Production of the 2015 film Jurassic World was stalled for years in development hell while the film's storyline underwent numerous revisions. [1] [2] [3] [4] Development of the film, known then as Jurassic Park IV, began in 2001. William Monahan was announced as screenwriter in 2002, and the film was scheduled for a 2005 release. When Monahan left to work on another project, he was replaced in 2004 by John Sayles. By 2005, the start of production had stalled, as executive producer Steven Spielberg was not satisfied with any of the script drafts. In 2006, Jurassic Park III director Joe Johnston was set to direct the film. After missing a 2008 release, Johnston and Spielberg intended to work on the film following the completion of their own respective film projects. Writer Mark Protosevich was hired in 2011, although two story treatments by him were rejected.
Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver were hired in 2012 to write a draft of Jurassic Park IV that would incorporate ideas from Spielberg. Colin Trevorrow was hired as director in 2013, and the film was delayed once more, giving Trevorrow and his writing partner Derek Connolly more time to perfect the script by Jaffa and Silver. Spielberg approved the script in September 2013, and a name change to Jurassic World was announced that month. Filming occurred from April 10 to August 5, 2014, in Hawaii and Louisiana. Jurassic World was completed on May 10, 2015, [5] and was theatrically released the following month. [6]
In March 2001, Jurassic Park III director Joe Johnston said he and executive producer Steven Spielberg had discussed a story idea for a fourth Jurassic Park film. Johnston was not interested in directing the next installment, [7] although Spielberg would return as producer. [8] It was revealed in 2022 that Spielberg's initial idea for Jurassic Park IV involved an intelligent dinosaur-human hybrid which escapes from a laboratory and rampages through a city, further exploring the concept of genetic manipulation and its effects. [9] Spielberg believed that the idea, devised late in Jurassic Park III's production, should have been used for the third film. He considered it the best story idea since the first Jurassic Park. [10]
Development of further ideas was underway by May 2001. [8] A month later, Johnston announced he would not direct the film and said that Spielberg's story idea would extend the Jurassic Park series' mythology. [11] Johnston said the film would feel like a departure from its predecessors, implying it would not be set on an island. [12] He also said the film would not involve the escaped Pteranodons from the ending of Jurassic Park III, then later hinted it would. [13] [14]
Actor Sam Neill, who portrayed Dr. Alan Grant in two previous films in the series, said he could not imagine a way for his character to be involved in another film. [15] Neill was contracted for three films; [16] other actors from Jurassic Park III were also contracted for a potential fourth film. [17] In April 2002, it was reported that the fourth Jurassic Park film would be the last in the series and that it would ignore events portrayed in its predecessor. [18] In June, Spielberg confirmed plans for a fourth film, which he hoped Johnston would direct. [10] By October 2002, Neill was being considered for a possible role in the film. [19] [20] The following month, William Monahan was announced as the screenwriter, with Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy as producers. Universal Pictures would be involved in the film's production. [21] [22] The film was scheduled for a mid-2005 release. [23]
In January 2003, Jeff Goldblum said he had been asked to stay available for a possible return of his character Dr. Ian Malcolm. [24] At the end of the month, it was reported the story would partially involve dinosaurs migrating to the Costa Rican mainland. A team of experts, including Grant and Malcolm, would chart an expedition to an offshore island and discover the dinosaurs breeding freely. Part of the plot would involve the characters devising a way to restrict the spread of the dinosaurs and prevent an ecological disaster. [25] [26] Early concept art also depicted genetically engineered human-dinosaur mercenaries, [27] [28] [29] viewed by the filmmakers as a necessary evolution of the franchise. [30]
Stan Winston's special effects studio, which worked on the previous films, was in the design phase for the film as of April 2003. Winston intended for the special effects to be more advanced than in the previous films, for instance by creating animatronics of Velociraptors with internal motors, providing better control and movement. Winston said Spielberg wanted to adapt several unfilmed scenes from Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park novel and its sequel The Lost World . [31] By July 2003, Keira Knightley was in consideration for two roles, including a small part as a granddaughter. [32] Monahan's first draft of the script was finished later that month; the story was not set in a jungle, as in previous films. [33] Filming was set to begin in 2004 in California and Hawaii. Neill confirmed that he would return, [34] and Richard Attenborough said he would reprise his role as John Hammond. [35]
In October 2003, paleontologist Jack Horner said he would return as technical adviser for the fourth film, and hinted that it would have a focus on Velociraptors. [36] He was also asked about a hypothetical idea of humans evolving from dinosaurs rather than mammals; Horner responded, "Keep thinking about that, and in a couple of years go see Jurassic Park 4". [37] In March 2004, Johnston said he had not been asked to direct the film and hoped Spielberg would direct it. Johnston said a story was being written that would take the series in a completely different direction "away from the island and away from the T. rex and all this". [38] A month later, script doctors were being sought to work on the story, which involved dinosaurs being trained by the government to carry and use weapons in battles. [39] As of May 2004, screenwriter John Sayles was writing the script, [40] after being hired to finish Monahan's earlier work. Monahan had left the project to focus on Kingdom of Heaven , and later said of his work on Jurassic Park IV, "I wrote it really funny. The kids in it were like the ones in Willy Wonka ." [41]
Sayles wrote two drafts for the film. [42] In his first draft, Isla Nublar and InGen have been taken over by Grendel Corporation, a holdings company. Creatures from the island, including Pteranodons, have begun attacking people on the mainland of Central and North America. The script featured a brief return to Isla Nublar and focused on a mercenary named Nick Harris, a new character sent by Hammond to the island to retrieve a canister of dinosaur DNA that was lost during the events of the first film. With the DNA, Hammond intends to have his scientists create a new group of infertile dinosaurs that can kill the extant ones. Harris retrieves the canister but is kidnapped and taken to Grendel's headquarters in the Swiss Alps. There, he is persuaded to help the company train a team of genetically modified Deinonychus and two Dilophosaurus for use on rescue missions and to combat drug dealers. The dinosaurs would be equipped with body armor and would use their teeth and claws as weapons. The Deinonychus would be hybrids, containing human DNA for intelligence and dog DNA for obedience. The script focused mostly on the efforts of Harris and a team of experts as they train the dinosaurs. Hammond would be the only returning character in this draft. [43] [44] [45] The concept of a human who trains raptors came from Spielberg. [46]
By June 2004, Frank Marshall had joined the project as a producer, [47] while Alex Proyas was in discussions to direct, with filming expected to begin in nine months for a late-2005 release. Filming would begin at Pinewood Studios, where a massive tank was to be constructed for scenes involving marine reptiles. [48] [49] In July 2004, the script was being rewritten. Jeremy Piven and Emmy Rossum were being considered for two of the lead roles, [50] and Glen Powell auditioned as well. [51] Later in July, Proyas said he was not interested in directing the film. [52] In August 2004, Drew McWeeny of Ain't It Cool News published a review of Sayles's initial draft, calling it "well-written and inventive" but "bugfuck crazy". [43] [53] [54] Sayles later confirmed this as an early draft, intercepted through Spielberg's email by a hacker. [55] Sayles was still rewriting the script in September 2004, with the film on track for a late-2005 release. [56]
In April 2005, Winston confirmed the film was on hold because of repeated revisions to the script, none of which satisfied Spielberg. According to Winston: "He felt neither of [the drafts] balanced the science and adventure elements effectively ... too much science will make the movie too talky, but too much adventure will make it seem hollow". [57] Progress stalled during 2005, as Marshall and Spielberg were busy with other film projects. [58] In January 2006, Johnston and Horner were working on a new story. [59] A month later, Marshall said the project had a script and would begin filming in 2007 for release the following year. [60] [61] He later said that only a story idea existed and that a new script had not yet been written. [62] [63] Work on the project was expected to begin following the completion of a fourth Indiana Jones film by Spielberg and Marshall. [64]
Spielberg said in July 2006 that Johnston would direct Jurassic Park IV. [65] At the end of the year, Laura Dern said she was open to reprising her role as Ellie Sattler but had not been contacted about appearing in the film. [66] A few months later, Neill said he knew nothing about the project. [67] By April 2007, Dern had been asked to reprise her role, with filming expected to begin that year for release in 2008. [68] By that time, Johnston no longer planned to direct the film. [69] A Writers Guild of America strike began in November 2007, and Marshall said that further work on the script would begin once the strike reached a resolution, with filming potentially starting in 2008 for a release in mid-2009. [70] Horner's 2009 book, How to Build a Dinosaur , was originally planned for release alongside the film as a scientific companion volume. [71]
During 2008, Attenborough and Goldblum expressed interest in reprising their roles, [72] [73] [74] although Attenborough suffered a fall at his home later that year and subsequently retired from acting. [75] In addition, Crichton died at the end of 2008, and Kennedy said: "I sorta felt maybe that's it. Maybe that's a sign that we don't mess with it". [76] Marshall said six months later that the film had no story and was a long shot. [77]
In a 2008 interview, published a year later, Johnston discussed the possibility of Jurassic Park IV, saying that its story was completely different from its predecessors and would not be set on an island. Johnston also said the film would take the series into a second Jurassic Park trilogy. [78] In early 2010, he reiterated that the film would mark the beginning of a new trilogy. [79] [80] [81] Johnston said the film would feature new characters and a new story, with no dinosaur theme park and no relation to the Monahan/Sayles script. Johnston hoped to further develop Jurassic Park IV with Spielberg after they finished other projects, including Johnston's 2011 film, Captain America: The First Avenger . [81]
To accompany the relaunch of the Jurassic Park franchise, Spielberg wanted to release a sequel to the 1998 game Trespasser . He contacted Seamus Blackley, who oversaw the original game, to work on the sequel. Blackley's proposed game was titled Jurassic World. It would involve dinosaurs escaping from InGen's islands and reaching civilization. [82] A pitch trailer was created in 2011, depicting loose pterosaurs attacking a surfer. [83] [84] Although Spielberg liked the idea, the game was canceled following a management change at Universal, and Blackley sent the art assets to Marshall. [82] [85]
By June 2011, Spielberg had met twice with writer Mark Protosevich to work on a story for a potential fourth Jurassic Park film. [86] In July, Johnston said he was in discussions about the film, which was still planned as the start of a new trilogy. [87] Later that month, Spielberg confirmed that a writer was working on a treatment for the film, which he said might be released within two or three years. [88] Universal hoped to have the film out in 2013. [89] Spielberg initially said that the film's planned story was stronger than that of Jurassic Park III. [90] Protosevich wrote two treatments for the film, but neither were accepted. [91] Spielberg and Kennedy determined that the project did not have an adequate story, [92] and ideas were still being discussed toward the end of 2011. [93] Writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver were hired in June 2012 to script Jurassic Park IV. [94] Spielberg had been impressed by their 2011 film Rise of the Planet of the Apes . [95]
Universal announced in January 2013 that the film would be released on June 13, 2014. [96] A month after the announcement, it was confirmed that Kennedy would no longer produce the film, instead focusing on the Star Wars sequel trilogy. [97] Marshall remained as a producer, [98] with Louisiana as a possible filming location. [99]
Brad Bird wanted to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens , and he suggested to Kennedy that she temporarily employ Colin Trevorrow as a stand-in for him during the film's pre-production. Under this proposal, Bird would take over the Star Wars project upon completion of his film Tomorrowland . Bird's idea prompted Kennedy and her husband, Marshall, to watch Trevorrow's 2012 film Safety Not Guaranteed , which they found impressive. [100] Marshall subsequently had Spielberg watch the film, convincing him that Trevorrow could be an adequate choice to direct Jurassic Park IV. [101] At the end of February 2013, [102] Marshall arranged a meeting between himself, Trevorrow and Spielberg. [100] Marshall said he and Spielberg realized that Trevorrow "was deeply steeped in Jurassic Park and would bring that sense of childlike wonder to the film". [101] Trevorrow was subsequently hired without reading Jaffa and Silver's script, which was still being written. [103] [104]
Universal announced Trevorrow as director in March 2013, [105] [106] and Patrick Crowley as a producer alongside Marshall. [107] A year had been spent searching for a director. [102] Spielberg, Marshall, and Kennedy had previously considered Juan Antonio Bayona, but he declined because he felt there was not enough time for production. [108] [109] Trevorrow's only prior experience in directing a major film project was the low-budget Safety Not Guaranteed. [110] [111] [112] Despite Trevorrow's lack of experience on such a large film project, Crowley said "from the beginning he exhibited real characteristics of leadership and had that inherent decisiveness required. His comments and observations were wise, certainly far beyond his experience and years, and it was clear early on that he had what it takes". [101]
After reading Jaffa and Silver's draft, Trevorrow insisted on completely rewriting the script with writing partner Derek Connolly, who had never seen any of the Jurassic Park films prior to that point. [113] [114] Trevorrow had told the filmmakers, "if I direct this screenplay, it's going to be a bad movie. I'm gonna do a bad job, because I just don't get it". [104] Trevorrow and Connolly wrote their own draft of the script over a couple of weeks. [103] Universal received the draft on May 6, 2013, and found the changes more large-scale than anticipated. [115] Two days later, the studio delayed the film to an unspecified date. [116] [117] Filming had been set to begin seven weeks later. [115] The delay allowed Trevorrow and Connolly more time to work on the script, [118] as Spielberg felt that it needed improvement. [113] Another reason for the delay was to allow time for the construction of practical sets for the film's fictional theme park; it was previously intended to add in these buildings using computer effects. [103]
Location scouting was underway in May 2013, with Trevorrow suggesting that the film would return to the Hawaiian island of Kauai, which stood in for Isla Nublar in the original film. [119] Neill said it was unlikely he would be a part of the film: "I'm told it's a big reboot, a total re-jig". [120] Trevorrow eventually stated that "reboot is a strong word. This is a new sci-fi terror adventure set 22 years after the horrific events of Jurassic Park". [121] In June 2013, a new release date of 2015 was announced, [122] and it was reported that the film would revolve around a fully functional dinosaur theme park. [123] In August, Legendary Pictures was considering co-financing the film with Universal. [124]
In September 2013, Universal announced the film's new title, Jurassic World, and set its release for June 12, 2015. [125] Trevorrow chose to rename the film from its previous title, Jurassic Park IV, to differentiate it from the earlier films in the series. [126] He also said that within the story, "if you named a theme park 'Jurassic Park' after the disaster that had happened it would be a horrible PR mistake". [127] New Orleans was announced as a filming location in February 2014. [128] By that time, Legendary Pictures had agreed to co-finance the film, [129] and provided about 20% of the budget. [130] China Film Group has been reported as also having financed the film. [131] Thomas Tull of Legendary Pictures served as executive producer with Spielberg. [132]
Spielberg had three ideas he wanted Jaffa and Silver to incorporate into the script; a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, a human who has a relationship with trained raptors (from Sayles's earlier draft), and a human-eating dinosaur that escapes and has to be stopped. [5] [133] [114] Spielberg also wanted the story to involve children. [110] Jaffa and Silver's draft, titled Jurassic Park IV, [103] [114] included an early scene set in China, [98] where the fossilized remains of a new dinosaur species are discovered by a Chinese paleontologist. In the draft, the remains are stolen by a corporation with malicious intentions, leading the paleontologist and her two sons to visit Jurassic Park. [134] [135] [5] Jaffa and Silver worked on the script for approximately a year, with input from Spielberg. [136] The script also included an opening scene with the dinosaur handler and his raptor pack jumping out of a helicopter to perform a military raid of a drug dealer's compound, [137] an idea that was present in Sayles' earlier draft. [44] [45]
After the film was delayed in May 2013, Trevorrow and Connolly continued rewriting the script [118] and worked with Spielberg to perfect it. [113] Throughout the writing period, Trevorrow, Connolly and Spielberg met to discuss the film's story. [138] David Koepp also met with Trevorrow and Connolly to advise them on the script. [113] Koepp wrote the first two films, but declined an offer to write the fourth because he felt he had nothing left to contribute to the series. [139] [140] Trevorrow said perfecting the script was the hardest part because Jurassic Park films "don't fit into a specific genre. They're sci-fi adventures that also have to be funny, emotional and scary as hell. That takes a lot of construction, but it can't feel designed". [118]
To write the story, Trevorrow and Connolly discussed major news events that occurred in the past twenty years. Trevorrow said two main ideas emerged; the ill-advised pursuit of money leading to environmental disaster and the ubiquity of technology leading to ignorance and the taking for granted of scientific wonders. According to Trevorrow, "[w]e take so much for granted … we imagined a teenager texting his girlfriend with his back to a T-Rex behind protective glass. For us, that image captured the way much of the audience feels about the movies themselves. 'We've seen CG dinosaurs. What else you got?'" [141] The film features a large amount of product placement, including Samsung and Mercedes-Benz. [142] [143] Trevorrow said this was inspired by a quotation from Ian Malcolm in the first film: "You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could, and before you even knew what you had, you patented it, and packaged it, and slapped it on a plastic lunchbox, and now you wanna sell it". [144] Trevorrow also viewed Jurassic World as a story about film sequels, explaining: "Why would you make another sequel to one of these movies? It's a horrible mistake. Well, because there's a lot of money on the table. Why would you rebuild a park? We re-make our mistakes because somebody somewhere is going to make a lot of money". [145] Trevorrow believed that Crichton would have appreciated the film's thematic perspective on corporations. [146]
Trevorrow and Connolly retained Spielberg's three ideas, although Trevorrow felt the concept of trained raptors was, in its original form, too extreme and had to be "pulled way, way, way back". [103] [133] Trevorrow read most of the earlier drafts for the project, [147] starting a few months after he was hired. [46] He said each draft "tried to do something different" from the earlier films in the series. [5] Trevorrow called Sayles's initial draft "fascinating in a lot of ways. There were a lot of things I loved about it. It was properly bonkers. In a way, I aspired for our film, in its fearlessness and willingness, to go there". [46] Trevorrow further stated that he was "interested in what the Sayles script was trying to do because it was so daring. It was trying to set a tone for how far forward we needed to push". However, he felt that the previous scripts "took us too far forward with man's progressions with dinosaurs". [5] Owen's relationship with raptors was inspired by real-life relationships between humans and dangerous animals such as lions and alligators. [113] [148] In their first appearance in the film, the raptors are ordered not to eat a live pig in their enclosure; Trevorrow said that this "was as far as we should be able to go" with the concept of trained raptors. [113]
Trevorrow and Connolly did not want to include previous characters in the new film without a good reason for their return; they considered Dr. Henry Wu, the scientist responsible for recreating dinosaurs, a logical choice. [113] [118] In the first novel, Wu had a much larger role, which was trimmed down for the film adaptation. [113] [118] Trevorrow said that the characters Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm, and Ellie Sattler were not included in the script because "I respect those actors too much to shoehorn them into this story for my own sentimental reasons. Jurassic Park isn't about the bad luck of three people who keep getting thrown into the same situation. The only reason they'd go back to that island is if the screenwriters contrived a reason for them to go". [118] Trevorrow said viewers could feel nostalgia without having an actor reprise a role after so many years, which he believed "might make you feel old and remind you that you're on a slow march towards death, like the rest of us!" [113] An image of Malcolm does briefly appear twice in the film, shown on a fictional book written by the character. [149] [150] The park's visitor center also features a statue of Hammond, who died prior to the film's events. [149] [103]
According to Trevorrow, the film "isn't a sequel or a reboot or a remake, it's all of those things in a strange way". He did not wish to make a "carbon copy of Jurassic Park". [151] Jurassic World features various references to Jurassic Park, [149] [151] and is considered a direct sequel to the first film; Trevorrow stated that the events of the previous two films were not relevant to the new film's story because they take place on a different island, Isla Sorna. He also said the events depicted in the film's predecessors are still canon. [150] [152] [153]
Trevorrow's and Connolly's rewrite of the Jaffa/Silver script introduced various changes, including new characters. [135] Trevorrow wrote the characters Hoskins, Masrani, and Wu while Connolly wrote the children and female characters. [113] In Jaffa and Silver's draft, the main character, who would become Owen, actively supported the militarization of the raptors from the beginning of the story. Trevorrow said "if anyone's gonna militarize raptors that's what the bad guy does, he's insane". [154] Characters in the Jaffa/Silver draft included Vance and Whitney, who would later become Owen Grady and Claire Dearing in the Trevorrow/Connolly revision. Whitney would serve as an obstacle to Vance's plans, and would have a smaller role than that of Claire. Trevorrow felt that Whitney was the one character in the earlier script who "had the most room to grow". [137] [155] He chose the name "Claire", describing it as "hard on the surface but ultimately warm and loving", while Connolly chose the surname "Dearing". According to Trevorrow, Connolly "loves those Dickensian names that suggest a bit about the character, push the viewer in the direction the author wants them to go. She may seem sharp-edged at first, but ultimately she's very endearing". [156] Trevorrow's and Connolly's script redraft also changed the story so viewers would first see the theme park from the perspective of a child. [113] [101] Trevorrow said one of his goals was for the child characters of Zach and Gray to "not be annoying. And I think we pulled it off". [113] Gray was initially written as a child with autism, a trait that was removed from the final draft. [157]
Initially, the film's new dinosaur was known as Malusaurus. [158] [159] [160] In Jaffa's and Silver's draft, the new dinosaur - a non-existent species - was depicted as a real animal. Trevorrow made the dinosaur a genetically modified hybrid named Indominus rex to maintain consistency with earlier films in the series, which had incorporated the latest paleontological discoveries; he said, "I didn't wanna make up a new dinosaur and tell kids it was real". [102] Trevorrow said that the behavior of the Indominus rex was somewhat inspired by the 2013 film Blackfish , saying the dinosaur "is kind of out killing for sport because it grew up in captivity. It's sort of, like, if the black fish orca got loose and never knew its mother and has been fed from a crane". [161] Trevorrow said the idea of a hybrid dinosaur was "not tremendously different from [those in] the first film, by adding frog DNA. It's the next level". [113] In addition to the Indominus rex, the earlier draft by Trevorrow and Connolly also included a second hybrid dinosaur named Stegoceratops, which is bred using DNA from Stegosaurus and Triceratops. Trevorrow removed the animal from the final script after his son persuaded him that featuring multiple hybrids would not make the Indominus unique. [103] [162] Hybrid dinosaurs were previously introduced to the franchise through Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect, an unsuccessful toy line released by Kenner in 1998. [163]
Trevorrow and Connolly shortened the raptor hunt for the park's new, escaped dinosaur, which in the Jaffa/Silver draft occupied the second half of the film. [164] One scene, which was inspired by Crichton's novel The Lost World, involves Owen riding a motorcycle while his raptors race alongside him during their search for the Indominus. Spielberg had intended to include the scene as early as 2005, although his initial vision involved humans on motorcycles fleeing from raptors rather than cooperating with them. [165] [166] The Indominus's camouflage ability is also present in The Lost World, which features Carnotaurus with the same ability. [167]
Trevorrow suggested the idea of including a Mosasaurus as part of a theme-park feeding show in which park-goers would watch from bleachers as the animal leaps out of a lagoon and catches its prey: a shark hanging above the water. Spielberg suggested lowering the bleachers afterwards to give park guests a view of the creature in its aquatic habitat. [103] [148] The theme park's ball-shaped gyrosphere rides were another of Spielberg's ideas; [148] he approved Trevorrow's and Connolly's draft in September 2013. [168]
Prior to the production delay in May 2013, actors Bryce Dallas Howard, David Oyelowo and Garrett Hedlund had been considered for roles in the film. [125] Four months later, Howard was in early negotiations for a role, [169] and was cast by November 2013. [170] Within a couple weeks, Chris Pratt was in negotiations to play Owen. [171] [172] His casting was confirmed in January 2014, [173] before the release of Guardians of the Galaxy , which featured a breakout role for him as Star-Lord. [174] Trevorrow was impressed by Pratt's brief role in Zero Dark Thirty , [113] and later said "we had no idea he'd become as big a star as he has. I just cast a bunch of character actors, as all Jurassic Park movies have. And somehow we ended up with a movie star". [113] Other actors considered for the role included Josh Brolin, [175] [138] [176] and John Krasinski. [177] Trevorrow and Pratt described Owen as a combination of Grant and Malcolm. [178] [179] Although Pratt received top billing in the cast, Trevorrow stated that Howard's character Claire is the lead role. [138] [180]
Other prominent characters included Zach and Gray, portrayed by Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins. [113] Trevorrow wanted to cast Robinson after seeing his performance in The Kings of Summer . [101] Robinson and Simpkins had to perform a "scream test" as part of their audition. [113] Both were cast in October 2013. [181] [182] Other roles were cast in early 2014, with Vincent D'Onofrio, Irrfan Khan and Omar Sy among those joining the project. [183] [184] [185] Trevorrow had admired Sy's acting and wrote the character of Barry with him in mind for the role. [186] Trevorrow also said he cast actors such as Sy because they were well-known internationally, stating that "this is a global film and Jurassic Park doesn't belong to just America". [153] Jake Johnson, who previously starred in Trevorrow's Safety Not Guaranteed, was also cast in Jurassic World. [187] [188]
BD Wong's return as Wu was announced in March 2014, with Trevorrow saying that the character would have a more significant role than he did in the original film. [118] Wong is the only returning actor from any of the previous films. [147] A week before filming began, Judy Greer, Katie McGrath and Lauren Lapkus were announced as cast members, [189] followed a month later by Andy Buckley; [190] he and Greer portray the parents of Zach and Gray. [191]
Principal photography began on April 10, 2014, [192] at Hawaii's Honolulu Zoo. [193] The film was made under the working title Ebb Tide, which Spielberg chose before Trevorrow was hired. [194] [168] Spielberg did not visit the set, [108] [195] although he watched daily film footage at the end of each production day and sometimes advised Trevorrow on the filming of certain scenes. [113] [108]
In contrast to the prevalence of digital cinematography in the 2010s, cinematographer John Schwartzman used Panavision cameras with a combination of Kodak 35mm and 65mm film stocks. [113] [196] One of the 65mm cameras was previously used in the filming of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey . [168] The reason the filmmakers chose to shoot Jurassic World on film stock, in addition to both Spielberg and Schwartzman's personal preference for the format, was to match the visual aesthetic of the previous three film-shot Jurassic Park pictures, and because the film's exterior jungle scenes required a greater dynamic range of light than digital cameras could accommodate. [197] Most of Jurassic World was made on 35mm film and large exteriors in Hawaii were shot using 65mm film, [168] which was used for visual effect sequences and as location shots where the filmmakers wanted extra visual impact. [197]
The film is presented in a Univisium 2.00:1 aspect ratio, an intermediate ratio that falls between the two industry standard aspect ratios of 1.85:1 (flat) and 2.39:1 (scope). This was chosen because it allowed enough height for humans and dinosaurs to fit into the same frame without giving up a sense of scope, and closely matches the ratio of digital IMAX screens. [118] Schwartzman made extensive use of the Technocrane telescopic crane, which Crowley described as fitting for a thriller, "being able to march into people, to get in closer and closer, as they realize that there's something out there". Tracking shots, particularly those that would serve as reference to the visual effects team, used a Spydercam. [198]
Less than two months into filming, Trevorrow confirmed reports that the story involved a functioning dinosaur theme park and a hybrid dinosaur; he was disappointed these details could not be kept secret until the film's release. [141] [5] The Indominus rex was also known as Diabolus rex, a name Trevorrow devised to maintain secrecy on the project ahead of its release. [5]
Scroggins Aviation was hired to fabricate and build the blue Eurocopter EC130 T2 airframe body known as "JW001" in the film, [199] while 32TEN Studios created the park's automatic Jurassic World gates and various practical effects such as explosions. [200]
Filming lasted four weeks on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. [202] An elephant paddock at the Honolulu Zoo was used to portray Jurassic World's petting zoo. [201] Howard's son portrayed one of the children seen in the zoo. [203] [204] Filming in Hawaii was limited to three hours on some days because of torrential rain. [113] The 40-foot (12 m)-high Indominus paddock and the Gyrosphere departure platform were built at Oʻahu's Kualoa Ranch; both sets were left standing after production to become tourist attractions. [201]
Owen's motorcycle sequence with the raptors was filmed along a dirt road at Kualoa Ranch; computer-generated jungle foliage was added during post-production. [205] A Triumph Scrambler was used as Owen's motorcycle, and three were made for the film production. [206] [207] Pratt crashed while filming the sequence, resulting in minor injuries. [113] Other scenes shot at Kualoa Ranch included a mountainside helipad and the exterior of Owen's camper trailer. [193]
At the end of April 2014, interior footage was filmed at the Hawaii Convention Center, [201] used as the park's hotel lobby. [208] The film's ending, in which park guests are evacuated to an airplane hangar set up as a shelter, was filmed at the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor on Ford Island. [201] A Honolulu ferry, the Navatek I, was used to portray a Jurassic World ferry for park guests. [209] [201] Filming moved to Kauaʻi on May 15, and concluded there on June 6. [202] The Hawaii shoot lasted a total of 33 days. [193]
Jurassic World was also shot in Louisiana to take advantage of the state's tax incentives, making it the first film in the series not to be shot at studios in Los Angeles. [168] Filming was scheduled to remain in Louisiana for eleven weeks [210] beginning in June 2014 at the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans theme park, [211] [210] and continuing there for approximately two weeks. [194] [168] Jurassic World's Main Street and boardwalk, measuring 300 ft × 200 ft (91 m × 61 m), was constructed in the Six Flags parking lot, but the theme park itself was not used for filming, [194] [168] as it was too badly damaged from Hurricane Katrina. [193] While filming was underway in Hawaii, a crew of approximately 400 people worked to construct the boardwalk set. [193] [101] Approximately 800 extras were used to populate the Main Street set during filming. [101] One of Main Street's restaurants is named Winston's after Stan Winston, who died in 2008. [113]
Singer Jimmy Buffett, a friend of Marshall, has a brief, non-speaking cameo appearance during the film's pterosaur attack sequence. A Margaritaville restaurant, part of a chain owned by Buffett, was also constructed as part of Jurassic World's Main Street; it is destroyed during a battle between the T. rex and the Indominus. [212] Trevorrow based the pterosaur attack sequence on triptych paintings by Hieronymus Bosch that include details for their admirers to observe. Trevorrow said about the scene: "I wanted to be able to step back and look at these tableaus of chaotic action and allow people who watch the movie over and over again ... to always see a different story as you look specifically at different parts of the frame". [213]
The pterosaur sequence includes a scene in which Claire's assistant Zara (McGrath) is carried off by several Pteranodon before falling into the park's lagoon, where she is eaten by the Mosasaurus, [214] [215] [216] [217] marking the first female death in the series. [162] [218] Trevorrow wanted to make it "the most spectacular death we can possibly imagine", [162] while also wanting to surprise moviegoers, [214] [219] stating: "Let's have someone die who just doesn't deserve to die at all". [162] McGrath performed her own stunts for the scene, which involved the fall and submersion into the park's lagoon. [213]
A major filming location was Big Easy Studios, located at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility complex in East New Orleans. [194] [168] [101] Interior scenes, including the Jurassic World visitor's center, control room and laboratories, were filmed at the Michoud facility, [113] where six stages were occupied for the production. [193] Horner helped designed the educational displays in the Jurassic World visitor center. [220] Approximately 200 extras, acting as park guests sitting on bleachers, were doused with water as part of a scene depicting the Mosasaurus feeding show, [113] which was filmed on an outdoor set at the Michoud facility. [221] The raptor enclosure, an octagonal, 20 ft (6.1 m)-high outdoor structure, was also constructed at the Michoud facility, [194] [220] as was a set for the original Jurassic Park visitor center. [152] [194] An overturned Ford Explorer tour vehicle from the first film was initially considered for inclusion in Jurassic World, before Trevorrow settled on featuring the original park's visitor center. [222]
One jungle scene was filmed on a soundstage in Louisiana, while the rest were filmed earlier in Hawaii. [113] On June 30, 2014, Robinson, Simpkins and Greer filmed scenes at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans. [223] In July, fake snow was used in New Orleans for scenes that depict Zach and Gray's house in Wisconsin. [224] [225] An evacuation scene was filmed at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. [211] Approximately 15 cameras were set up in trees at the zoo to film extras running around in a panic. These scenes were used as security footage for the park's control room. [193] Swamp scenes were filmed in Slidell, Louisiana. [226]
The Jurassic World theme park was based on resorts around the world, and production designer Ed Verreaux said "we wanted to create an environment modern travelers would really want to visit". Trevorrow wanted the park to resemble "a place that could exist now, not a sci-fi imagining set in the future". [227] To aid in the design of the Jurassic World control room, Trevorrow and Crowley visited such rooms at various Universal and Disney theme parks prior to filming. [5] [220] They were disappointed by the unexciting appearances of these facilities and made the Jurassic World control room more elaborate than its real-life counterparts. [164] [220] The control room set included many television monitors displaying miscellaneous information; [138] [220] some of the footage for the monitors was filmed in Hawaii and at the NASA facility, and some was also obtained from Universal Orlando. Production designers based parts of the control room on the one located at NASA's facility. [220]
Filming wrapped on August 5, 2014, [228] after 78 shooting days. [113]
Trevorrow filmed two versions of many scenes so he could choose which to use for the final film. [138] One deleted scene featured a kiss between the control-room characters of Vivian (Lapkus) and Lowery (Johnson). [138] [162] It was removed because the film already had such a scene between Owen and Claire. [162] A comedic scene featuring Claire and dinosaur feces, similar to a scene involving Ellie Sattler in the original film, was also removed. [229] A line of dialogue was cut during a conversation in which Wu asks Masrani "How long do you think you can control it? We won't always be the only ones who can make a dinosaur". [230]
Another deleted scene occurs during the fight between the T. rex and the Indominus, which initially would have been watched by park guests. Trevorrow chose not to include the scene because it could not be seamlessly included without disrupting the fight scene, most of which filmed in a single take. [164] An unfilmed scene would have shown the Indominus rex being startled by an animatronic T. rex at the park and subsequently tearing its head off. Spielberg objected to the scene because he believed it would be disrespectful to Winston for suggesting computer-animated dinosaurs are better than animatronics. [231]
Jurassic World is the first film in the series without the involvement of Stan Winston, who died in 2008. The animatronic dinosaurs were handled by Winston's former colleagues at Legacy Effects, many of whom worked on the previous three films. [232] Legacy Effects contributed lighting reference models and a practically built animatronic. [233] [234] Visual effects supervisor Phil Tippett and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) also returned to create dinosaurs using computer-generated imagery (CGI). [235] Image Engine also worked on the film's creatures. [205] Tim Alexander served as visual effects supervisor and Jurassic Park supervisor Dennis Muren provided advice to the ILM crew on matters such as lighting the dinosaurs. [205]
Some of the computer-generated creatures, including those seen in the park's petting zoo, [113] were created with motion capture using human actors to perform the animals' movements, [234] marking the first time that motion capture technology had been used in the making of a dinosaur film. [138] Trevorrow said: "We got to build everyone from the ground up because technology has changed so much that everything is a rebuild". [236] New technology such as subsurface scattering allowed the creatures' skin and muscle tissue to be given additional detail that could not be achieved in the earlier films. [205] As with the previous films, actors had to imagine many of the creatures, which were digitally added during post-production. Actors were aided by cardboard cut-outs and tennis balls on sticks, all of which represented the creatures that would later be added into the film. [205] ILM's V-scout application, which used an iPad to digitally depict dinosaur models in the filming environment, further helped the actors. [205] [237] ILM had also used the V-scout during location scouting. [205] For more than a year and a half, sound designer Al Nelson and his team traveled to zoos and bird sanctuaries in several states to record various bird sounds, which would be used as vocal effects for the dinosaurs. [238]
Part of the fight scene between the T. rex and the Indominus rex was inspired by a video clip that Spielberg shot of his dogs growling and lunging at each other. [113] Early in pre-production, Tippett helped Trevorrow plan and choreograph the battle sequence by having a scale model created for the scene. Previsualizations of the scene were then created to assist in filming it. Tippett also visited the set during production and later discussed the creature animations with ILM. [205] Trevorrow included several creatures he felt had always deserved a big scene: "I didn't want to just throw the kitchen sink at it. Each of these movies has done a good job at just very carefully, in a measured way, increasing the new dinosaurs that you see". [236] Several creatures make notable appearances in the film:
The musical score was composed by Michael Giacchino, who had previously scored the video games Warpath: Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park . [257] John Williams's themes from previous Jurassic Park scores were incorporated by Giacchino, who said: "It was a really targeted approach, as to where to [include Williams's themes] and where would make the most sense and where would we most appreciate it, as fans ourselves". [258] A soundtrack album was released on June 9, 2015, by Back Lot Music. [259]
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction action film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Gerald R. Molen, and starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough. It is the first installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, and the first film in the original Jurassic Park trilogy, and is based on Michael Crichton's 1990 novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Crichton and David Koepp. The film is set on the fictional island of Isla Nublar, off Central America's Pacific Coast near Costa Rica, where a wealthy businessman John Hammond (Attenborough), and a team of genetic scientists have created a wildlife park of de-extinct dinosaurs. When industrial sabotage leads to a catastrophic shutdown of the park's power facilities and security precautions, a small group of visitors, including Hammond's grandchildren, struggle to survive and escape the now perilous island.
Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction action film directed by Joe Johnston and written by Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor. It is the third installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the final film in the original Jurassic Park trilogy, following The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). It is also the first film in the franchise not to be directed by Steven Spielberg, as well as the first not to be based on a novel by Michael Crichton; however, the film features characters and ideas by Crichton. Sam Neill and Laura Dern reprise their roles from the first film. New cast members include William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan and Michael Jeter. The plot involves a divorced couple who, via subterfuge, enlist the help of paleontologist Alan Grant to find their son, who has gone missing on Isla Sorna.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 American science fiction action film, directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp. It is the second installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the original Jurassic Park trilogy. A sequel to 1993's Jurassic Park, it is loosely based on Michael Crichton's 1995 novel The Lost World. Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough reprise their roles from the original film with Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, and Arliss Howard joining the cast.
Dr. Alan Grant is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is a paleontologist and is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. Crichton based Grant on the paleontologist Jack Horner who was by happenstance technical advisor for the movies. Director Steven Spielberg helmed the 1993 film adaptation, and several actors were considered for the role of Grant. It ultimately went to Sam Neill, becoming one of his most popular roles. Spielberg gave the character a dislike of children, and put him in a relationship with Dr. Ellie Sattler, a paleobotanist who is Grant's student in the novel. Sattler, portrayed by Laura Dern, wants to start a family with Grant, who is resistant to the idea.
Jurassic World is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Derek Connolly from a story by Jaffa and Silver. It is the first installment in the Jurassic World series and the fourth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series, following Jurassic Park III (2001). The film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, BD Wong, and Irrfan Khan. Wong reprised his role from the original Jurassic Park film. Set 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World takes place on the same fictional island of Isla Nublar, located off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. A successful theme park of cloned dinosaurs, dubbed Jurassic World, has operated on the island for years, bringing John Hammond's dream to fruition. The park plunges into chaos when a transgenic dinosaur escapes from its enclosure and goes on a rampage, while a conspiracy orchestrated by the park's staff creates more dangers.
Dr. Ellie Sattler is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. She is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. Steven Spielberg directed the 1993 film adaptation, casting Laura Dern as Sattler and giving the character a more substantial role compared to the novel. She is a paleobotanist in both the novel and its film adaptation. In the novel, she is a student of Dr. Alan Grant. For the film, Spielberg made them a romantic couple, with Sam Neill portraying Grant.
Jurassic Park, later also referred to as Jurassic World, is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment bought the rights to Crichton's novel Jurassic Park before it was published. The book was successful, as was Steven Spielberg's 1993 film adaptation. The film received a theatrical 3D re-release in 2013, and was selected in 2018 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Crichton's 1995 sequel novel, The Lost World, was followed by a 1997 film adaptation, also directed by Spielberg. Crichton did not write any further sequels in the series, although Spielberg would return as executive producer for each subsequent film, starting with Jurassic Park III (2001).
Colin Trevorrow is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He made his feature directorial debut with the science fiction comedy Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) to critical and commercial success. Trevorrow achieved mainstream recognition for his work on the Jurassic World entries of the Jurassic Park franchise, which began when he co-wrote and directed the eponymous first installment in 2015. After the success of the film, Trevorrow co-wrote the 2018 sequel Fallen Kingdom and co-wrote and directed the third installment Dominion (2022). He was also the co-writer and director of Star Wars: Duel of the Fates until his departure in 2017, although he retained story credit when the project was re-envisioned as The Rise of Skywalker (2019). On many of his projects, Trevorrow collaborates with fellow screenwriter Derek Connolly.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a 2018 science fiction action film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow. The sequel to Jurassic World (2015), it is the second installment in the Jurassic World series and the fifth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series. Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles from previous films in the series, with Toby Jones, Ted Levine, and Rafe Spall joining the cast. The story follows Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they return to the fictional Central American island of Isla Nublar to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from an impending volcanic eruption, only to discover a mercenary team's ulterior motives to bring them to the US mainland.
Jurassic World Dominion is a 2022 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emily Carmichael from a story by Derek Connolly and Trevorrow. The sequel to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), it is the third installment in the Jurassic World series and the sixth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series, concluding the original storyline that began with Jurassic Park (1993). Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Omar Sy reprise their roles from the previous films, along with Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill, who appear together for the first time since the original Jurassic Park. Also joining the cast were DeWanda Wise and Mamoudou Athie.
Jurassic World: The Ride is a dark water ride attraction that is themed to the Jurassic World series at Universal Studios Hollywood. The original Jurassic Park: The Ride, which operated from June 21, 1996, to September 3, 2018, underwent a major refurbishment and reopened as Jurassic World: The Ride.
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous is an American science fiction action-adventure animated television series developed by Zack Stentz for Netflix and is the first television series in the Jurassic Park franchise, set before, during, and after the events of the film Jurassic World (2015). Aaron Hammersley and Scott Kreamer serve as showrunners and executive produce the series along with Lane Lueras, Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Frank Marshall. The main cast features the voices of Paul-Mikél Williams, Sean Giambrone, Kausar Mohammed, Jenna Ortega, Ryan Potter, and Raini Rodriguez as a group of teenage campers who become stranded on Isla Nublar after multiple dinosaurs escape their habitats.
Lego Jurassic World is a Lego theme based on the Jurassic World media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It is licensed from Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The theme was introduced in June 2015, with the release of toy sets and the video game Lego Jurassic World, both to promote the film Jurassic World. Subsequent sets were released in 2018, alongside the next film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Various animated projects have also been made, including the 2018 television special Lego Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit, and the 2019 miniseries Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar.
Jurassic Park, later also referred to as Jurassic World, is an American science fiction adventure media franchise. It focuses on the cloning of dinosaurs through ancient DNA, extracted from mosquitoes that have been fossilized in amber. The franchise explores the ethics of cloning and genetic engineering, and the morals behind de-extinction.
Dr. Henry Wu is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. He also appears briefly in the novel's 1993 film adaptation and plays a larger role in the Jurassic World film trilogy. Dr. Wu is the lead geneticist for the dinosaur theme parks Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, overseeing the de-extinction of dinosaurs through genetic engineering. He is killed by a Velociraptor in the book, but survives throughout the film series, in which he is portrayed by actor BD Wong. Although Wu is a supporting character in the novel, he has a drastically reduced role in the film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg. Wong and Wu are both Asian-American, and the actor believed that the role was reduced, to his disappointment, because of "racial exclusion in Hollywood".
Claire Dearing is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise, and is first introduced in the fourth film Jurassic World (2015), which is also the first installment in the Jurassic World trilogy. Colin Trevorrow directed and co-wrote the film, casting Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire. She is one of the three main protagonists in the Jurassic World trilogy, along with her love interest Owen Grady, portrayed by Chris Pratt, and her adoptive daughter, Maisie Lockwood, who made her debut in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. In the first film, she is the operations manager of Jurassic World, a dinosaur theme park located on Isla Nublar.
Owen Grady is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is introduced in the fourth film Jurassic World (2015), which is also the first installment in the Jurassic World trilogy. Colin Trevorrow directed and co-wrote the film, casting Chris Pratt as Owen. He is one of the three main protagonists in the trilogy, along with his love interest Claire Dearing, and his adoptive daughter, Maisie Lockwood, who made her debut in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Owen is a U.S. Navy veteran and animal behavioral scientist researching Velociraptor at the dinosaur theme park Jurassic World, located on Isla Nublar. By the end of the first film, he and Claire begin a relationship.
Rexy is the colloquial nickname for a fictional Tyrannosaurus that appears throughout the Jurassic Park franchise. It first appeared in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, and made it onscreen debut in the 1993 film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg. It returns in the 2015 film Jurassic World and its sequels, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
Velociraptor was popularized by its appearance in the Jurassic Park franchise, which features numerous individuals. They first appear in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, followed by a 1993 film adaptation from director Steven Spielberg, which spawned a series of films. Despite their name, Crichton heavily based the Velociraptors on the larger Deinonychus, and this was carried over into the films. The on-screen raptors were created using several production methods, including animatronics by Stan Winston and CGI by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)There were actually two roles in 'Jurassic Park IV' Steven thought I might fit. First there was the granddaughter part, which wasn't all that big a role; she was only in it at the beginning. The other part he was considering for me was substantially larger, but I won't go into any details in case I make Steven angry (laughs). ... I truly don't know if I'll end up getting either part or not. The script is pretty much locked down, but I think they're still working on final drafts at the moment.
...producers are now courting The Day After Tomorrow cutie Emmy Rossum and Runaway Jury's Jeremy Piven for two of the lead roles.[quote from Cinemania]
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)In 2007 [sic], news broke of a Jurassic Park 4 script by American indie king John Sayles, in which trained raptors take on a drug baron's army. The project stalled, but this nucleus of an idea stuck around, making its way into the next commissioned draft, by Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes' Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. And this is where Colin Trevorrow, the man chosen to head up Jurassic World, comes in. [...] One can only imagine how excited he was to be presented with the latest script by the threequel's producers. He sat down to read it. Flipped through every page. Then said thanks, but no thanks. "It was as difficult to decline as you'd think", he recalls. "But I knew I couldn't make that film. So I said, 'I'm honoured, but if we're going to do this we really need to build a different movie that can also be called Jurassic Park 4".
"Trevorrow had a brainwave of his own. "I emailed Steven–one of the most carefully worded emails I've ever written–and explained every single reason why we should change the title from Jurassic Park 4 to Jurassic World. It's like changing the recipe of someone's favourite cereal, but I wanted people to know that this is going to be a bold movie. It's going to be different".
Trevorrow was asked to cook up his own story. But there were a couple of concepts that he wanted to keep. One was Sayles's audacious notion of raptors working alongside humans. "Dinosaurs hunting down drug lords? I couldn't go there", he says. "But I could rewind all the way back and make a movie about the very tenuous relationship between man and a vicious animal. [...] The other very cool idea, which came from Spielberg himself: what if John Hammond's dream of a fully functioning dinosaur theme park came true?"
Screenwriter David Koepp, who worked on the first two films, says he declined. "One movie takes a lot of thinking on a subject, two movies takes an enormous amount, and I just didn't feel like I had enough fresh thinking", Koepp says. "I'll be first in line to see it, though".
"We focused on the intentions in his original book. From a thematic perspective, I think he'd appreciate what we're saying about the corporations of science and fun".