Ever since Laura Dern and Sam Neill first stepped foot into the huge plains of Richard Hammond’s Jurassic Park and laid eyes on the huge genetically modified prehistoric creatures created by InGen, the world has been hooked on what became arguably the biggest monster franchise this side of Godzilla. In 2015, the series was brought back to life like so many monsters before it with Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World.
The sequel quickly broke opening weekend records and although reviews were mixed, one thing was for sure: Jurassic Park was back in a big way. As the next entry Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom quickly approaches, we’re here to keep an eye out for all the important dinosaur-centric news that will surely be coming our way in the lead up to the movie’s June 22, 2018 release date. So get your best gene splicin’ and dino wrasslin’ gear on because we’re going in!
Update – 04/18/2018
We know that a new Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom trailer will come hurtling towards us later today, and in the meantime we’ve been treated to some rather ridiculous Fallen Kingdom pics from Entertainment Weekly. It seems like the film’s marketing strategy is hinged on Chris Pratt holding irrelevant objects.
The cover gives you a hint of the summer themed shoot to come…
Welcome to Parks and T. Rex. @PrattPrattPratt is back for ‘@JurassicWorld: #FallenKingdom,’ the franchise’s darkest installment yet. Get exclusive scoop on the film, plus 68 more summer movies here: https://t.co/YcseGflGmq pic.twitter.com/q5P3xaGsm9
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) April 18, 2018
 Fans were unsure that the shoot was a good representation of the actual monster movie…
I hate that this will end up being in no way representative of the content of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom pic.twitter.com/rUSj35Ec9K
— Clarisse Loughrey (@clarisselou) April 18, 2018
 Golf anyone?
See exclusive photos from ‘@JurassicWorld: #FallenKingdom to get a new look at the park and dinosaurs: https://t.co/gyJU2mbkRd pic.twitter.com/SuKQXNKC9I
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) April 18, 2018
We’ve also been treated to a brand new poster for the new movie, that tells us….THE PARK IS GONE!
The park is gone. Watch the new trailer for @JurassicWorld #FallenKingdom tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/T4YqS62S0A
— Jurassic World (@JurassicWorld) April 17, 2018
The first Jurassic World was set 22 years after the original Jurassic Park failed. A general lack of interest in the giant dinosaur market drove B.D. Wong‘s Henry Wu to create terrifyingly modified dinosaurs like the park’s new star attraction, Indominus Rex. After a *shocking* turn of events the new dinosaur went wild, destroying the new Isla Nublar park and creating chaos, seeing the park’s numerous prehistoric pals laying waste to the attraction. Only after Chris Pratt’s Raptor trainer teamed up with Bryce Dallas Howard‘s badass scientist /Â ex-GF (of course) to fight the big bad by freeing the franchise’s original T-Rex was the day saved! Though the details for Fallen Kingdom are scarce, we’ve scoured the dark dino web for all the top secret (redacted) Jurassic World info we can.
What’s It About?
We now know that the film is about an attempted rescue, but for once it’s not humans trying to rescue themselves but actually Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire trying to rescue some of the park’s previous prehistoric residents from a deadly volcano! This is a really interesting turn of events and looks like it’ll lean nicely into some of the best moments from Jurassic World: Dino human team ups!!
Jurassic World 2: Raptors Aint Scared of Lava https://t.co/jR5vEN3oHG pic.twitter.com/nKSW3x6bg6
— Tim Stack (@TimStack1979) December 5, 2017
This terrifying image was revealed by Entertainment Weekly shows Justice Smith and Danielle Pineda staring down what looks like a Baryonyx or maybe even a more realistic Deinonychus?! Giving fans a sneak peak at the upcoming blockbuster, as well as revealing the first story beats! According to Bryce Dallas Howard, the wild new plot revolves around a volcano on Isla Nublar that threatens the dinosaurs that had overrun the park after the end of the previous film. “Claire’s founded an organization, Dinosaur Protection Group, and they’re finding a way to get these dinosaurs off the island,†Howard shared. This is an unexpected route and we’re really excited to see where it goes.
Jurassic World’s director and writer of Fallen Kingdom, Colin Trevorrow, has told fans the film will be a spookier and more suspenseful experience. “It will be more suspenseful and scary. It’s just the way it’s designed; it’s the way the story plays out. I knew I wanted Bayona to direct it long before anyone ever heard that was a possibility, so the whole thing was just built around his skill set,” Trevorrow told Jurassic Outpost. A true horror x dinosaur movie? Count us in.
Trevorrow also shared the first look at the film’s practical effects in this sweet moment between Chris Pratt’s Owen and his raptor charge Blue, who it looks like will be a big part of making Owen return to Isla Nublar.
From our Jurassic family to yours. @FilmBayona @PrattPrattPratt @BryceDHoward @LeDoctor #FALLENKINGDOM pic.twitter.com/KiR3et9Vx1
— Colin Trevorrow (@colintrevorrow) November 22, 2017
Who’s Directing?
Spanish horror director J.A. Bayona is taking the helm on Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Bayona is probably most well known for his feature debut, the chilling ghost story The Orphanage. He also directed 2012’s The Impossible and last year’s massively underrated A Monster Calls. From the few glimpses we’ve had, it looks like Bayona’s horror aesthetics are going to make Fallen Kingdom a unique viewing experience.
Who’s Coming Back?
Fallen Kingdom will see the return of both Jurassic World leads, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, as well as the mastermind of InGen’s ill advised dinosaur breeding program, B.D. Wong. The character was woefully underused in the original trilogy so we love that he’s back in a big way in these new entries. Henry Wu was last seen sneaking out of a chaos-ridden Jurassic World likely with some very important DNA, so his whereabouts are likely going to be integral to Fallen Kingdom.
Who Are Jurassic World’s New Recruits?
DON’T PANIC! IT’S ONLY THE WORLD’S SEXIEST MATHEMATICIAN! Yup, Jeff Goldblum is coming back to the world of the Jurassic. After his scene stealing turn in the original Jurassic Park movie and leading the sequel, everyone’s favorite Jeff is returning after two decades to save the world and our ever-beating hearts. He’ll be reprising his role as science-god rockstar Ian Malcolm, a chaos mathematician who foresaw the downfall of InGen’s science experiment long before the rest of the visitors.
Another new face is Toby Jones, a British actor who’s an indie staple. His role has yet to be announced, but he does have a background in horror–including great movies like the unmissable Berberian Sound System–just like Jurassic World’s director J.A. Bayona. You might also recognize him as Armin Zola from the Captain America movies. Toby Jones’ addition brings a new level of serious thespian credit to the cast.
Hollywood legend and badass activist James Cromwell will also be entering the park, playing John Hammond’s old partner, Benjamin Lockwood. In a recent interview with Larry King, Cromwell revealed more about his role in the film: “We developed the technology of being able to clone the genes. And so I’m trying to deal with the blowback from what we have done.” Cromwell will undoubtably be a stellar competent of this eclectic and unexpected cast.
Another big get for Fallen Kingdom is breakout The Get Down star, Justice Smith! The young star is rumored to be playing a young scientist, but as with all of the details of the movie thus far, the intricacies of his role are being kept a secret. Will he be a researcher at the new park? Will he be working for Henry Wu? We’ll keep you updated as and when we find out more.
Jurassic World is obviously undergoing a British invasion, as they also recently announced Rafe Spall. You’ll most likely know him from Charlie Brooker’s hit sci-fi anthology show Black Mirror. Spall has also starred in Life of Pi, Prometheus, and cult classic horror comedy Shaun of the Dead. Spall is an absolute unabashed talent who’s another intriguing addition to the cast.
The Original’s Danielle Pineda joined the cast of Jurassic World earlier this year as an unnamed “female lead.” She’s proven herself a force to be reckoned with on the Vampire Diaries hit spin-off and TBS’ The Detour. So here’s to hoping they give her a meaty role rather than another love interest for Chris Pratt.
Trailers, previous updates and more!
.@JurassicWorld #FallenKingdom goes where Jurassic has never gone before. See the trailer tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/HFAsZd8LHI
— Jurassic World (@JurassicWorld) December 6, 2017
The Jurassic World Twitter account has today shared our most in depth look at the upcoming sequel, and it honestly looks spectacular. The BTS footage focused heavily on the massive amount of practical effects the film will be utilizing as well as on the new more suspenseful tone that Fallen Kingdom seems to have.
It also and maybe most importantly included our first glimpse of Jeff Goldblum in action as Dr. Ian Malcolm, who seemed to be speaking to some kind of court or council, maybe about whether or not the Dinosaurs should be saved? We’re pretty sure that would be a resounding no from the original voice of logic, but this BTS short gets a resounding yes from us, and we cannot wait to see the full trailer tomorrow.
Watch the @JurassicWorld #FallenKingdom trailer now! Life finds a way June 22. pic.twitter.com/UDU0MFIsIb
— Jurassic World (@JurassicWorld) December 8, 2017
Ho Ho Ho HOLY HECK that’s a lot of Dinosaurs! Yup Jurassic World’s official twitter account treated fans to an early Christmas present with the explosive first trailer for the movie. Confirming what we already know the film will see Owen and Claire return to Isla Nublar to save the park’s dinosaurs from death by a very volatile volcano. It’s looks like it’s going to be a wild ride, with more dinosaurs in the trailer than we’ve seen in any of the films previously as well as a reunion for Chris Pratt’s Owen and Raptor Blue. IT’S VERY EXCITING!!!
Empire magazine has given us a sneak peak at one of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom‘s newest Cretaceous creatures with an exclusive image of the Carnotaurus, which you can see at the link above. Harking back to the original film’s iconic T-Rex moment, we see the Carnotaurus staring at Bryce Dallas Howard and new addition Justice Smith as they sit in one of JW’s transportation Gyrospheres. If you’ve watched the trailer you know where this is headed, but it’s nice to have confirmation of the newest dino terror the rescue crew will face.
Update – 3/2/2018
Jurassic World is ramping up its marketing campaign with this new call to action P.S.A. from Claire Deering’s Dinosaur Protection Group (DPG). This short gives us a look at just how much the career driven Claire has been changed by her experience in the first film. She’s now a dedicated dinosaur preservationist, who apparently has the aim of keeping dinosaurs alive for future generations. This is a cool clip as it gives us our first look at Justice Smith when he’s not screaming in the face of a Baryonx! You can visit the Dinosaur Protection Group’s official website, Twitter, and Instagram, to learn more. Going by the last movie’s marketing campaign, we’re sure that they’ll be chock full of Easter eggs and secrets.
Update – 2/4/2018
The gods of the Superb Owl have blessed us with a very scary new Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom trailer which hints at the world outside of the park. The new spot showed us a terrifying new creature who looks to be mostly Raptor, in a young girl’s bedroom. This is the first glimpse we’ve gotten at the young girl who was teased in the first BTS shot from the movie. This is leaning heavily into J.A. Bayona’s horror roots and the potential for a very different vision of Jurassic Park.
Where We Are & What We Know
Looks like we’ll be getting a new Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom trailer next week, and this teaser from the official Twitter account showcases some really wild moments. We get another glimpse at a potential Chris Pratt/Classic T-Rex team-up and a better look at the film’s newest DNA-mangled dino big bad. But most excitingly and ridiculously, we see a massive creature—probably the Mosasaur from the first film’s water show—swimming in a tremendous wave that a bunch of cool dudes are surfing. It’s pretty likely this means that the film will lean into what many fans were hoping for, in that we’ll see a version of our world which is slowly being encroached upon by escaped dinosaurs from the now defunct park. We can’t wait to see the full trailer on Wednesday!!
The new @JurassicWorld #FallenKingdom trailer is coming Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/2xUHVJlqIx
— Jurassic World (@JurassicWorld) April 13, 2018
How excited are you for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom? Let us know in the comments! And stay tuned for all the latest Jurassic World updates right here!
Images: Universal, Netflix, CBS
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