchise has proven itself in the box office, let it redefine cutting edge effects as it resurrects dinosaurs once more. Jurassic World 2 is in a position to usher in a new epoch of visual effects, and I hope it embraces its chance fully. I dare say fans would even embrace a delay if that is what it took to get realistic animatronic work in the film.

As always, sound off in the comments below and weigh in on the discussion, and check out our interview with Matt Winston below:

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The Entire First Season of the Cancelled Jurassic Park Television Series Revealed (Exclusive)

Posted on 5th December 201622nd January 2024 by Chris Pugh

At long last, we’re happy to exclusively present the entire story arc of the first season of Jurassic Park the animated series – straight from the story treatment created in the 90’s. ‘Escape from Jurassic Park’ was meant to be a prime-time television series, utilizing state-of-the-art animation to directly followup the events of the first film – however it was cancelled before fully going into production. Unlike other animated series, this was not meant to be a cartoon aimed at younger audiences, but rather targeted at the audience of the Jurassic Park film, which it would be tonally consistent with.

Sadly, the animated series was eventually cancelled before completion, and was seemingly lost to time. But much like the study of dinosaurs themselves, we did some intensive digging and uncovered the remains of something long thought extinct. This story outline was created at the now defunct Universal Cartoon Studios in 1993 – prior to the theatrical release of the film. Development lasted for some time, before the project abandoned in 1994.

Scans for authenticity – full transcript of the script below.
This (non final) story outline was used as the basis for the script and series development, and was only seen by key individuals, such as Steven Spielberg. It’s currently unknown if more detailed scripts existed for the episodes within, or if an outline for Season 2 was ever explored. Every day new discoveries from the Jurassic past are revealed, so if you have anything to share please do not hesitate to get in touch! Until more information is uncovered, enjoy the first ever, and quite possibly the only reveal of ‘Escape From Jurassic Park’!

After digging in, be sure to read our breakdown below, and view the art gallery from the series:

READ THE STORY BIBLE HERE!

What a wild ride that story is – and a cliffhanger ending at that! It’s not entirely clear why the series was abandoned – some reports say Steven Spielberg pulled the plug after getting frustrated with all the merchandising for Jurassic Park while working on Schindler’s List. However, while there may be some truth to that fact, I have also heard he may have pulled the plug to avoid overlap, or canonical inconsistencies with the planned theatrical sequel (something I have heard happened again with a Jurassic World animated series).

The story shares many similarities with Michael Crichton’s ‘The Lost World’ – which was released in 1995. These include Lewis Dodgson, and a BioSyn team stealing eggs from nests to build their own park elsewhere, all while animals show up on South American mainland leading to a government coverup (due to fears of it hurting tourism). Of course, there are many differences as well – the animated series takes place on Isla Nublar, the home of Jurassic Park, while The Lost World takes place on Sorna, Site B. Further, the outbreak of dinosaurs on mainland is due to BioSyn, who purchase 100 square miles in The Amazon to build ‘DinoWorld’ – a fully fledged Dinosaur safari park with hotels, monorails, and more (much like the park in Jurassic World, ‘DinoWorld’ is inspired by Disney World.)

The story featured many brand new concepts and dinosaurs – some even got Kenner tie-in toys in 1994, including the “Dino Wranglers”, and the fanged Lycaenops, or the Komodo Dragon-like Ornithosuchus. I think perhaps the most intriguing part is Season 1 ends with Jurassic Park finally opening to the public (much to the dismay of Malcolm, Grant, and Sattler) . You could easily imagine the second season following a similiar arc of the story presented in Jurassic World, only with BioSyn shenanigans, the threat of animals on the mainland, and 100% less militarized hybrids.

I’m certainly bummed that the series was never developed – although, it would admittedly have greatly impacted the stories of future films. In a lot of ways, this is the sequel fans have imagined for years, yet never got, loaded with healthy doses of childhood imagination interjected with Michael Crichton’s themes and story development. Before we close off, I want to present a gallery of the stunning artwork created by William Stout, a key mind behind the ill-fated series:

Artwork by William Stout – visit his website here!

What do you think of the story of ‘Escape from Jurassic Park’? Be sure to sound off in the comments below – it’s hard to believe we can finally learn about this series after nearly 25 years! And again, if you have more to share please don’t hesitate to get in touch – we hear an animation demo for this series still exists somewhere, waiting to be found.

As always, stay tuned for the latest news, features, and exclusives!

Artwork source: William Stout

‘Jurassic World 2’ will be more connected to ‘Jurassic Park’; filming in March 2017!

Posted on 13th November 2016 by Chris Pugh

Jurassic World, the fourth Jurassic Park film, was a fresh start for the franchise in a lot ways. While it certainly had many direct references to the classic film, they did not steal the spotlight, nor require knowledge of predecessors to enjoy the new installment. Featuring a mostly new cast, Jurassic World was the perfect new entry point for audiences.

However, some diehard fans have since lamented the omission of the original cast (other than B.D. Wong’s Dr. Wu who did return), and hoped the upcoming sequel would bring some of them back. While anything that drastic has yet to be confirmed, director J.A. Bayona gave some hope speaking with Cinema Blend:

[CB: will the new movie be more Jurassic World 2 or Jurassic Park 5?]

J.A. Bayona: “That’s a good question! I think somehow it’s both. It’s a very good question, and what we’re doing is a sequel to Jurassic World, but it’s definitely the fifth chapter of a longer saga. It’s very interesting. It’s always tricky, but you need to find a balance in what people expect to find, and the new stuff you’re bringing to the story. And I think the story is looking for a connection between Jurassic World and Jurassic Park — more than what Jurassic World did.”

While speaking with us in the past, Colin Trevorrow has said the upcoming film will structurally and tonally share more in common with Jurassic Park than Jurassic World did. If you haven’t listened to that already, be sure to get on it! Colin Trevorrow also confirms more animatronics, a scarier movie, and promises not to make ‘Jurassic World War’. Those similarities aside, the new quote from J.A. Bayona seems to attribute itself to direct story references, rather than feeling more akin. While time will tell what he really means, if an original cast member does return my money is on Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm.

The news doesn’t stop there! While speaking with Comining Soon J.A. Bayona confirmed the upcoming sequel will begin filming in March 2017 – this aligns with the previous reports we heard of a late February kickoff in Hawaii. Now the question that presides is will we be given the official title and logo before that start date?

As always, stay tuned for the latest news, and sound off in the comments below! Also, if you’re hungry for some more Jurassic discussion, take a listen to our latest InGeneral Podcast episode where we talk about the casting of Toby Jones and Rafe Spall!

Source: Cinema Blend

Toby Jones and Rafe Spall in Talks to Join ‘Jurassic World 2’

Posted on 7th November 20167th November 2016 by Chris Pugh

The much anticipated moment has begun: Jurassic World 2 has officially started adding members to its cast, reports Variety. We know the highly anticipated Jurassic Park sequel has been holding an open casting call for the role of ‘Lucy’, a 9 year old girl, but now new players have entered the game. Toby Jones and Rafe Spall will be joining Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in the upcoming dinosaur filled adventure.

You may recognize Toby Jones (pictured left) most recently from Marvels ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ where he repised the role of Dr. Arnim Zola. He also more recently stars in BBC’s ‘Sherlock’, and has been in numerous other films, including playing the iconic voice of Dobby the House Elf in the Harry Potter series. At this time there is no indication of what role he may be playing, though his character is suspected to be named ‘Wheaton’.

Rafe Spall is perhaps best known for his role of Millburn in ‘Prometheus’, the Ridley Scott directed Alien prequel. He also has started in numerous films including ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and ‘The Life of Pi’ (the latter happened to star Irrfan Khan, AKA Simon Masrani). Much like Jones, no details are available about what role he may be playing other than the name ‘Mills’.

Variety reports that Jurassic World 2 producers are currently in the process of casting two other roles as well. We believe one to be the aforementioned Lucy, while the other to be the role of ‘Clint’ – a 20 something male technician with a certain apathetic sense of ‘unsure of himself, and the situation he is in energy’. Clint is expected to co-star alongside Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt in a supporting role who really isn’t happy about being potential dino-food, but empathizes with the animals none the less.

I think both Rafe and Toby will be fantastic additions to the Jurassic Park franchise, and I am eagerly anticipating news on who may land the role of Clint. As always, stay tuned for the latest news, and sound off in the comments below!

Source: Variety

Jurassic World website update adds new sections and never before seen pictures

Posted on 3rd November 20163rd November 2016 by Chris Pugh

As all living things do with time, the Jurassic World website has continued to evolve – this time adding sections for ‘Community’, ‘Films’, and perhaps most excitingly: ‘Intel’. Finally, JurassicWorld.com houses the entire Jurassic Park franchise, and not just the movie of the same name. Intel being the most feature rich addition has pages for each major character, actor, and dinosaur* (*more on this later in the article) – and some of these pages showcase awesome new images from the past.

Intriguingly, the section for the ‘Exhibition’ has been changed to ‘Events’, although it still only houses information about Jurassic World the Exhibition. This does seem to imply that other events are planned, though have yet to be announced. Another new addition is a Snapchat icon, so expect more from JurassicSnaps in the future – I know I’d like to see some fun Jurassic themed filters in conjunction! Also of note: the Jurassic Park facebook page has been folded into the Jurassic World facebook page, and the link for JP’s now defunct page has been removed. This is continued indication that the ‘Jurassic World’ branding will house the franchise moving forward for the time being.

While the website doesn’t add much new material for the connoisseurs of canon, for the first time in the film franchise, ‘BioSyn’ is mentioned by name. Readers of the books know BioSyn as the company that hired Dennis Nedry to smuggle embryos off the islands. However, the films never acknowledge or confirm that Dodgson actually represents the nefarious company in question – that is until now! Dennis Nedry’s intel page directly confirms they do exist in the film universe as well. Fingers crossed they make an appearance in Jurassic World 2!

jwcomcountdown — *Don’t get too excited – this is a hidden placeholder, and isn’t functioning!*

If you’re like me, one of the first thing you’re probably doing is sleuthing through the website and looking for unintentional hints of what’s to come. While I didn’t find much (I’m admittedly not a pro at dissecting websites at that level), I did find something cool buried inside: a countdown timer. Now, before you freak out and think Jurassic World 2 news is inbound – the timer is placeholder and counting UP, not down. Still cool to see something is planned eventually!

I’ve got to say, the website is incredibly slick and features all the right types of pages with ample room to grow from. Whomever designed this certainly deserves some praise, and it’s great to finally see a site visually worthy of the franchise it’s attached to. However – and this is a larger however – the content on the individual pages could use a lot of work. Many of the facts are awkward, some of the bios are missing outright, and the amount of content per ‘intel’ page is severely lacking. Most potently, the dinosaur pages are riddled with errors (and many species are completely MIA).

No, Apatosaurus wasn’t in The Lost World – the sauropod seen in that movie was Mamenchisaurus (which is lacking a page) – and for some reason the Apatosaurus page shows an image of a Brachiosaurus (also missing a page). Further: Pachycephalosaurus was not featured only in Jurassic Park – it wasn’t even in Jurassic Park! But as a reader, I’m sure you already know that (if you don’t, they appear in both The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic World). Strangely, another key missing player is JP3’s Spinosaurus – though for unknown reasons the Suchomimus is listed as being in Jurassic Park 3; it wasn’t. The list could go on and on, so I’ll end it there for now (perhaps the update went live too soon?), but Universal: if you need help generating and fact checking content (or more), just give us an email!

Now that I got that out of the way, I want to close off on some more of the many positives. While the information on the intel pages need some work, let’s talk about how cool some of those featured pictures are! Although nothing unknown is outright revealed, many of the photos are completely new to the web. One cool shot is an HD picture of Udesky holding a stick – this was from a never released deleted Jurassic Park 3 scene where he fights off the Velociraptors before being killed. Check out some of our favorite images below, or hit the intel section to explore yourself!

Honestly, I cannot wait to see where this all leads. I hope the website continues to evolve, and becomes something as feature rich as Starwars.com or Halowaypoint.com. While it will take some time to get there, they’re on the right path now and I’m optimistic about the future. Hopefully the franchise begins to get an expanded universe, and the website can serve as a point of reference/encyclopedia of sorts. It will also be quite interesting to see what the ‘community’ section evolves into – personal interests aside, I know I would love to see more interaction with the fanbase and I believe it could really turn into something special.

As always, stay tuned for the latest news and be sure to sound off in the comments below!

Theory: Do we already know LUCY’s father?

Posted on 28th October 201629th October 2016 by Chris Pugh

Who is Lucy? That is the question that keeps rippling across the online community since the ‘Ancient Futures’ casting call was discovered. While any attempts to decipher more information about the character beyond that provided in the casting call may be baseless conjecture, I decided to take a stab at it anyhow. Worst case scenario: I’m completely wrong, but generate some discussion amongst fans in the process. So, let’s have some fun.

Before moving forward, I want to pull up the character description Actors Access provided:

She is a young girl around 9 years of age. The girl playing “Lucy” must be at least 9 years of age by February 2017, but cannot be over 10 years old. She must be a sensitive and clever actress capable of handling long and complex scenes. Lucy must be able to handle a range of emotions from tender moments with her father, to anxiety, bravery, and shock.

Let’s get one thing out of the way now while we’re at it: the casting call mentions her father, and names her Lucy. The name may be placeholder, just as Ancient Futures is used in place of Jurassic World 2, while the father role may not actually be her father. However, for the sake of discussion and discovery, we will presume those two things are actually factual.

What else do we know? Those who attended auditions implied it was clear they were going for a ‘certain look’ for the girl, but did not elaborate further due to NDA’s. The test dialog apparently played against the implied father character – though no details on what exactly that involved were shared online. With that in mind, what immediately becomes clear is the father character is assuredly just as important as Lucy – if not more so. As such, they are likely looking for a young actress who would have good on screen chemistry with that mystery actor.

To test ‘Lucy’ actresses properly, it only makes sense that they know who is playing the father. Considering no casting reports for Jurassic World 2 have been shared by the trades or Universal Pictures, I find it unlikely to be an entirely new player in the franchise. My assumption is that the actor has not been reported on, as he did not need to try out: he is simply a returning player, established in prior films. With that in mind, I’ve floated a few ideas.. but am favoring one more than the rest.

did-australopithecus-live_7bff0d2cd3465e82 — *Credit: Science Picture Co Collection Mix: Subjects Getty Images*

As I said earlier, in this article I will presume the name Lucy is not placeholder. In a film about extinct creatures, it’s hard to ignore the scientific importance of that name. Around 42 years ago a stunning discovery was made by a team of scientists in Ethiopia – the fossil remains of an early hominin who lived over 3 million years ago was discovered. Dubbed Lucy, some even suggested she could be the missing link in humanities ancestral evolution – and her remains being 40% in tact helped fuel many scientific discoveries. While she may not be the missing link some had hoped for (it’s now suspected we branched from Chimps around 13 millions years ago), her importance is not to be understated, with more being learned even today. Lucy remains a very significant name in the scientific fields and popular science culture, especially those to do with ancient history.

With the information above, in a series of films where our worlds ancient history becomes our future, I couldn’t help but wonder if a character naming their child Lucy would do so on purpose. Surely the significance wouldn’t be lost on them? It seems too uncanny to be a coincidence, and I feel it’s safe to assume the screenwriters Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly are also familiar with those facts.

Rather unsurprisingly, I find myself pondering who in the franchise would name their child after a scientific discovery with such gravitas. While some may assume the paleo-past connection would favor Dr. Grant, I just don’t think that would be his style. Plus, I’m hard pressed to imagine a situation where Dr. Grant shows up in Jurassic World 2 AND has a child. That would take a ton of exposition to make believable, and I really cannot see it happening in a organic way. Where he was left off in Jurassic Park 3 does not really leave a path to that result – nor him returning in a sense-worthy fashion.

Then, I suppose we could look at Ian Malcolm.. we know he does like to have kids. I could certainly see him returning in Jurassic World 2, he’s like a moth to the flame, simply to have the chance to be right and say “I, uh, told you so”. But I just can’t imagine him naming a daughter – and we’re presuming the context is on purpose- Lucy. After his experience in Jurassic Park, the implications of a name tied to extinct history would be testing the chaotic nature of fate, far too close to experiences he’d like to forget.

So, where is this all leading? Why, Dr. Henry Wu (played by B.D. Wong) of course. Yes, he would have the hubris to name his child after such a momentous scientific discovery (in the real world it may be innocuous enough, but in the Jurassic universe it carries irrefutable clout). His work in bringing the extinct world into the extant, playing god, and exploring the history while defining the future is unparalleled. That name is the perfect fit if he were to have a daughter. Further, him having a daughter to interact with could add a complex layer to his characterization – helping add a more human element to the man who’s ego often leads to deadly results.

In Jurassic World Dr. Wu was played more like a villain, and while I doubt we’re going to be rooting for him in the sequel, adding empathy and motives to his persona would only play to the benefit of the story. Ideally, the inclusion of ‘Lucy’ would help drive and further define his character, perhaps playing in contrast to his less idealistic actions, reminding us that he’s a human, not a caricature. It also plays to the benefit of the audience, because while we may eventually think it’s best he becomes dino-food, the inclusion of his daughter now creates a situation to be dreaded and avoided. Will he be able to evolve, and see the dangers in his actions, or will he slip up and potentially put his daughter in harms way? The material is there, and while the Jurassic franchise has a rich history of roles for children, there has never been one quite like that.

Ultimately, I could be connecting the dots where none exist, and building a reconstruction of a fossil that never existed in actuality. In fact, that’s more than likely the case… but I covered that in the first paragraph. Despite the complete lack of evidence, I do feel like I’ve cracked the code on this one – although just earlier today I was favoring Malcolm’s return with another daughter, if only for the parallels to The Lost World. Yet until a definitive answer comes to light, I will continue to enjoy the thought that Dr. Wu may return in Jurassic World 2 with a more somber story than many expect.

Be sure to listen to our latest podcast where we discuss the “Lucy” casting and what it could mean for the franchise:

As always, sound off in the comments below – and be sure to share your crazy theories as well! Stay tuned, more news is surely on the horizon.

Jurassic World 2 holding open casting call – first character details!

Posted on 19th October 201625th October 2016 by Chris Pugh

The news for Jurassic World 2 continues to flow out showing no signs of slowing, today’s being something fairly momentous: an open casting call. Yes, casting for Jurassic World 2 has finally begun. One of the biggest questions we’ve had is what new actors will star in the movie alongside Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, and we are now one step closer to an answer.

Jurassic World 2 (under the working title of Ancient Futures) is conducting a open casting search in both the UK and US for the role of ‘LUCY’. Here’s the casting breakdown:

She is a young girl around 9 years of age. The girl playing “Lucy” must be at least 9 years of age by February 2017, but cannot be over 10 years old. She must be a sensitive and clever actress capable of handling long and complex scenes. Lucy must be able to handle a range of emotions from tender moments with her father, to anxiety, bravery, and shock.

This role represents a huge and exciting opportunity for a young actress to play a significant role in a major Hollywood blockbuster.

If you know a young actress who would be fit for this opportunity (ANCIENT FUTURES – Role of LUCY), you can sign up at ‘ActorsAccess.com‘ or ‘CastitTalent.com‘and submit for audition! Please be aware that there may be different local casting websites or opportunities that are more appropriate options, depending on where you live. Also note: reports suggest that young actresses up to the age of 12 repped by agents may be allowed to audition. Consult your casting agencies for more information, and good luck!

The casting call states the filming will primarily take place in the UK from February 2017 to June 2017, with a shoot lasting roughly 5 months! As the casting call does not mention Hawaii, we are unsure if her scenes will take her to the islands. It will be interesting to see if an unknown lands the role, or if it lands in the hands of a more established actress (Millie Bobby Brown, AKA Eleven from ‘Stranger Things’, anyone?)

Stay tuned, as more casting news is sure to pop up soon! Who do you think ‘Lucy’ is, and what role may she play in the upcoming film? Be sure to sound off in the comments below – and let us know if anyone you know will be submitting an audition!

Thanks to Nublar7 on Twitter for the heads up!

Source: Cast it Talent, Actors Access

What does Jurassic World 2 have in common with ‘The Empire Strikes Back’? Director J.A. Bayona explains!

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

The crust has seemingly broken open, allowing Jurassic World 2 news to trickle out like the slow flow of magma fissures before an inevitable eruption. Recently director J.A. Bayona said the film will address the responsibility mankind faces for playing god, while Colin Trevorrow said the film will tackle more complex themes such as the mistreatment of dinosaurs (he also joined our podcast and unloaded details about the sequel, such as more animatronics, making a scarier movie, and confirming they’re not focusing on weaponized dinosaurs).

Today J.A. Bayona shared a little more with Noticias RCN:

“Obviously, when you have Chris Pratt will also be very funny.. but [Jurassic World 2] will be darker. It’s the second part of a trilogy, which are historically darker. ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ or ‘ the Wrath of Khan ‘, are good comparisons.“

“In that sense,” continued Bayona, “the film takes the story to new places, which surprised me. We are going to places where the saga has never been before, and yet at the same time, we are staying true to the franchise. We will take it a step further. There things that will happen that people are not expecting, and they really are shocking. That’s what really excites me about a project like this.”

J.A. went on to say how excited and honored he was to be working with Steven Spielberg alongside Frank Marshall and Colin Trevorrow. From there he added:

“‘[The Jurassic Park franchise] is a creation of Spielberg’s. He created it, and Colin Trevorrow is helming the new trilogy, so you know it’s a collaborative effort of filmmakers. It is also a personal film like ‘The Impossible’ or ‘A Monster Calls'”

So, if you’re like me, you’re probably trying to connect the dots and figure out what direction the story may be heading. For those unaware (spoiler warning!), ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ is the Star Wars film where Darth Vader reveals himself as Luke Skywalkers father, cuts off Lukes hand, and freezes Han Solo in carbonite. ‘The Wrath of Khan’ (Star Trek) is the movie in which Spock dies in self sacrifice to save Captain Kirk and the others.

The Darth Vader reveal and death of Spock in those two films are huge pieces of pop-culture relevance, that are constantly hearkened back to by fans and filmmakers alike. Thematically both movies are more serious films, and while they do not lack the sense of fun their predecessors established, they allude to impending disaster and feature real consequences. The two films are revered for their high stakes and surprising reveals, coupled with betrayals, and loss.

Will Jurassic World 2 live up to the high bar those movies set? Time will tell. I suspect high stakes will certainly play a role in the film, perhaps blurring the line of right and wrong, judging by the above themes coupled with past news – specifically the morality of caring for dinosaurs and mankind facing responsibility for creating them. Considering Jurassic Park has no villains to reveal their true identity (unless Dodgson crawls back out of the woodwork), it seems likely the film will shock audiences with loss, and hard choices presented to our heroes.

Sound off in the comments below, and let us know if you think the Jurassic World sequel can truly be ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ of Jurassic Park, and how you think they can do it. As always, stay tuned for the latest news!

Source: Noticias RCN

Jurassic World 2 to be a more complex film, exploring the mistreatment of dinosaurs

Posted on 11th October 201611th October 2016 by Chris Pugh

‘Jurassic World 2’ will be a scarier movie, that much we know. But the darker tones will apparently go beyond the on-screen roars, digging deeper into the concepts of morality. Speaking to ‘El Mundo’ at the Stiges Film Festival in Spain, Colin Trevorrow has shared more details about the upcoming sequel. [The original source El Mundo is in Spanish, and some translations come courtesy of TIME]

“It’s hard for us to imagine growing up not knowing Jurassic Park, but there is a whole new generation who possibly never saw it.” said Colin Trevorrow “We had to reintroduce the franchise for them with Jurassic World. It was a movie with universal ideas that could appeal to everyone. James Cameron understands how to do that better than anyone: how to make a film appeal to a 15 year old in China, or a child in Florida.”

Colin then elaborated on how the sequel will evolve into a darker, more complex animal: “The dinosaurs will be a parable of the treatment animals receive today: the abuse, medical experimentation, pets, having wild animals in zoos like prisons, the use the military has made of them, animals as weapons. The second part will be a very different, more complex movie that will explore new paths. For that reason, it was clear that it needed to be Bayona who would direct it, in order to have it grow and evolve with his very personal vision.”

The concepts of animal abuse were also explored in ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’, notably with InGen capturing numerous animals in less than humane ways. It will certainly be interesting to see how this is further explored in the upcoming sequel, which is part of a mapped out trilogy. Colin Trevorrow recently joined our Podcast, and revealed that ‘the end’ of the trilogy was already decided while writing the first Jurassic World – so it’s safe to assume these concepts will evolve beyond those showcased in the aforementioned Jurassic Park sequel.

Be sure to listen to our recent Colin Trevorrow interview if you haven’t already! He shares many details about the upcoming sequel, including confirming a heavier use of animatronics and revealing that the story will not focus on militarized dinosaurs! The link above includes a direct MP3 of the podcast, and a transcribed summary of the key information. If you’re more of a YouTube person, we also have you covered:

It sounds like we’re in for a wild ride with the upcoming Jurassic World sequel, and I personally cannot wait to learn more. As always, stay tuned for the latest news, and sound off in the comments below!

[Note: other translations of the sourced article make mention of Jack Horner. We believe that to be a transcribing error on ‘El Mundos’ part, typing ‘Jota’ (a Spanish variation of Jack) instead of J.A. We were in the process of working on a proper translation, but TIME beat us to it, corroborating our suspicions.]Source: El Mundo, TIME

Watch full ‘LEGO Jurassic World: The Indominus Escape’ short film on Netflix and YouTube now!

Posted on 3rd October 201610th October 2016 by Chris Pugh

The first two episodes of the new animated short series, ‘LEGO Jurassic World: The Indominus Escape’ are here! 65 millions bricks in the making, relive the events of the fourth Jurassic Park film in a comedic alternate reality. The entire short film will be released on YouTube split into 5 episodes this week, totaling in 24 minutes of LEGO laughs.

“Playing with the characters, dinosaurs, and environments of Jurassic World in LEGO form through the playsets and video games is one of the most popular ways for fans to experience the franchise,” said David O’Connor, Executive Vice President, Global Brand Marketing & Partnerships, Universal Pictures. “By creating new narratives and additional storytelling through this fun LEGO animated short, we’re able to showcase the lighter, more humorous side of the world’s most popular dinosaur brand.”

Update: You can now watch the entire 24 minute short film on NETFLIX now! Don’t have access to Netflix? Watch the episodes below, and read on to learn how to buy the film in stores!

Episode 1:

Episode 2:

Episode 3:

Episode 4:

Episode 5:

Want to own the ‘The Indominus Escape’, and see it as a complete short film? You’re in luck! Starting October 18th, you can buy the short in DVD format bundled with Jurassic World – plus another exclusive 8 minute LEGO short is included!

Believe it or not, ‘LEGO Jurassic World: The Indominus Escape’ is the first time the Jurassic franchise has seen an official animated outing. While it’s not an expansion of the canonical fiction, it certainly is a fun idea and hopefully will be the tip of the iceberg for brand evolution. The LEGO Movie was absolutely brilliant, and I know I’d love to see some Jurassic characters make a cameo in the sequel.. however, I’d like to see an expansion of the canon via a comic series, TV series, novels, or cartoon even more!

What did you think of ‘The Indominus Escape’? Let us know in the comments below, and as always: stay tuned for the latest news on everything Jurassic!