‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ Will Not Be the End; Start of a ‘New Era’

In perhaps one of the least surprising, but still reassuring to hear confirmations yet, ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ will not mark the end of the Jurassic Park saga. While speaking to Collider, producer Frank Marshall had the following to say about Dominion’s place in the story as a whole:

“No [it’s not the conclusion of the franchise]. It’s the start of a new era. The dinosaurs are now on the mainland amongst us, and they will be for quite some time, I hope.”

This isn’t all that surprising, given the end of ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ and the overall commercial success of the franchise. The dinosaurs are free within the world, and as Eli Mills said: you can’t put it back in the box. The possibilities are limitless now, and with things like a live action series in development at Amblin TV plus director Colin Trevorrow alluding to more films after JW3 in the past, the writing was on the wall.

We’re excited to see where the future of the franchise brings us, especially with possibilities of new writers and directors bringing their own unique styles and ideas to story as it further evolves. Until then, we have ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’, which is expected to resume filming in London shortly after all the proper COVID19 safety protocols are put into place, and schedules are realigned. While ‘Dominion’ may not be the end, we expect it to wrap up the stories of Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, Ian Malcolm, Claire Dearing, and Owen Grady – the final chaotic turning point of events set into motion after John Hammond brought his dream into reality with Jurassic Park. As for who will lead the future films, we fully expect entirely new faces and stories, but occasional cameos aren’t out of the question.

What do you want to see from the future of Jurassic Park, and what writers or directors would you like to see lead the story forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Source: Collider

An Update About ‘Jurassic World’ Productions and Note to Fans Amidst Current Circumstances

We’re living in unique, uneasy, uncertain, and unprecedented times.

Due to the global spread of COVID-19, better known as the ‘Coronavirus’, and the widespread public safety precautions being enacted across the globe, most industries have ground to a halt. While we know it can be frustrating to know delays are looming on the horizon, it’s important to remember how crucial it is to put the health and safety of others first. ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ has halted filming, and will likely see a delay as the global pandemic continues to be an issue, ‘Jurassic World: Live Tour’ has been formally shutdown and cancelled, and the fate of ‘Camp Cretaceous’ remains unknown as DreamWorks has shifted to work from home.

In these times of social distancing, it’s easy to feel isolated – and it’s up to us find new ways to entertain, support, and interact as the world experiences this together. In that sense, we’ve all never been closer together. Be safe, help flatten that curve, stream more Netflix than ever before, and turn to the Jurassic community online if you’re looking for a distraction. We’ll be here.

To accompany this, we’ve decided to to publish director Colin Trevorrow’s note to the ‘Dominion’ crew – his words not only apply to those working on the film, but to the fans in the community. Read his words below, and stay safe out there.


Crew,

I know most of us were together Friday night when the news broke, but now that we’ve all had a chance to process, a quick note.

One of the things I’ve found to be true, time and again, is that opportunities can be found in the worst of news. Sometimes it’s an opportunity to appreciate something you may have taken for granted. Or just to take a step back and look at the world around you and your place in it. While this is a frustrating delay—especially as we’ve started to hit a real stride together—I hope all of us take a moment to recognize how lucky we are to tell stories for a living. Especially stories with dinosaurs in them. It’s a gift.

The most invigorating surprise for me on this production so far is how strong we are together. This crew is a well-oiled machine of human ingenuity, the kind of rare army my mentors have built over decades of work together. But every part of our group matters equally—none of us are expendable or replaceable. That’s why we’re being so careful. I want to finish the game with the team I took the field with.

So take care of yourselves, be vigilant. Value this time with your partners and children. Call your parents. We’re making a film about the need for all living things to take care of each other, with our own survival in the balance. It’s a message that matters.

Thank you again for your brilliant work so far. We’ll finish the job together soon.

ct

Jurassic World and Soft-Canon: a Counteractive and Convoluted Conundrum

This article is a guest contribution by Thomas Fishenden.

When it comes to the Jurassic Park franchise, it is safe to say that there has been a lot of world building over the duration of the five installments which Universal Studios have produced. It is certainly safe to say that a lot has been added to the franchise over the years. The films have added new locations and new animals and characters, whilst the secondary materials – such as the viral marketing – have aimed to add in more continuity between the sequel installments. Canon, however, has not always been maintained – and there have always been issues which have plagued the Jurassic franchise and the continuity it shares between its various outings. We have seen Universal and Colin Trevorrow take steps towards addressing these issues in recent years – but unfortunately, a recent announcement during the press for Jurassic World: The Live Tour has us concerned about the future canonical consistencies within the franchise.

In the past, Colin Trevorrow has stated that he is the overseer of the franchise – and would oversee issues, such as Canon, moving forwards to ensure better continuity and cohesion across the property in the future. This had many of us excited, as it seemed to indicate that both Colin and the studio behind him were willing to take meaningful steps towards building a much more coherent cinematic universe. Indeed, it appeared that the Jurassic franchise would take a similar approach to other great franchises like Star Wars and Marvel, building outwards with meaningful connections to the very core pillars which first established the franchise. For a while, this seemed to hold true – with inconsistencies around the geography of the Isla Nublar report in both Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom openly addressed by the director, who proceeded to work with the team behind the viral marketing and surrounding canonical materials (Chaos Theorem) to build a meaningful explanation which alleviated the canon-breaking implications that the change in island geography had. Furthermore, the team working behind the scenes had the opportunity to build upon the background of the franchise – adding in new implications for the canon which alleviated some of the strained connections that the narratives of the more recent films had. It is safe to say that the Dinosaur Protection Group website, and other subsequent ventures, did a lot to build upon the canon in meaningful ways – addressing the concerns of long term fans and creating much more of a cinematic ‘universe’ than we had ever seen for the franchise before.

Whilst the Dinosaur Protection Group faded into obscurity after the cinematic debut of Fallen Kingdom, it appeared canon would continue to grow and expand within the franchise. This brings us to Jurassic World: The Live Tour. Press Events for the tour (see Chris’s coverage from an event in April of this year) got fans excited – with a clear focus on developing a story which could fit within the confines of a pre-established Jurassic World narrative. Indeed, whilst some of the live show would build upon the back of the blockbuster film, showcasing the Indominus rampage on Isla Nublar, the clear majority was stated to be a brand-new story exploring a top-secret InGen Facility in Chile. The story follows Doctor Kate Walker, who was working with dinosaurs in a similar behavioral capacity to Owen Grady, and has essentially been pitched as the other half of the IBRIS project which we see on screen within Jurassic World. This, again, is a project which has always been relatively secretive on-screen, so fans were excited to be able to learn even more about this new piece of lore which was sure to build upon the fundamental ideals explored within the first Jurassic World film. Anticipation was high – and this was only exasperated further by the debut of Battle at Big Rock, which explored more new characters within the same universe, after the events of Fallen Kingdom.

Unfortunately, however, it seems that the story continuity will not last.

Fast forward to the start of November, when the Live Tour is kicking off with its worldwide premiere. Colin was interviewed by the Social Media team working on behalf of Feld Entertainment., and in an Instagram story on the official tour account, Colin was asked where the events of the show fit within the timeline of Jurassic World. His response was as follows:

“We have something we call soft canon – which is that it happens, but it also exists within its own space. You know, Feld’s writers and creators made a new and original story which exists within the context of Jurassic World and I think people are really going to love it.”

This statement is great when we consider how passionate Colin is for the franchise, and it is nice to see how excited he is about the live show – but it also poses a very real problem for the franchise moving forwards. That statement of ‘soft-canon’, and the careful phrasing of this show ‘existing within the context of Jurassic World’, has set alarm bells ringing for many fans – suggesting that the show may not be a meaningful fit within the pre-determined canon of the franchise, as was previously implied. Soft-canon itself is an alarming phrase, considering its what ‘Jurassic World Evolution’ is described as — something that is not canon at all, but adheres to the rules of the universal while carving out its alternate reality.

This becomes problematic as a universe which is built without canon in mind can very quickly crumble and implode if not handle with a degree of oversight and brand management. Disney know this all too well – and it is the reason why the Star Wars Expanded Universe is now referred to as ‘Legends’. Here, Disney told too many stories which conflicted with one another and posed potential problems for the canons of the franchise so they had to restart this from the ground up and discount any of their old stories as being non-canon unless reintroduced into modern films or properties. Whilst this soured many Star Wars fans, Disney could get away with this because of the sheer scale and scope of Star Wars and its fan-base, with many more pre-established stories already under the franchise’s belt. Jurassic, in contrast, is a relatively new and expanding franchise with a smaller fan base, and so the movements made to grow the brand really need to be considered and thoughtful to connect with audiences and build a meaningful and consistent fan base. Therefore, the term ‘soft canon’ being thrown out so early in the growth of the franchise has both I and many other Jurassic fans concerned about the future direction of the franchise.

It should also be noted that Star War’s non-canon ‘legends’ media only consists of expanded fiction that came out prior to The Force Awakens. Everything since then has been carefully cultivated to fit within the ever expanding galaxy, working with their brand team, writers, and directors as to not contradict the films, but add to them all while telling their own stories. Why Jurassic cannot do this, especially given their stable creative team, and smaller universe size, is a frustrating mystery.

Whilst I appreciate that it is hard to canonise a Live Tour (other properties like ‘Marvel Universe Live’ opted to tell entirely separate stories), I think straddling the line between canon and ‘soft canon’ is an attempt for Jurassic to have its cake and eat it too. Whilst it’s a humble attempt at developing upon the IP, I feel that it misses the mark and misses what fans have truly been clamoring for – which are stories which will have larger impacts on the overall franchise whilst enabling them to connect with these characters and these stories in much more meaningful ways. The attitude of utilizing ‘soft canon’ poses a worry for fans, as it brings into question upcoming properties like Camp Cretaceous, and where they will stand in terms of both canon and impact on the other properties within the franchise. Whilst there is certainly an argument for these being more children’s tailored properties, it is important to note that even in that regard a canonical middle ground is achievable. Take, for example, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This property found a way to tell stories within a pre-existing universe whilst not damaging canon. In fact, Clone Wars could build upon the pre-established in interesting and meaningful ways – connecting with both older and younger fans alike. This was due not only to the creative vision of Dave Filoni, but also due to the creative oversight and brand consistency which Disney and the Star Wars team had in place – and something which Jurassic seems to be sorely missing at this moment in time.

For the Jurassic World Live Tour, the format itself doesn’t entirely mesh with real world antics – so we understand that the action and context that which the story plays out may not be 1:1 to canon. But there is no reasons the overarching story itself of Dr. Kate Walker, InGens facility in Chile, and the events that subsequently played out cannot be canon. A simple “The story is canon, the action within and execution of it is soft canon” would be far more understandable. It was stated numerous times that Colin Trevorrow was involved from the start to make sure the story is hard canon. So what happened?

Make no mistake – I, and many others, are excited for new stories to be explored within the Jurassic universe. Many of us have clamoured for more from this brand for years, so the fact that we are finally getting this is exciting, and is a true testament to the creative passion of individuals like Colin Trevorrow. But, with that said, oversight is important too – and it’s important that this is built into a brand with solid foundations so that these stories can continue to be told for years to come. With that in mind, an organisation like Chaos Theorem or someone else altogether really need to be empowered to get more involved in the day-to-day canon of this universe, so that we can finally have something which feels cohesive. Continuity has always been a matter of discussion for Jurassic – and in some ways, poor continuity adds to the charm of these films. But, if Jurassic is to ever grow into a franchise with the power to do more than beat back other big names at the box office, then it is crucial that canon is considered, and that the time is taken to build a rich universe for these stories to take place within.

What do you all think? Where do you stand on canon in cinema, and is it important to you that these side projects tie in? Sound of in the comments below!


Jurassic World 3 to Begin Filming February 2020 at Pinewood Studios

It’s no secret that Jurassic World 3 aims to begin filming soon – Colin Trevorrow has already confirmed John Nolan and his team are carving dinosaurs out of clay, and prototyping animatronics at their studios outside of London. However, the exact start date has remained unconfirmed.

In a recent interview with Forbes, producer Frank Marshal confirmed the sixth film in the Jurassic Park saga will begin filming February 2020.

“With regards to the next Jurassic World movie, we are in full pre-production at Pinewood Studios in London, England. We plan to begin shooting in February of next year, so that is all very much in motion.”

Filming is expected to continue into the Summer, likely wrapping around July or August. The only confirmed location remains Pinewood Studios in London, however recent reports suggest some filming will take place on the Mediterranean island of Malta. It’s unclear where else the film will shoot, though we anticipate some locations to represent the Californian wilds, where Fallen Kingdom ends (Fallen Kingdom and Battle at Big Rock shot those outdoor locations around England and Ireland, and similar choices are to be expected this time around).

No word if Hawaii will return. Given the destruction of Isla Nublar and escape of the dinosaurs on mainland, this may well be the first Jurassic film to not utilize the Hawaiian islands.

Outside of filming start dates, Marshall went on to talk about why he believes the Jurassic films are so special, remarking that dinosaurs are science fact – not fiction – and it drives their mass appeal.

“It’s about the dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are timeless, and they were here. We’re not dealing with superheroes; we’re not dealing with science-fiction, we’re dealing with science fact. Dinosaurs are studied in schools, they’re in museums, and I think people have a fascination with what it would be like to have dinosaurs in the world today.”

It’s this point that we agree with, though it highlights why some of us have issues with the more recent Jurassic films. As the films move forward with depicting the the dinosaurs more and more as fantasy monsters, some of that magic and appeal of dinosaurs is lost in the process. As Jurassic World 3 will reportedly adhere closer to modern science and understandings, we’re hopeful the behaviors and set pieces involving the dinosaurs also shift towards their more grounded, yet still fictional Jurassic Park roots.

Whatever the future holds for Jurassic World 3, we’re excited, and cannot wait for news to continue to be shared as pre-production continues to be in full swing.

Let us know where you hope Jurassic World 3 will film in the comments, and be sure to share what you want from the movie!

Source: Forbes


‘Battle at Big Rock’ Nasutoceratops Added to Jurassic World Evolution!

Jurassic World Evolution has received free update 1.9 today, which enacts various bug fixes and adds an exciting new dinosaur to the game: the Battle at Big Rock Nasutoceratops! Evolution provides the best look yet at the brand new Ceratopsians design, which is the perfect mix of rugged and majestic.

Check out the trailer below!

This can be added to the long list of Battle at Big Rock tie-ins which have been released without the short film being acknowledged. This list includes a retracted update to Jurassic World Alive, Mattel toys being released in May of this year, and Takara Tomy toys being released recently. It’c clear Big Rock is meant to be a big deal with all the tie-ins, however the silence about the project itself remains deafening.

While the trailer doesn’t mention the short film, upon installing the update and booting up the game you’re met with this message (courtesy of Twitter user Ikkviper):

Does this mean Battle at Big Rock will be announced and released soon? We’re keeping our fingers crossed, but are not holding our breath. Something is going on behind the scenes, and while we hope it’s good news, Jurassic has long been plagued by mysterious cancellations that have us all a little wary.

As of this time, the redesigned Allosaurus from Big Rock (which had an animatronic made by Legacy Effects for the short) has not been added to the game. It’s unclear if Frontier plans to add it to the game, or keep their older Allosaurus design, which was also different from Fallen Kingdom.

Are you a fan of the Nasutoceratops design, and do you think Big Rock will be released soon? Sound off in the comments below and let us know your thoughts!


Opinion: It’s Time We Get Some Answers About Jurassic World’s ‘Battle at Big Rock’ Short Film

This article is a guest contribution by Thomas Fishenden.

February has come to be an exciting time for Jurassic World fans – with New York Toy Fair usually leading to the reveal of a plethora of Jurassic merchandise which fans of the franchise will have the opportunity to sink their teeth into over the coming year. This year’s Toy Fair brought more with it than usual, however, with Mattel’s sales reps giving us a tantalization tease in the form of a secret which they weren’t meant to let slip on the show floor. According to them, fans of their toyline could look forward to both a Nasutoceratops and a brand-new Allosaurus joining their line, modeled on an upcoming live action short film which was set to debut before Universal’s ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ – the next instalment in their popular Fast and Furious franchise.

During May, two brand-new dual attack figures from Mattel hit store shelves, featuring new branding which called out this short in the form of a small graphics stating that these characters were ‘As seen in Battle at Big Rock’. But, more than two weeks after the release of Hobbs & Shaw, this highly anticipated short film is still nowhere to be seen.

The absence didn’t come as a massive surprise to Outpost. It was already heard that there had been a little bit of trouble over the experimental films budget, which had reportedly exceeded the ten-million-dollar threshold. With such a high-cost for what was to be a smaller story, it appears the studio decided late in the game that they had wanted a more traditional content delivery method. This is most likely a step to try and turn a profit on the project, given the large cost which ended up being attached to it.

However, all this silence and behind the scenes uncertainty has led to a growth of pessimism within the online community. Rather than build excitement and anticipation, many Jurassic fans are now worried whether this project will ever see the light of day.

Despite several toys with ‘Battle at Big Rock’ branding already being available for several months now, Universal Pictures have still yet to acknowledge that this short film even exists. This radio silence from the studio has, understandably, got many members of the fan base worried about the direction this project may take. You may remember that, recently, we debuted some storyboards from a scrapped Jurassic Park: The Lost World animated show, which never saw the light of day. It is safe to say that cancelled projects like this, combined with a track record of production troubles for the Jurassic franchise have led to many fans becoming used to exciting new projects suddenly disappearing from the Universal release calendar. Even more troubling than this is the fact that Walmart (who have had a solid track-record with carrying Mattel products) have now decided to drop the ‘Dual Attack’ line altogether – suggesting that this may be a move to remove the Allosaurus and Nasutoceratops from shelves altogether. It strikes us as bizarre that, even before the project’s release, Universal seem to be taking steps to kill the tie-in synergy which they pushed for the short.

Whether Big Rock was intended to debut as a secret project or not, it is safe to say that Jurassic fans now know this project exists. Continuing to maintain a degree of secrecy when products from the short are already available seems to be a gross misjudgement of the community, and one which we hoped is rectified sooner rather than later. We’re hopeful that the powers that be will hear the concerns of the fanbase, and will let us know that this Battle is far from over. There are still many more adventures to explore in a Jurassic World.

Update


Kevin Jenkins Joins ‘Jurassic World 3’ as Production Designer

We’ve passed the halfway point of 2019, and are creeping ever nearer to the release of Jurassic World 3 in June of 2021, and while news about the production is quiet publicly, behind the scenes it continues to ramp up. Today, we’ve been able to confirm Kevin Jenkins has joined the Jurassic family, taking the role of the third Jurassic World films production designer (as previously reported by ‘Discussing Film’).

This won’t be Kevin’s first foray with the prehistoric, as he got his start in the VFX industry with BBC’s ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’. Kevin went on to work on numerous projects in various art department roles, such as ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’, ‘The Golden Compass’, ‘War Horse’, ‘World War Z’, and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. From there, Kevin went on to work on ‘Star Wars The Force Awakens’ (Art Director), ‘Rogue One’ (Conceptual Designer), and ‘The Last Jedi’ (Lucasfilm Design Supervisor).

Kevin recently made his debut as a Production Designer on ‘Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker’, where he worked alongside the Oscar winning Rick Carter (Forest Gump, Cast Away, Munich, Avatar). This connection to Rick Carter perhaps is no coincidence, as Rick Carter served as the production designer on Jurassic Park and The Lost World, as well as briefly designing for Jurassic World before departing for Star Wars The Force Awakens. Jurassic World 3 will mark Kevin Jenkins second time serving as a production designer, and quite possibly his first time tackling the role alone, though his industry experience with art and VFX will surely assist in excelling with the role.

The Jurassic films have a small group of talented production designers that Kevin Jenkins now joins: the aforementioned Rick Carter, Ed Verreaux (Jurassic Park 3, Jurassic World), and Andy Nicholson (Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom). Many of you may be particularly familiar with Andy Nicholson’s work, as he shares numerous behind the scenes looks at his work on Fallen Kingdom via Instagram (be sure to stay tuned, as we have an in-depth interview with him coming soon). What new elements Kevin will introduce remain to be seen, though his experience on films like Star Wars will certainly provide great world building lore within the iconic visuals to be crafted for the upcoming film.

This is the first major news regarding Jurassic World 3’s production team following Neal Scanlan revealing he would be returning (however, we have since learned Neal has departed the project to pursue another opportunity, leaving the position of an animatronics team wide open). While Scanlan may no longer be working on Jurassic World 3, we do have a few new names who are working on the project (though not for animatronics). Seth Engstrom, Benjamin Last, and Andrew Wallin have all joined the team as concept artists, while David Vickery returns as the VFX Supervisor and Ann Podlozny is the projects VFX Producer.

The crew of talented artists will only grow from here as the film continues development. Jurassic World 3 is aiming to kick into full pre-production gear this Fall, with filming beginning at the UK’s Pinewood Studios early next year!

Jurassic World 3 is being written by director Colin Trevorrow alongside newcomer Emily Carmichael. Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Jeff Goldblum are confirmed to be returning, with Sam Neill and Laura Dern expected to also join the project and reprise their iconic Jurassic Park roles.

Let us know what you want to see from Kevin Jenkins and the art team on Jurassic World 3, and be sure to stay tuned for more news!

Source: Discussing Film, Kevin Jenkins

John Hammond Was Killed by Velociraptors in These Newly Unearthed Jurassic Park Storyboards

Although Jurassic Park is now over 26 years old, new stories, art, and secrets continue to be unearthed by its incredibly dedicated and passionate fanbase. This Jurassic June, Jurassic Time has uncovered yet another long-forgotten storyboard from the original Jurassic Park film. It is part of what Jurassic Time dubs as “The Many Deaths Of John Hammond”.

In this newly revealed storyboard page, John Hammond is in Jurassic Park’s control room during the climax when the Raptors have broken out of their pen and have entered the Visitor Center. John Hammond, with an incubator of eggs he plans to take with him upon leaving the park to “save it”, hears Lex screaming downstairs. He opens the door to the control room to help, but is greeted by a Raptor. Hammond falls backward, crashing on a tabletop model of Jurassic Park that is on display in the control room (which was to be very similar to the one we see in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), as the Raptor digs its claws deep into his chest. The incubator shatters to the floor, breaking one of the eggs while another remains unharmed.

Later on, Grant finds Hammond in the control room, barely alive, as he tells Grant that he always knew the “first batch of DNA was too unstable” and that he was looking forward to working with him at the park. He then dies as the two men are framed by the destroyed model of Jurassic Park. Then, the one unharmed egg from before cracks open, revealing an infant Triceratops.

This was one of the many deaths originally planned for John Hammond. In the novel, John Hammond dies while falling down a hill then killed by Compies. In Michael Crichton’s first draft of the screenplay, Hammond is in the Visitor Center when he falls into the destroyed scaffolding after being startled by the twitching corpse of a Raptor. Then, he is finished off by Compies like in the novel. Jurassic Time showed an illustration from this depiction some time ago.

This was then followed by Crichton’s final draft, which featured Hammond being killed by a Raptor while the “Welcome Video” of him is being played behind him, stuttering in an eerie effect as he is being attacked. The next version of his death is the one just described with the tabletop model; originating from a script revision actually tackled by someone else no one has ever known to have penned. But that is another story that will be told another time.

The other versions of his death are of Hammond simply being left behind on the island, either by his choice or by accident. Some art and storyboards of this idea were done by Art Director John Bell, with a version of this scripted in Malia Scotch Marmo’s screenplay that followed both Crichton’s and the one the tabletop Raptor death was from.

However, once David Koepp entered into the picture, it was decided Hammond no longer needed to die. Whether it was because Richard Attenborough was cast or the filmmakers decided it didn’t fit their ever-evolving take on the character remains to be seen. It seems to be a good choice for the version of the character they ended up crafting, but it will always be interesting to see just how his many deaths were once going to be played out.

You can find more rare art and storyboards from Jurassic Park at Jurassic Time, along with an audio memoir of John Hammond read by Richard Attenborough that was adapted from the Lost World game Trespasser. It includes a video version with art by Felipe Humboldt, as pictured above, who also has been uncovering many lost relics of the Jurassic Park films via Behind The Gates.

Huge thanks to to Derrick Davis for providing this article and his great work at Jurassic Time!