Welcome to the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes!

The first trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is here, and it looks fantastic. Check it out below:

Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

In theaters May 24, 2024.

We’re excited for this one, what do you think?

‘Beasts of the Mesozoic’ Creator Launches CYBERZOIC – Sci Fi Dinosaur and Dragon Action Figures with Kickstarter Campaign

Indie toymaker Creative Beast has launched its first science-fiction IP via a Kickstarter campaign! Cyberzoic is created by toy industry veteran David Silva who’s known for the successful Beasts of the Mesozoic line of dinosaur collectibles.

David has worked with Neca, McFarlane, and on the 2009 Jurassic Park Hasbro toy line, and you can check out our 2021 interview with David about his work here.

Inspired by classic sci-fi and fantasy properties Dino-Riders, Transformers, Masters of the Universe, and Zoids, Cyberzoic follows humanity’s fight for survival on a distant planet in the future. Its intricate action figures and comic books feature armored dinosaurs, dragons, prehistoric mammals, alien wildlife, and warring human clans.

Those who want to back the Cyberzoic Kickstarter have until Thursday, November 2nd at 9pm ET. Check out the feature gallery below along with the full press release!

Read the full press release below:

HACKENSACK, NJ – October 3, 2023 – Creative Beast Studio today launched its first unique science fiction IP “Cyberzoic” with a Kickstarter campaign. Cyberzoic tells a compelling story about the near-extinction of humankind via a dedicated line of intricate action figures and comic book series depicting armored dinosaurs, fearsome dragons, prehistoric mammals, and various alien wildlife. Its singular narrative will engage sci-fi, fantasy, wildlife, and action figure enthusiasts. Fans can support the Cyberzoic Kickstarter campaign here.

Toy designer David Silva originally conceived the Cyberzoic storyline in college. Inspired by classic sci-fi and fantasy properties including Dino-Riders, Transformers, Masters of the Universe, and Zoids, but with a hard edge aimed at adults, Cyberzoic explores themes of power, technological innovation, environmentalism, conservation, culture, colonialism, and our place among the natural world. Leaning on 20 years of experience crafting figures for major entertainment brands including Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Godzilla, Spiderman, G.I. Joe, Terminator 2, Aliens, Predator, Spawn, and Pacific Rim,as well as launching a line of scientifically-accurate dinosaur action figures, “Beasts of the Mesozoic,” David is finally bringing his Cyberzoic vision to life as only he can. 

“I’ve been so inspired by sci-fi and adventure stories since I was a kid. I also loved natural history growing up, but the entertainment properties that catered to this passion never fully achieved the artistic potential of their premises, often compromising the wonder and beauty that true natural history has to offer in favor of more familiar trends and tropes. To finally put my own spin on a concept that brings together people, dinosaurs, and dragons is a dream come true,” said Silva. “I’ve had the foundation of Cyberzoic kicking around in my head for three decades. After the success of the ‘Beasts of the Mesozoic’ brand, it was time to develop a story on the opposite end of that timeline, bringing the dinosaurs into the science fiction genre and making Cyberzoic a reality. My goal is not only to present ideas and concepts that people have never seen together before, but also explore our connection with other forms of life, both familiar and alien.” 

The initial $205,000 Kickstarter goal includes all-new action figures of the two main characters, Dragolina and Argentues, a fan-favorite dinosaur (Allosaurus), the mighty Arctic Dragon, and the legendary Saber-toothed Tiger! There are four human clans planned to be represented (Tech, Fire, Dragon, and Desert), all living among dragons, dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and alien wildlife. Other popular dinosaurs not yet released in Creative Beasts’ “Beasts of the Mesozoic” series will be featured in Cyberzoic as stretch goal items, including Dilophosaurus, Deinonychus, Carnotaurus, Utahraptor, and Achillobator. And from their backward compatibility with several Beasts of the Mesozoic dinosaur figures, several of the new dinosaur armor units can convert into vehicles or robotic animals! 

The Kickstarter will also include an exclusive art print and concept art calendar for 2024, only available during the campaign. A comic book is planned to be included with the figures at release, telling the Cyberzoic story through vivid art and character-building storylines.If the initial Kickstarter goal is met, additional animals, human characters, and armor units will be unlocked as stretch goals. 

Set 1
– Allosaurus j. (1/18th) – $100 (MSRP $119.99)
– Dragonslayer armor unit- $40 (MSRP $49.99)
– Argenteus – 4″ pilot- $25 (MSRP $27.99)
– Allosaurus bundle – $155

Set 2
– Smilodon p. (1/12th) – $55 (MSRP $64.99)
– Saberbeast armor unit – $25 (MSRP $29.99)
– Dragolina – 3.75″ rider – $25 (MSRP $27.99)
– Smilodon bundle – $100

Item 3
– Arctic Dragon (Kuraokami) – $200 (MSRP $229.99)

Set 4
– All-In Launch Bundle – $450 (MSRP $550.93)

Cyberzoic Storyline
2170 AD. AI and synthetic ecosystems have solved the problems of overpopulation and hunger. Humanity has now turned its entire focus to exploring the cosmos. Soon manned space flights discover an Earth-like planet capable of sustaining life, which they name Gaea 2. The planet is home to a variety of alien wildlife — including highly-intelligent ‘dragons.’ As humanity studies and colonizes the planet, the dragons fight back, pushing these peaceful visitors to the brink of extinction. 

But all is not well on Earth either. One day, all communication with Gaea 2 stops. There are no more supply shipments and contact with their home planet is completely lost. Soon, the people of Earth are presumed dead except for Gaea 2’s scientific and military residents. But the humans won’t go down so easily. Using the research technology they brought with them, they create biological weapons of their own: genetically-engineered embryos that “birth” Earth’s mightiest prehistoric creatures. Programmed to obey their masters and outfitted in protective armor, these terrifying beasts help the humans push back against the dragon attacks while they terraform Gaea 2. This saves the human species, but destroys the world’s natural habitats.

With the threat of human extinction seemingly resolved, the colonizers split into factions. Each clan champions its own philosophy about ensuring the long-term survival of humanity. Bitter conflicts erupt, leading to power struggles, uneasy alliances, and devastating new technology.

Who will win the war for Gaea 2? Or will humanity eradicate itself?

What do you think of Cyberzoic and will you be supporting the Kickstarter campaign? Share your thoughts below!

Fallen Kingdom’s Carnotaurus Joins The Hammond Collection in Beyond the Gates

Mattel’s Hammond Collection keeps on growing! Last month the show unveiled Owen and Blue from Jurassic World, and this month Fallen Kingdom’s Carnotaurus joins the collection.

Join Chris, Mattel’s Greg Murphy, and Fallen Kingdom’s Visual Effects Supervisor David Vickery who go behind the scenes through the detailed design process for both the toy and the film dinosaur! Check out the full episode below:

This new item from Mattel is now available to pre-order exclusively (in the US) at Target.com! Don’t miss your chance to grow your Fallen Kingdom Hammond Collection by pre-ordering now.

Don’t miss more Beyond The Gates next month!

https://collabs.shop/1bgnax

The Mystery Behind Jurassic Park 3’s Forgotten Video Game

Do you remember the Jurassic Park 3 video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox?

No? Oh, that’s right, it was cancelled.

Like most promising Jurassic Park games, Jurassic Park: Survival was planned as a tie-in to 2001’s Jurassic Park 3 before developer Savage Entertainment ceased development. Months later, Universal cancelled the game altogether.

But why? We’ve explored the mystery behind this third-person survival game in our new video:

Do you remember this title? Share your thoughts below!

What Happened to the Live-Action Jurassic World TV Series?

Do you remember the reports of a live-action Jurassic World television series being in development? The series had enlisted Jurassic alumni Colin Trevorrow and Steven Spielberg as producers, alongside newcomers Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank, both presidents at Amblin Television.

It listed Vancouver, Canada as its primary production location, which is a film and TV hotspot, and where Jurassic World Dominion began filming in 2020.

Unfortunately the show never left the early development phase, but what happened? We explore this and more in our new video:

What kind of Jurassic Park (or World) show would you like to see? Would you like to go back to the construction of the original Jurassic Park, or would you like to see a dinosaur-infested world post Dominion? Let’s discuss below!

First Look at LEGO Jurassic Park: The Unofficial Retelling

In August Peacock announced a LEGO exclusive hitting their platform that seemed to be focused on the first Jurassic Park.

The trailer for the “Unofficial Retelling” dropped this morning, check it out below:

We also have a synopsis:

Welcome to LEGO Jurassic Park: The Unofficial Retelling! After finding his journal, Chaos Mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm recalls the mishaps and mayhem from 30 years ago about the island amusement park filled with prehistoric dinosaurs who escape and run amok…a story 65 million bricks in the making! Streaming on Peacock October 10th

What do you think? Will you be checking this out?

Sega Genesis’ Jurassic Park Games Join The Classic Games Collection!

Limited Run Games recently announced the upcoming Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection, featuring vintage Jurassic Park video games from the NES, Game Boy and SNES consoles.

The collection just grew in size with the addition of even more classic titles: Jurassic Park & Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition that were originally released on the Sega Genesis are now part of the collection and have “bonus Carbon Engine features” like save states and in-game maps.

Check out the announcement below:

This is great news for those disappointed to not see the Genesis games on the list! Will you be picking up the collection? You can pre-order yours now at Limited Run Games.

Are you excited for the collection, and which game will you play first? Share your thoughts below!

Jurassic World’s Owen and Blue Join The Hammond Collection in New Beyond The Gates

The reveals keep on coming! 2015’s Owen Grady and Blue the Velociraptor have joined Mattel’s Hammond Collection! Take a closer look at these two newly sculpted figures in this month’s episode of Beyond The Gates.

Join Chris, Mattel’s Greg Murphy, and animation supervisor Glen McIntosh who walk us through the detailed design process for both the toy and the film dinosaur! Check out the full episode below:

These two new figures are now available to pre-order exclusively (in the US) at Target.com! Don’t miss your chance to wrangle Velociraptors with Owen Grady, and get your very own Blue by pre-ordering now.

Don’t miss more Beyond The Gates next month!

NEW Details from the Cancelled ‘Jurassic World Survivor’ Video Game from Splash Damage

At long last we have some new details on the now cancelled Jurassic World video game, Jurassic World Survivor. We last heard about the video game in 2017 when a screenshot from a build of the game was leaked, showcasing Jurassic Park style Velociraptors.

We have now uncovered some new details about the game – after Cryptic Studios Seattle branch closed the game was passed to Splash Damage Games and saw an overhaul of its concept as development continued. The game would have launched on PC and consoles, focusing on custom character survivors left behind on Isla Nublar, post the Jurassic World incident.

Gameplay revolved around the struggle to survive and eventually find rescue alongside all your favorite Jurassic Park dinosaurs, poachers, BioSyn, and more! We published this information in a new video which you can see below, which includes details about the game’s story and includes lines straight from the script:

Jurassic World Survivor was going to take place roughly 1-2 months after the events of Jurassic World. A category 5 storm has further destroyed the island’s infrastructure, leaving the park in ruins with the dinosaurs roaming free. With the island in disarray, rival corporations use this opportunity to send in their teams to steal secrets and silence any potential witnesses.

In the game, you would play as stranded civilians – the ultimate goal being to find a way to escape the island while facing various threats along the way. You would take on the role as civilians who crash landed on the island during the storm, and you would have the ability to create your own survivor and continue to customize them overtime with items you find on the island.

Signage and visitor maps around the abandoned park would be faded, overwritten by notes from survivors and evacuation teams sent out by InGen and other parties. Dinosaur skeletons would litter the various areas, having been picked apart by the various scavengers.

The power would not be online – tasks potentially would have included rebooting the geothermal power station, which in itself would be a very difficult task. The monorail would also play a role in this game – players could potentially restore emergency power to individual monorail sections allowing faster travel between the various island sectors.

Buildings would litter the island and would contain resources for the player, such as InGen Survival Shelters, Jurassic World park buildings like store rooms, utility sheds, warehouses and garages.

Along with the threat of dinosaurs, different factions visiting the island could also pose a threat to the player – these would include InGen Rescue Teams, BioSyn Operatives, and Eco Terrorists, to name a few.

There is a lot more information included in the video, be sure to check that out and let us know what you think of the cancelled game.

Hopefully something similar can see the light of day soon enough!

The MonsterVerse Continues in New TV Series: ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’

The trailer for an upcoming television series based on the Godzilla property and “the sixth installment and the second television series in the MonsterVerse franchise” has arrived.

The plot: Following the epic battle between Godzilla and the MUTOs that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, two siblings, following in their father’s footsteps, uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw, taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga – spanning three generations – reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.

Featuring a great cast, this looks like a lot of fun, and a great way to expand the Godzilla universe.

What would you want to see in a Jurassic series?