Category: Rumor

More Jurassic Park at Universal Orlando Updates Roar in as Roller Coaster Layout is Unearthed!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Just three days ago we covered some of the updates coming to Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure, pertaining to a new roller coaster and Jurassic World re-theme – now even more concrete details have surfaced, revealing the (current) layout of the ride!

First reported by WFTV News, and then covered in greater detail by Alicia Stella at Orlando Park Stop, we have a great idea of what changes are coming to the Florida park. The layout was obtained by both parties by looking into permits filed for the demolition and construction activities planned for the park – take at look at the layout reconstructed by Orlando Park Stop in the image below!

Image courtesy of Orlando Park Stop

The ride, as proposed, is a high-thrills multi-launch roller coaster which begins its queue down in front of the Discovery Center by the waterfront. Not much is know about it, other than theming will be kept to a minimum (more Incredible Hulk, less Expedition Everest) and will be Velociraptor themed – reportedly letting riders “be a raptor” as they escape from their paddock. Velociraptor’s are known for their speed, and this ride will be no different as it’s rumored to be the fastest multi-launch roller coaster eclipsing 73 mph.

As shown in the track layout, there will be a small show scene at the opening of the ride, which reportedly features a Raptor paddock. While it’s unknown if it will be themed off of the iconic paddock from Jurassic Park, or the one from World, most signs point to the latter. In all likelihood, this scene and ride is based upon Jurassic World when the Velociraptors are released from their enclosure to hunt for the Indominus Rex (“Hunt for the Indominus Rex” would make a great ride name now that I think about it).

Construction is expected to take about 1 and 1/2 years, gearing for a mid 2020 or early 2021 opening at the latest.

The majority of the ride will takeover the abandoned Triceratops Encounter plot of land, but will effect numerous other smaller attractions in the area, leading to some relocation. In my last article I talked about why I’m not exactly thrilled about this coaster (which sounds like a lot of fun to be fair), as I’d rather have an authentic and well themed addition to Jurassic Park which really transports me to that prehistoric island. However, I remain hopeful that Universal Creative will keep innovating, and perhaps add more show scenes and theming to this ride before it’s locked in.

Jurassic is Universal’s biggest brand, and it’s overflowing with imagination including inspiring adventure, iconic movie scenes, beautiful locales, and incredible dinosaurs to bring to life – the area could easily rival the Wizarding World, Avatar Land, and Star Wars Land if they really allow it to grow and thrive.

As for the rumored Jurassic World re-theme, it’s almost assuredly coming, although this coaster may open prior. However, as reported by Midway Mayhem, the construction walls are sporting the colder and modern Jurassic World themed key art as opposed to the brighter more safari themed Park aesthetic.

Whatever the future may hold, one thing is for certain: Jurassic Park at Orlando Florida is evolving, and something new will be hatching soon. Be sure to sound off in the comments below, and as always, stay tuned for the latest news!

Source: WFTV News, Orlando Park Stop


Preparation Begins for New Roller Coaster and Rumored Jurassic World Overhaul at Islands of Adventure Florida

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Hold on to your butts, big changes are coming.

Jurassic Park is a staple of blockbuster filmmaking, awing and inspiring audiences of all ages across the world to this day – not to mention its huge impact in 1993, redefining what can be achieved with visual effects and paving the way for CG to become commonplace in today’s movies. Jurassic Park’s impact is long lasting, and wide reaching – but its name is soon to just be a distant memory, as Jurassic World roars in as the new permanent franchise moniker.

While it’s yet to be officially confirmed, the rumor mill has long pointed to Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure for an upcoming Jurassic World retheme. Reportedly, Universal Parks teetered back and forth on the idea, considering Jurassic World for their upcoming ‘fourth gate’ in Orlando and saving Jurassic Park at IOA. However, Universal has apparently opted NOT to include Jurassic in any capacity within the upcoming new park (barring major last minute changes) and will put their focus on Islands of Adventure for everyone’s dinosaur needs.

This equates a re-theme to Jurassic World – and is backed by new trademarks for ‘Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous‘, the suspected ‘Camp Jurassic‘ rebrand.

Objectively, a ‘Jurassic World’ rebrand isn’t a bad thing (although I find the more adventure infused safari resort look of Park to be more unique, compared to World which reflects Universal’s City Walk) – it makes sense, as it’s the name the current film saga and merchandising all share. While Jurassic Park certainly isn’t unfamiliar to younger fans, World is the more relevant brand identifier at this time. In fact, Universal Studios Beijing is doing some incredible things with the Jurassic World branding – building a replica of Main Street, the Innovation Center, Aviary, and heavily themed innovative roller coaster that will cut through Jurassic themed mountainsides – check out the artwork below!

However, the plans for Islands of Adventure are far more limited – primarily due to the Jurassic Park land being blocked in by the new Harry Potter and Kong sections, both of which took expansion plots originally planned for Jurassic. This limited space has created the inability to create all new Jurassic attractions at the scale of other headlining properties, like those seen within the Wizarding World rides. As such, the roller coaster coming to Islands of Adventure (which has yet to be officially announced) is reportedly not a heavily themed coaster, simply putting the focus on thrills over an authentic dinosaur filled movie based experience.

In fact, you can learn a lot more about the upcoming coaster from theme park enthusiast Alicia Stella within this video!

While that video is a few months old, the information is believed to be accurate – and now work within the park corroborates it, albeit circumstantially.

Essentially, we’re looking at a steel coaster with numerous tight twists and turns to make use of the smaller area it can expand across. Its starting location will see the coaster launching and intersecting itself numerous times before it shoots out in front of the Discover Center, over the lagoon and then eventually loops back again. While the track layout is far more complex, the rough surface area can be observed here:

As stated earlier, the upcoming coasters theming is rumored to be minimal to nonexistent – which is too bad, as it was originally concepted as a coaster that would traverse through mountainsides, with the insides themed to amber mines. That idea could easily be applied to Fallen Kingdom’s volcanic disaster theme, taking inspiration from Disney’s Expedition Everest ride, all while using the current track layout as we’ve roughed together in this mock-up down below:

While these new changes coming to Jurassic Park are exciting as the area itself is in desperate need of a modern makeover and new attractions, it’s hard not to be a little bit disappointed by what’s been reported. I can travel to any park and experience a great roller coaster – but the Universal Parks are the only place that can truly offer a chance to step inside the diverse an exciting Jurassic World, and bring dinosaur thrills to life within state of the art rides, making us believe those animals are alive once again – and ready to eat us if we’re not careful.

If there was room for further expansion, I’d more accepting of a thrill coaster with minimal theming coming to Jurassic – but fans of all ages who love the films, or simply want a authentic adventure alongside prehistoric flora and fauna are sure to be left wanting more if the plans carry forward as is. Fingers crossed this coaster surprises, and infuses itself the state of the art dark ride elements for the ultimate Jurassic experience.

Be sure to stay tuned for all the latest Jurassic news, and as always, sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think about the changes coming to Islands of Adventure!


Legendary Entertainment May Not Be Involved with Jurassic World 3

Posted on by Josh Evans

Legendary Entertainment is leaving Universal Pictures faster than Arcadia left Isla Nublar in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. In 2013 Legendary signed a 5 year co-financing contract with Universal, and while that deal technically doesn’t end until December 31st of this year, Legendary is set to re-join their former distribution partner Warner Brothers.

Universal had long been expected not to renew the contact with Legendary and today’s development is further proof of that. The Detective Pikachu film that is being created by Legendary was set to be marketed and distributed worldwide by Universal in 2019, but will now shift to Warner Brothers with the expiring deal. It is also likely that Legendary will no longer be involved with the Jurassic World films and likely will not be attached to 2021’s Jurassic World 3 (not it’s final title). It has not been officially confirmed yet, but it is most likely the case with the expiring deal.

“The Universal-Legendary relationship had sputtered over the past year, culminating with Legendary’s Dwayne Johnson starrer Skyscraper, which sources say will ultimately be a money loser. Legendary also has put up large chunks of the budget for most of the films in Universal’s slate over the past four years, including summer hit Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which has earned $1.2 billion to date. Legendary has a stake in BlacKkKlansman, a film from Universal’s Focus Features label. That would mark its final film with Universal.”

During the deal with Legendary, the studio helped finance portions of the budgets for 2015’s Jurassic World and this year’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Jurassic World exploded at the box office with $1.671 billion and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is currently at $1.204 billion, and that number continues to grow daily. Unadjusted for inflation, the Jurassic World films are the biggest films that Legendary has even been attached to.

Legendary is currently heavily pushing their “MonsterVerse” which features iconic cinematic creatures such as King Kong and Godzilla. But even the first two installments, 2014’s Godzilla and 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, combined worldwide ($1.095 billion) is less than what either Jurassic World or Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom did on their own. Granted though, both MonsterVerse movies are box office successes and made a profit, just not to the massive levels of the Jurassic films.

But even with Legendary helping to cover the costs of those films, things were not always sunny between the two studios. It had been reported that Universal had become annoyed with Legendary, specifically with former chairman and CEO Thomas Tull, who tried to take more credit for the success of Jurassic World than they had earned. Legendary only helped co-finance the Jurassic films and had no creative input on the films themselves or their marketing.

Several sources say there has been strain, in part because Tull kicked off the deal in 2014 with a couple of clunkers that he put through Universal’s distribution system and then upset some at the studio who feel he has indulged a bad habit of wrapping himself in credit for hits that he merely helped finance. In this case, the film at issue was the biggest movie of the year to date, Jurassic World.

Jurassic World 3 appears like it will be the first film in the Jurassic World trilogy that will not have the help of co-financing from Legendary, but that is nothing to be worried about for the film itself. Universal might cover the costs of the film themselves or may even partner up with another small studio for co-financing on the project. But as of right now only Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment are attached to the final film in the new trilogy.

With Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom joining the rare billion dollar club, it is likely Universal will spare no expense on the budget and marketing costs for Jurassic World 3. With rumors of more of the classic Jurassic cast returning for the next installment, it wouldn’t be surprising if the budget approached or crossed $200 million. Jurassic World 3, which will be released on June 11, 2021 will be directed by Colin Trevorrow who is also writing the screenplay with franchise newcomer Emily Carmichael.

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below and on our forums.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Colin Trevorrow Teases a Jurassic Sized Reunion For Jurassic World 3

Posted on by Corey Anderson

If there is one thing the Jurassic franchise has drilled into our skulls, it’s that “life finds a way.” In 2021, Jurassic World 3 might just find a way to bring new life to some of our old favorite characters. In a recent interview with MTV, Colin Trevorrow hinted at a return of some classic characters like Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler.

Trevorrow spoke a little about the return of Ian Malcolm in Fallen Kingdom, saying “We felt like this was [Ian] Malcolm’s return, this was his moment…let him have his moment.” He followed up with some comments on whether or not we would see appearance from other classic characters, explaining “I feel that way about everyone, especially Laura [Dern] in that she never got to have her own movie. That, I identified as being something that’s important. And this moment with Goldblum, because he had this very clear set of ethical questions that he was able to pose for everybody, we just wanted to put the spotlight on him [Goldblum].”

It seems pretty clear that Trevorrow has strong feelings about the old characters, Dr. Sattler especially. When MTV asked him if he thought it would be unfair to fans if the original characters did not make some sort of return, he simply stated “I totally agree with that. I would feel robbed too, yeah.” With Jurassic World 3 still three years away, that is probably about as clear of a confirmation as we’re going to get. The video of the full interview can be seen below.

While Dr. Sattler and Dr. Grant seem to be at the top of every fan’s list for a return to the franchise, another classic character has been popping up in the spotlight in some Jurassic circles. Ariana Richards, who played Lex Murphy in the original Jurassic Park, has been making the rounds lately. Richards attended the Hollywood premiere of Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on June 12, 2018. She also was spotted raptor wrangling with the Blue animatronic and riding the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. At this point, all we can do is speculate as to whether this is just coincidence, promotion for Fallen Kingdom, or a hint at the return of Lex Murphy. Richards, now 38, has a thriving art business so only time will tell if a return to the big screen is in the cards for her.

What role do you think Lex could play in the world as it was left at the end of Fallen Kingdom? What other characters would you like to see return to Jurassic World 3? As always, sound off in the comments below.

Source: MTV, Twitter, 

RUMOUR: Orlando to Break Ground on New Jurassic Park Ride?

Posted on by Alex Evans

You might be forgiven if you forgot that Universal has a theme park in Orlando, especially with the announcement of a re-theme in their Hollywood Park, a parade debut in Japan and rumours of a Jurassic World section in Beijing. But the largest and most complete Jurassic Park ride has resided at Universal’s Islands of Adventure since 1999 and if rumours are to be believed, it’s finally getting a much needed upgrade!

With the spotlight elsewhere, Universal discretely filed a demolition permit for a 9,100 Square Foot area in the park earlier this month. This could easily be mistaken for the new ‘Harry Potter’ ride, but demolition and construction are already well underway at the site of the former ‘Dragon Challenge’ attraction, which was listed as Project 942. The new permit is listed as Project 741, a distinctly older number. Sources inside the park have hinted that area to be cleared is the former Triceratops Encounter/Discovery Trail, which closed in 2005, but was temporarily reopened in 2011 and 12 as an overflow attraction during the debut of ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’. The size of the area certainly matches to that reported in the permit.

This is not the first time that Universal has filed for permits to modify the Jurassic Park area, though disappointingly those turned out to only be small changes; Carnival style booths in part of the River Adventure’s extended queue, and the Raptor Encounter in the exit to the Triceratops Encounter. Given the scale of the area, is certainly looks as though Universal is finally pushing forward with a new attraction, especially given that the former attraction has previously sat dormant for over 15 years.

At this time we can only speculate what the new attraction will be. Whispers from insiders are hinting at a coaster, perhaps in the style of Japan’s ‘Flying Dinosaur’ though at this early stage all bets are off. Prior to the park’s opening, attractions known as ‘Jeep safari’ and ‘Helicoptours’ were planned for the Jurassic Park area though were eventually written off due to budget constraints. The patches of land reserved for these attractions have since been filled by other IPs but perhaps one of them could have a resurgence on this new plot.

Demolition is set to begin on June 1st with a reported cost of $300,000. Keep your eyes peeled for more info then!

Report: Cinematographer John Schwartzman returning for Jurassic World 3

Posted on by Josh Evans

The website Omega Underground is reporting that Jurassic World Cinematographer John Schwartzman is returning in the same role for Jurassic World 3.

With J.A. Bayona directing the second film in the new trilogy, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, he brought along Oscar Faura to be his cinematographer. But for the final film in the new trilogy, Colin Trevorrow is returning to the director’s chair and it makes sense he would turn back to someone he has prior experience with.

In addition to Jurassic World, Schwartzman has worked on numerous other films including Saving Mr. Banks, Armageddon, The Book of Henry and Seabiscuit, which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Jurassic World 3 is slated to hit theaters on June 11, 2021.

Thank you to Matt for the heads up on this report.

Source: Omega Underground

UK Cinemas List ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ with Running Time of 2 Hours and 8 Minutes

Posted on by Jack

Has the running time of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ been revealed?

Just yesterday ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom‘ was rated the PG-13 for “intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril” by the MPAA. To receive its rating by the MPAA, this means the film has achieved picture lock, and its running time is mostly set.

In conjunction with the US rating of the film, some UK cinemas have updated their pages for Fallen Kingdom, listing a running time: 128 minutes.

While some theater chains put placeholder run times on their film pages, the fact that this is listed the same on multiple chains adds credence that it’s been supplied by Universal Pictures. If rumors of ticket pre-sales starting soon are true this means theater chains have been given the run time so they can appropriately choose time slots for the film.

According to Curzon Cinemas, they will begin selling tickets for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom on Wednesday the 18th April and along with the movie’s page on their website comes a running time, which could very well be real. However, at this time the news itself remains unconfirmed, and should be treated as a rumor until officially corroborated.

Further, this running time is very consistent with other films in the franchise (other than the disappointingly short third film). Jurassic Park’s running time is 127 minutes, The Lost World’s 129 minutes, Jurassic Park 3’s 94 minutes, Jurassic World is 124 minutes, and according to both Curzon Cinemas and Showcase Cinemas, the official running time for Fallen Kingdom is 128 minutes – 2 hours and 8 minutes.

A minute longer than the first Jurassic but likely filled with heaps more dinosaur action, Fallen Kingdom releases in less than 70 days. Stay tuned, the third trailer will be attached to Avengers: Infinity War and debut online even sooner, prior to ticket pre-sales!

Source: Showcase Cinemas, Curzon Cinemas

Rumor: ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Tickets on Sale April 23rd; New Footage with The Walking Dead?

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Anybody hear that? It’s a uhh… it’s an impact tremor, that’s what it is.

With less than two months to go until Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom releases in theaters, the marketing campaign is expected to roar to life any day now. The third and likely ‘final’ trailer has been rated, and is expected to drop some time this month, perhaps even in a few days! As is common, the tickets are expected to go on sale in conjunction with trailer (though not necessarily on the same date).

According to Norwegian theater chain, Gjøvik Cinemas, that date is April 23rd, 2018.

While the posting is official, we’re treating the news as a rumor for now until it’s officially corroborated by Universal, other theater chains, or otherwise. However, the date entirely makes sense give the current speculation regarding the release date of the next trailer.

This Sunday April 15th, the season finale of The Walking Dead premieres on AMC. The shows finale episodes are typically a huge TV event, attracting large audiences, and exclusive mainstream ads. On March 29th 2015, the following 30 second TV spot hit with the Walking Dead’s season finale, just under a month prior to the final ‘global’ trailer:

While there is no evidence to corroborate this, the current speculation is that a similar new TV Spot will debut this Sunday for Fallen Kingdom, with the full trailer potentially hitting online shortly after. The Final Trailer for Jurassic World released April 20th, with the tickets going on sale May 11th – assuming tickets do go on sale April 23rd, these timelines align in a moderately similar fashion, albeit less of a wait this time around.

Considering the huge box office success of Jurassic World, tickets sales starting earlier is logical, as theaters will be eager to see a repeat of that success by locking in fans as soon as possible. We’re pumped to see more from the movie, and once tickets go on sale, it’s likely other ad forms will be released, such as new theatrical posters! Whether or not the trailer releases the 15th, 23rd, or another date altogether one thing is almost certain: it will be released before April is over.

Are you excited for a new Fallen Kingdom trailer, and do you know where you plan to reserve tickets once they go on sale? Sound off, and as always, stay tuned for the latest news!

Source: Gjøvik Kino