Category: Jurassic World Battle at Big Rock

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

Posted on by Jurassic Outpost

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


‘Jurassic World Alive’ Expands with Exciting New Sanctuaries Update!

Posted on by Alex Evans

The ‘Jurassic World Alive’ released their 1.8 update, which now includes Sanctuaries!

In the game, the DPG uses Sanctuaries as safe places to feed and care for prehistoric creatures. You can feed, interact, and play with any of creatures that are placed in a Sanctuary. Feeding time includes goats for the carnivores, while herbivores get bunches of greens! He’s gonna eat the goat?!

While not indicative of gameplay, the live-action CG dinosaurs in the ad are quite exciting – it’s rare for Jurassic to see film quality visuals in expanded materials, and we’ll happily take more like it! Now if only they’d feature some of the more obscure dinosaurs from the films that we didn’t get to spend as much time with. For a real look at the update, check out the images below!

The DPG has built dinosaur Sanctuaries all over the world to help DPG members protect and care for their creatures. Place your creatures in these Sanctuaries to feed, play, and interact with them, then collect their DNA. Work together with other players to improve your Sanctuaries, care for each other’s creatures, and get more rewards!

Work with other DPG members to care for the creatures to receive DNA and rewards that help level up the Sanctuaries. This allows players to get up close and personal with their dinosaurs, and build a more authentic relationship with their digital prehistoric friends. Being able to play and feed the creatures makes the Sanctuaries feel a bit like a Jurassic Tamagotchi!

In other ‘Alive’ news, the ‘Battle at Big Rock’ Allosaurus and Nasutoceratops will be coming to the game in a future release! A first look was dropped on Twitter earlier this week:

While the Nasutoceratops looks to be an incredible addition to the Jurassic roster, we’re not so sure about that “Allosaurus” – in fact there has been some speculation online that it may not be an Allosaurus at all, as it doesn’t look anything like the species in question. However, the game labels it as such, and it does match the equally non-Allosaur Mattel toy. If Big Rock does feature that design, it means the Allosaurus design attempts are 0/2, but maybe third time is the charm with Jurassic World 3?

Design issues aside, we’re even more intrigued by what Battle at Big Rock may be – from toys to game tie ins, it’s being treated more and more like the films themselves, and not just a simply web feature. Even stranger is how the external media is being released, but nothing has been officially announced. We’re not sure what is going on, but we are excited!

If you play Jurassic World Alive, are you enjoying the Sanctuaries? Also, what new features would you like to see added to the game? Let us know in the comments!

Reports Suggest Jurassic World 3 Filmed in Ireland This January and Bryce Dallas Howard Just Added Fuel to That Fire!

Posted on by Alex Evans

Some surprising news has caught our attention: Apparently, reports hit Irish outlets back in January that Jurassic World 3 had been filming in forested locations just outside of Dublin, and we all missed the news. Our bad. Ireland based media site Joe.ie recently sat down with Bryce Dallas Howard while promoting her role in the upcoming ‘Rocketman’ movie, when they moved the conversation to Jurassic World.

Check out the exchange below (around 4:44):

When asked if it’s true that any part of Jurassic World 3 has been filming around and in Ireland, Bryce played coy before breaking into a smile and saying “I can’t answer that question”, then breaking into a laugh that all but says there’s more to the story. “I can’t say anything” she playfully continued, before stating with with a certain confidence “I’m not saying no”.

While Bryce doesn’t outright confirm the rumours, she more or less telegraphed the answer is yes. So what are the rumours we missed back in January? Geek Ireland reports they filmed outside of Dublin, in an accessible but forested location and had this to say:

“Speaking of dinosaurs, dinosaur animatronics have been spotted at the location, meaning this Irish location will almost certainly be featured in action sequences, as opposed to simple pickups and establishing shots (it is not uncommon for movies to film such shots in separate areas from where the main action takes place). Due to the aforementioned NDA, we cannot specify which species feature just yet, but re-watching the end of Fallen Kingdom should give you a good idea. Very specific props from Fallen Kingdom have also been spied on set, indicating the presence of a character who has appeared in both previous Jurassic World films in the Irish-shot scenes.”

The fact that this all played out a few months back without more coverage or leaked images is pretty shocking, and can likely be attributed to top notch set security and what we assume was a shorter shoot schedule. It’s way too early to begin filming Jurassic World 3 in full, the script is assuredly still being written, and reports to us suggest pre-production swings into full throttle this Fall at Pinewood Studios. In fact, this might not be Jurassic World 3 at all, but the mysterious ‘Jurassic World: Battle at Big Rock’.

As previously reported, Jurassic World Allosaurus and Nasutoceratops toys have hit shelves branded with “As seen in Battle at Big Rock”. ‘Big Rock’ is rumoured to be a live action short film debuting this Summer, and perhaps is a Jurassic World 3 precursor. While the existence of the live action short film is surprising, it makes more sense than Jurassic Park 6 filming in January of 2019 when it’s to release in 2021.

Update: thanks to sluething by Reel News Hawaii, some images from photojournalist Padraig O’Reilly have been uncovered, revealing that filming took place at Powerscourt Estate! Note the ‘District of Columbia’ license plate on the red van, likely confirming a US setting.

Whether the reports from Ireland are Jurassic World 3, Battle at Big Rock, or something else entirely we’re excited by this news, and can’t wait to learn more soon!

Source: Joe.ie , Geek Ireland