Category: News

Colin Trevorrow: Jurassic World 2 will be ‘richer, deeper, and better’; have more animatronics

Posted on by Chris Pugh

As Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow continues to do press rounds for his new film, ‘The Book of Henry’ (which I have seen and quite enjoyed!) more questions regarding the upcoming Jurassic World sequel are being asked. Recently, Screenrant sat down with Trevorrow (who is a writer and producer on Jurassic World 2) and when they asked for the latest details, and Colin did not mince words when praising director J.A Bayona, and hyping the upcoming sequel.

“He is a different director but it’s interesting, we have so many similar instincts as far as suspense and family and fears of childhood and the perspective that we want to tell the story from that even though I wrote the film, it’s J.A.’s movie from start to finish. He’s just – the film looks beautiful and is exciting. We’re using more animatronics because I learned so much about how they can be utilized, so I built scenes that would allow us to use them – because they can’t run, these are the lessons. Belén Atienza has been great as well, and it’s just been something that we’ve all delved in and tried to make something deeper and richer and ideally better. I’m going to be the hype man for this movie, I think it’s going to be a better movie – sorry.”

More animatronics, and sticking true to the sensibilities of Jurassic Park with richer and deeper stories are the things longtime fans like ourselves want to hear, and despite some of my personal criticisms, I quite liked Jurassic World – so hearing he believes it will be better means great things to me. Colin went on to say that despite him writing the film, he constructed it to adhere to J.A Bayonas voice and vision:

“That was by far the most rewarding creative experience of my life, just making a movie for another director who I respect. And I built it for him, so it’s different than maybe even the movie I would have written for myself. [It’s] a Spanish horror/thriller with dinosaurs in it. And I loved doing it.”

Colin Trevorrow also talked to Comingsoon about JW2, discussing the challenges of working on Jurassic while also on Star Wars, and the rewarding nature of his involvement:

“That script had to be delivered for a February shoot, and we had to think of ‘Star Wars’ somewhat simultaneously… While we were in the early stages of story on ‘Star Wars,’ we shot ‘Jurassic’ at Pinewood. Now, we’re wrapping in about a month and everyone is going to Hawaii.‘Jurassic’ ended up taking up more time and attention than I expected just because I care about it so much, I surprised myself by how much I wanted to be there for J.A. [Bayona], just as a writer. I remember directing a ‘Jurassic Park’ movie and how much I would have loved to have a writer to think about the dailies and wonder what alterations we could make that would make it that much more effective. I was there with him every day to try and provide something for him that I didn’t have myself.”

Corroborating Colin’s comments about the wrap date, Bryce Dallas Howard took to Twitter today to announce that it was indeed the final day of shooting at Pinewood Studios, and all evidence points to Jurassic starting in Hawaii in just a few days.

Filming on Jurassic World 2 is expected to conclude around July 7th, where it will then move to post production. As the wrap date draws closer, fans have become more and more starved for official information. As it stands, there has only been one official still from the film, and there is yet to be a teaser poster, logo, or title announced. Will any of those hit before the end of this month, which marks the 1-year mark until the sequel releases?

While we wait for Jurassic World 2, I do suggest checking out Colin Trevorrow’s new film ‘The Book of Henry’. As I said earlier, I have seen it and genuinely enjoyed it – it’s a tough film to describe and sell, but it is loaded with real and likable characters all while beautifully dealing some heavy themes.

If that’s not enough to sell you, perhaps Colin Trevorrow asking readers of this site specifically to see the film might!

As always, stay tuned for the latest news, sound off in the comments below, and enjoy Jurassic June 2017!

Source: Screenrant, Comingsoon

New screenshot of early Jurassic World Survivor build – will it be at e3? #JurassicJune

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Jurassic Park fans are in dire need of a good videogame – and they aren’t shy about making it known. While movie tie-in games are often times weak, games allowed to find their own voice within the franchise can be groundbreaking and a ton of fun. The Jurassic franchise has had its fair share of games in the past, though most were nothing to write home about, especially the more recent entries. Nowhere to be seen is anything like ‘Alien: Isolation’, ‘The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay’, ‘Star Wars Battlefront’, ‘Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor’, ‘Knights of the Old Republic, or even ‘Jurassic Park Operation Genesis’.

JurassicWorldSurvivor2015Leak from Jurassic June on Vimeo.

This complete drought of new, well made videogames within the Jurassic world is made all the more frustrating by knowing the raw creative potential that exists. That potential, coupled with the record breaking success of the most recently released film makes the lack of any high budget games within the film universe entirely puzzling. Sure, there are the mobile Free-to-Play Pay-to-Win games by Ludia, but those are mainly mindless time killers, and nothing genuinely intriguing.

That’s why it hurt so much in May of 2015 when we learned that Cryptic Studios Seattle was working on a Jurassic World game – only to have it canceled due to the studios closure. Later that summer, game artists began to post some of their artwork and videos from the game, and we covered it. But then something interesting happened – Perfect World Entertainment, the games publisher, went after the artists. It appeared the game was not dead.

More recently, another artist posted a screenshot of a very early Pre-Alpha build of Jurassic World Survivor (then called Jurassic Park Survivor) – we believe this predates the builds of the game we have seen prior, and is when it was quite early and exploratory. What stands out the most, is this version of the game was a First Person Shooter – everything we have seen and heard about the game has indicated it will be third person, so again, this points to it being from very early in development. This version of the game was described as “Left 4 Dead like” and “was cancelled by Universal because of weapons in the game.”

The latter quote aligns with what we heard about other versions of the game, which would have minimal gun usage, and rely more on other tools – and that it would not be possible to kill dinosaurs, only injure and scare them. What we know about the game now is it will be third person, open world action MMO (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game) with a heavy emphasis on survival and exploration of Isla Nublar. The game was dude to hit Steam on PC first, followed by its Xbox One and Playstation 4 console releases back in 2015, but those plans may have shifted since.

What we do know is the game is very much not dead, or at least was still alive and kicking as recently as December 2016, which is when Universal applied for trademarks on the title. Prior to that, Perfect World Entertainment registered domains for the IP in late October 2016, so all signs point to the game existing, surviving, and waiting to be officially announced. Gaming expo e3 kicks off June 13th, with some panels starting sooner – our money is on if it is shown, it will be revealed at the PC Gaming Show this upcoming Monday, June 12th at 1pm EST.

However, it is worth noting that Perfect World and Cryptic Studios California (the developer we assumed took over when the Seattle branch closed) just announced a new Free to Play Magic the Gathering game. Sadly, this does seem to reduce the odds of Jurassic World Survivor making an appearance, but perhaps it’s just one of many new surprises Perfect World has up their sleeves.

Stay tuned for more news, and let us know what you want from a Jurassic World game – do you think Universal is on the right track to stop the property from becoming a shooter, or are they getting in the way of solid gaming entertainment? Sound off!

Trevorrow Believes Sequel Will Be Scarier Than Previous Installment

Posted on by Josh Evans

We have heard in the past year from new director J.A. Bayona that the Jurassic World sequel will have a scarier tone than the previous installment and writer/producer Colin Trevorrow expanded on that notion in an exclusive chat with CinemaBlend.

Asked why he believes Bayona’s vision will make the Jurassic World sequel scarier, Trevorrow had the following to say.

“J.A Bayona is very good at [creating scares]. There are things that he’ll just do with a shadow, or a rustling curtain on a wall. He’s so tapped into that kind of fear, especially the fear through the eyes of child. Which, you know, he and I are just simpatico. We may be the mirrors of each other. It is by far the most satisfying collaboration of my life.”

“First of all I think the mainstream loves being scared, and I think the scares in the first movie were made to make children think like they were seeing something horrifying, that their parents shouldn’t be allowing them to see. We have that a little bit here. But there’s also that same big, fun adventure, sweeping, romantic kind of action in part of the movie. That people seemingly responded really well to. We’re not throwing it all way, but we’re definitely going to some new places.”

So what do you think about Trevorrows’s comments that he believes the Jurassic World sequel will be scarier than the previous installment? Let us know in the comments below and on our forums.

Source: CinemaBlend

Jurassic Park Raptor Egg 1:1 Prop Replica Available For Pre-Order On June 9th!

Posted on by Josh Evans

Chronicle Collectibles today announced that they have produced a Jurassic Park Raptor Egg 1:1 Prop Replica and that it will be available for pre-order on Friday June 9th at 12 noon CST for $200.00. 3-month and 6-month payment plans are offered!

Currently there is no further information yet available such as shipping dates, but more information is sure to follow in the coming week so please keep an eye on this space and at Chronicle Collectibles’ official website.

So what do you think about about this new prop replica and do you plan to pre-order and add this to your collection? Let us know in the comments below and on our forums.

Source: Chronicle Collectibles

We’ve got the scoop on the future Jurassic World toys from Mattel! (spoiler free) #JurassicJune

Posted on by Jurassic Outpost

The year is 1993 – Kenner releases the Jurassic Park toy line which shaped many of our childhoods. From there on, Kenner (and eventually Hasbro when they entirely overtook Kenner and their products) made Jurassic Park toy lines. Whether it was a spin-off like ‘Chaos Effect’, ‘Jurassic Park: Dinosaurs’ or ‘Camo-X-Treme’ or a film line, the franchise was handled by the same company.

Most recently, Hasbro released the ‘Jurassic World’ toy line in 2015 – and to be blunt, the toys were not good. Velociraptors were missing their sickle claws, toys were poorly sculpted, poorly and cheaply painted, prone to breaking, and riddled with gaping screw holes. Not to mention, there was no sense of size consistency in the line, and it did not feature traditional human action figures. Fans were bummed.

Apparently, so was Universal Pictures – while Hasbro began to improve the quality with much better paint application on 2016’s ‘Dino Hybrid’ line, they lost the license that summer to Mattel. This is now uncharted territory – and truth be told, when I first heard the news I wasn’t excited. Mattel has no current lineups that prove they could do the classic Jurassic style of lineup (which is quite similar to current Star Wars offerings from Hasbro), and Hasbro had just put out some of the best Jurassic Park toys ever a few years back (see: Jurassic Park 2009/2011).

Art by James Flames, click for full

Let me just jump to the point: I was wrong to doubt Mattel. While the final quality of the toys remains to be seen, the lineup style is what fans have wanted and true to the legacy of Jurassic Park.

Recently, Mattel held a showcase for vendors, licencors, and more where they showed off their in-development and upcoming lines. As you can imagine, Jurassic World was there – and from what we have heard, it was easily the biggest highlight of any Mattel offering. We’re going to avoid going into too deep into specifics, as certain items will spoil future surprises, including things about the new film.

However, this is the lay of the land for the upcoming Jurassic World toys from Mattel (the images used below are from past Jurassic Park offerings, and used for demonstrative purposes only):

3 3/4″ Human Action Figures ($10)

Yes, human action figures are back – they will be roughly 3 3/4″ tall, and in scale with past Hasbro offerings. They will follow the Kenner styling of including a small or hatchling dinosaur, and some gear/weapons. However, from our understanding the gear skews more towards collectors than play factor (as in Dr. Ian Malcolm includes a film accurate flare – not a net launcher) – and the toys have articulation that will surely please.

Basic Dinosaur Figures ($10)

The bread and butter of the line – the dinosaurs are back! Roughly 6″ long, these are comparable to the basic non-electronic dinosaurs of the Kenner toy lines (or the Bash & Bites from Jurassic World). Much like classic Kenner, these dinosaurs are not dressed with permanent mortal wounds, and have simple articulation tied to a basic action feature. One of my favorite bits of news: size of the dinosaurs are considered when choosing what type of toy to make. There will be no miniature adult Tyrannosaurs – it will focus on smaller species like Velociraptor, and Gallimimus.

ROARIVORES (Electronic Dinosaur Figures) ($15)

Slightly larger than the basic dinosaur figures, these toys focus on electronic roars tied to a biting mechanism. They again do not have open wounds, and while they are not posed as neutrally as classic Kenner toys, they are less awkard than the Jurassic Park 3 offerings. Again, the size of the dinosaurs were considered when developing these toys – so at this time, there are no electronic Velociraptors, but rather species of a larger size will be focused on.

SUPER STRIKE DINOS  (Deluxe Dinosaur Figures) ($20)

Slightly larger than the electronic figures, these hearken back to the classic non electronic Kenner dinosaurs of the medium size. An example that was described to use was a Stegosaurus with a tail swinging action that was very Kenner in looks. However, it was apparently closer in size to the JP 2013 Dino Showdows Pachyrhinosaurs.

Large Dinosaur Figures (prices vary)

Yes, they have a Tyrannosaurus Rex (two in fact!) and we have heard both steal the show. We’re going to avoid describing them anymore, as they’re worth waiting for the official reveal to be surprised! But it’s worth noting that there are more than Tyrannosaurs in the large scale, and some figures use a “Real feel” latex/rubber, have action features, and electronic roars.

Vehicles (prices vary)

Not much to say other than they’re film accurate, look awesome, and are scaled to the human figures. Everything in this line is sized correctly, much like the classic Kenner toys. The classic Jurassic Park Jeep has a few details super fans are sure to LOVE!

Matchbox (prices vary)

Gone are the fictional vehicles – they’re being replaced with small film accurate vehicles from all five films! Some include small dinosaurs, and the entire lineup was described as similar to the Micro Machines (but bigger) sold alongside The Lost World. This includes some very cool playsets based upon movie moments!

Games (prices vary)

There will be games – including something tied to pivotal plot elements of Jurassic World 2!

Various ‘smart’/electronic toys (prices vary)

Drones, remote control vehicles, and more! While a lot of these won’t be cheap, they do offer great modern play functionality.

Some key notes: Mattel’s first Jurassic World lineup will be called something similar to ‘Jurassic World: The Classic Collection’. This lineup is scheduled to hit stores late this year or early next year, and is mainly based upon the first Jurassic Park. While they boast film accuracy for all their items, it does seem to also borrow from Kenner by featuring dinosaurs never seen in the films.

Sometime early spring (mid April) in 2018 the Jurassic World 2 toys will begin to arrive in stores. Much like the classic Jurassic line, it boasts film accuracy and a multitude of figures and offerings. From there, the line should continue to populate shelves with new waves featuring figures from the latest sequel, or past films. There are apparently quite a few more classes/skus of toys from Mattel than those listed above, so there are plenty of surprises in store!

It’s worth noting that some of the basic dinosaur figures were described as slightly exaggerated looking, with proportions and poses that were more cartoony than realistic. Our hope is that between now and release, those items will be refined and perfected to better match their film counterparts (and proper realistic anatomical poses). Otherwise, we’re thrilled by what the line is slated to offer, and cannot wait to see photo’s from it – there are quite a few more surprises Mattel has up their sleeves, so stay tuned!

As always, sound off in the comments and let us know what dinosaurs, characters, and vehicles you want toys for. Happy #JurassicJune, everyone!

Universal clarifies: No plans yet for a Jurassic World 2 teaser trailer

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Sorry all, it seems we all got a little too caught up in the excitement when Daniella Pineda tweeeted that a teaser was coming soon. It sounded too good to be true, and it appears that was the case. We contacted Universal, asking if they could comment on or corroborate the reports of a teaser trailer being around the corner, and they were direct with their answer:

“No plans yet for a teaser trailer. Not sure what is being shown at the London wrap party, but it’s not official marketing materials.”

The first Jurassic World did not see a trailer released until November 2014, and it seems likely the latest installment will stick close to the distribution pattern. However, next month is #JurassicJune, and the 22nd marks the one year until the Jurassic World sequel hits theaters mark – news hitting around this time seems to be a given, even if it is not footage. Perhaps a final title and logo?

Image not official

June also marks e3 (13th-15th), and fans are hopeful that it may mark the announcement of the long rumored Jurassic World Survivor. A video game is long overdue in the Jurassic Park universe, and the potential is nearly endless – with any luck, June will deliver the goods.

Until then, enjoy the fun teases Daniella posted about Jurassic World 2, and stay tuned for the latest news!

Daniella Pineda has seen Jurassic World 2 footage, and says a teaser is coming “soon”!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Update 2: “No plans yet for a teaser trailer.” – Universal Pictures

Update: the footage, though described as a trailer by some, was not an actual trailer but a sizzle reel of scenes.

Hold on to your butts – something is coming (and this time it’s not our website rebrand being mistaken as the Jurassic World 2 title). A Jurassic World 2 trailer is looming on the horizon, ready to break free at any moment. Well, ok, it may not be that dramatic or soon – but it sounds like we will get a trailer before November at any rate.

Jurassic World 2 star Daniella Pineda took to Twitter this evening to hold a spontaneous AMA – and she teased quite bit about the upcoming Jurassic World sequel. During last nights London wrap party, the cast and crew were treated with a reel of behind the scenes footage, as well as the very first Jurassic World 2 trailer! Daniella had this to say about the trailer:

“UK WRAPPED. HAWAII AWAITS. Guys, I’ve seen footage. It gave me SHIVERS. Oh it’s BAAD (as in James Brown GOOD). When you look at the footage, it FEELS like the biggest movie ever made. It’s going to be VERY special. Trust me, and I hate EVERYTHING.”

The praise is to be expected from someone working on the project themselves, but it’s hard not to get a little excited by it all the same. Jurassic super fan and twitter frequenter  Matt (@Sickle_Claw) replied to her tweet about the footage, asking when fans could expect to see it. She replied with good news:

Daniella also shared a few more promising teases about the upcoming sequel, including animatronics and a return to the sensibilities of Jurassic Park:

While we’re on a kick with Daniella, check out this great picture of her with BD Wong at the wrap party:

@wongbd ??❤️

A post shared by Daniella Pineda (@therealmiddlefinger) on

While she seems confident that fans will have a teaser soon, I would recommend everyone holds off from being too expectant. Soon is quite vague, and could really mean anything – however, Jurassic June is inbound, and June 22nd marks the one year until release date. Perhaps fans can expect something around then, as the timing would be perfect!

What I find most curious is that even Daniella Pineda does not know the real title of the movie – and it seems they have whipped together a JP3 style logo in meantime. Will the title come before the teaser, or will the teaser use the “Jurassic World II” logo as seen at the after party?

As always, stay tuned for the latest news – and sound off in the comments below with what you want to see the trailer!

Jurassic World 2 has wrapped shooting in London!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

It’s official: cameras have stopped rolling in London for Jurassic World 2 (or will stop very soon). Tonight the cast and crew congregated at the Natural History Museum in London to celebrate this event with the official wrap party! While the movie itself still has a little over a month left to film in Hawaii, this marks a very important milestone in the production.

Cameras first rolled on the upcoming Jurassic World sequel February 23rd, 2017 – can you believe it’s been 93 days already? The production has filmed quite steadily for those 93 days, though it appears to have typically taken the weekends off. We know Bryce Dallas Howard filmed for 40 days of that shoot, while Daniella Pineda filmed for 59 days – could she be the new lead?

So this just happened!! Met Chris Pratt, just hanging out. #wrapparty #nightwiththestars #chrispratt #justdoingmyjob

A post shared by Kimberley Selwood Jewellery (@kimberleyselwood) on

Filming is expected to start in Hawaii around June 5th, and wrap July 15th – so hold on to your butts, we’re on the final stretch! Until then, we can stare at the logo from the wrap party above, and hope to god ‘Jurassic World 2’ isn’t the final title. Our bet is they will go less in the direction of Jurassic Park 3, and more in the direction of The Lost World when naming the highly anticipated sequel.

Stay tuned – more news and official images are sure to drop in the future! Until then, sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think!

New Photos Show Jurassic World 2 Filming at Airfield

Posted on by Jack

The sequel to Jurassic World is now more than half way through filming in various locations across the UK and while we have been careful with what set photos we share, Air First Ltd have shared some stills that show the cast and crew filming at an airfield.

As usual we will provide a friendly spoiler warning – if you don’t want to know anything about the movie then turn away now, but rest assured the photos are not huge spoilers.

Luckily the movies always include some form of air travel, be it aeroplanes or helicopters, so the below confirms nothing new.

   

While we don’t know the context of the scene being filmed, it would appear as though a group of characters are being filmed boarding one of the planes. Notice the light and large flag that’s being used to reduce the sun hitting the walkway leading up to the plane.

The Facebook post itself states that the people seen sitting around the table are actually stunt doubles and if that is the case then they are the doubles for Daniella Pineda, Justice Smith and the man standing could be Chris Pratt’s double.

There’s always something happening at Airfirst! … Blackbushe at a standstill as the film crew takeover to shoot for ‘Jurassic World 2’ today … the stunt double team relaxing at Christabelle’s tables … FPSA, RAAM and BIJV ‘disguised’ as N Reg aircraft at an ‘American’ (Blackbushe!) airfield. Great weather but restricted flying this week!

What do you make of this news? Where could that plane be heading? Do let us know in the comments section below and be sure to check out our latest podcast where we celebrate The Lost World’s 20th Anniversary and discuss (as you’d expect) Jurassic World 2!

Source: AirFirst

The Lost World: Jurassic Park turns 20!

Posted on by Jack

Everybody’s favourite sequel to Jurassic Park has turned twenty! 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released in theaters exactly twenty years ago today, four years after Jurassic Park. The sequel was directed by Steven Spielberg and penned by David Koepp, and was loosely based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same name.

Over the years the sequel has gained some critical reviews, mainly focusing on how different it is to the book and due to the final scene, which brought the Tyrannosaurus Rex to the mainland. However, there is also a lot of love for it. For me it’s as enjoyable and thrilling as Jurassic Park; I love how distinctively different the aesthetic is to the first film, how gritty, dirty and dark the cinematography is compared to Dean Cundey’s, but how the film managed to retain the same themes and values from the first.

In a way, it’s a perfect sequel – it holds the beliefs of the original and maintains a familiar setting, but builds a darker and scarier tone.

The animatronics, the visual effects, the characters, the vehicles, the Goldblum, the lighting… everything about this movie is Jurassic Park.

What will you be doing to celebrate The Lost World’s 20th anniversary? If you’re in the UK and near to London, the Prince Charles Cinema is showing the first two films back to back in a 35mm print – this is worth checking out! There is also a screening of the first three films at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary, animation director Randal M. Dutra recently spoke with vfxblog about his work on the film, and reflected on the early days of visual effects within the film industry.

Randal worked for Tippett Studio on Jurassic Park and was heavily involved in the stop-motion technology that Phil Tippett pioneered. After the success of Jurassic Park he moved to ILM as an Animation Director, and discusses his work on the film in detail. Worth the read! Thanks to Ian for sending this our way.

Let us know if and why you love this sequel in the comments section below – just follow the screams.