Jurassic June Update!
Has Jurassic June popped off yet?
Types Jurassic World in Google. Hit News. Scroll… scroll…'Jurassic World 4' to Shoot in Thailand, Malta and U.K… scroll… scroll… 'Jurassic World 4' Gets Dino-Sized Update… scroll… scroll… Jonathan Bailey Is Jacked for the New 'Jurassic World' Movie…
I’m waiting just like all of you for the latest news on Jurassic World 4 or whatever we want to call it these days. We’ve been through the ups and downs of pre-production jitters: incessant scrolling and refreshing, checking social media, checking the trades, and then repeating it all over again. It’s time. I need that Jurassic fix to get me through the month. It is Jurassic June after all.
With production now underway, we are still on the lookout for someone within the crew to rely on for updates. Will it be Frank Marshall? Frank is on set in Thailand, taking lovely pictures of sunsets and working hard on his Macbook. Jonathan Bailey, hot off of Bridgerton Season 3, is looking ripped and bearded. Scarlett Johansson is a huge nerd and enormous fan of Jurassic Park, sounding authentically excited to be joining the team. Who will emerge as the ultimate hype man for the film?
One of the things I’m most excited for with the official announcement of Jurassic World 4, is the cast list. Scarlett and Jonathan are awesome gets. Rupert Friend will surely transform into an interesting character to watch. I’m truly hyped about Mahershala Ali. He’ll bring a performance unlike anything we’ve seen in this franchise. But what ever happened with the Dev Patel or Colman Domingo rumors? Was the list with Tobin Bell and Joel McHale accurate, or did I live stream about it for nothing?
We also received somewhat of a synopsis for Jurassic World 4 via Variety.
“a completely fresh take launching a new Jurassic era, following three adults and three teens getting stuck on the Island.”
Sounds a bit like Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park 3, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. That’s good with me! Is it a bit repetitious? Probably. We are talking about a franchise that with each new film, we have to hear the comments “how many times can people get stuck on the island” or “It’s just the same story every movie.” Well, we have at least one more to contend with. I mean, we’re still here after six movies and two television series - we’re all in!
But I’m not so worries about a handful of people getting stuck… I’m concerned about where they are getting stuck. “the island.” Last I checked, Nublar was pretty fried. Let’s just say it’s Nublar for a second: we’ve got two options. This is either post Fallen Kingdom or Dominion and Nublar is toast or this is pre-Fallen Kingdom and the island is not scorched earth. Even with those two options, we can branch those off into even more threads ( Jurassic World prequel territory, lava-land with surviving dinos, not-so-scorched sequel). If someone within Universal’s camp is spreading word that “the island” is involved, then I don’t think there should be any confusion - it’s Nublar.
We also have to consider that whoever relayed the info or picked it up just assumed there’s only one island it could be… but we know that’s not the case. Outside of Nublar, we have The Five Deaths (Islas Matancerous, Muerta, Sorna, Pena and Tacaño), Sanctuary from Fallen Kingdom, and Mantah Corp Island from Camp Cretaceous. I don’t consider Japan and Europe (locations alluded to in Jurassic Park) to be legit islands, but rather projections for a future that never occurred. Sorna has my whole heart, so obviously I’d hope for a return, but I wouldn’t be mad if another of The Five Deaths showed up. Mantah Corp island seems extremely unlikely, so we can scratch that from the list.
Sanctuary Island on the other hand would be an incredible spot to visit. We never truly got the opportunity to see what that island could be or if it was actually real. We get a glimpse of the model in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, but the entire plan by Eli Mills was basically debunked within the film, so who knows if he fabricated that as well. Let’s say it’s a real island - it would make for a visually stunning location, and it honestly gives me Thailand vibes from the model. Sanctuary gives us untouched locations to explore and new secrets to uncover. This island is a close second to revisiting Sorna for me.
Steven Ray Morris and I are planning in-depth coverage on the details of Jurassic World 4 as they are officially uncovered. Be sure to stay tuned for an upcoming episode from us when the info drops! Until then, the speculation continues. Even with the slightest bit of info, my mind is racing with theories and ideas. Universal, call your boy.
The Jurassic Park Podcast
LIVE STREAM | It’s time to re-visit Jurassic World: Dominion. Join me Wednesday, June 19th at 8pm EST as I do a live commentary of the Extended Cut of the film. You’ll need your own copy of the Extended Cut, as I will NOT be showing the film on the live stream. This is a commentary only Watch Party. See you in the live chat!
PODCAST | We led off Jurassic June featuring a great conversation with Chris Pugh (@chrislikesdinos), discussing The State of Jurassic. Does Jurassic need fixing? Is the current path of brand awareness the best trajectory? If you were leading the teams at Universal, what would you change about the current state of the franchise?
Carlos Omar of the Horror Daddies Podcast joined us the second week of Jurassic June to list off our Top 5 scenes from the Jurassic World Trilogy! Drafting up this top 5 was nearly impossible. Whether you like the Jurassic World trilogy or not, there’s a ton of awesome sequences throughout and I dare you to come up with your own list. Carlos was an awesome guest, so definitely give this one a listen.
This week on the show we have Larry Selman, the artist who made the beautiful illustrations on Kenner’s Jurassic Park Series Two vehicles, The Lost World Mobile Command Center and other incredible works. If you are at all interested in the history of creating that incredible art, please check out the episode. Jaroslav Kosmina co-hosted that conversation as well, so tune in for his thoughts as well!
The Forcecast
I had the chance to join Ryan to discuss episodes one and two of The Acolyte for Forcecast+. The Acolyte is causing a stir on social media currently (wrongfully so), but I’m absolutely invested in the storytelling. It’s different than any Star Wars content on Disney+ so far and I’m here for it. Lucasfilm has found a way to tell a new story, with new characters, but still dig into the lore in interesting ways. Check out the show and have an open mind (unlike so many of the dummies out there).
Grim Grinning Hosts
The latest episode of Grim Grinning Hosts gives you some insight into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the latest ride coming to Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World. Tiana’s latest adventure takes over Splash Mountain - is the attraction a worthy successor?
It’s your turn…
As I mentioned above, I had the chance to rank my Top 5 scenes from the Jurassic World Trilogy. It’s hard, trust me. I want to hear your lists. Send them over on social media or check out our contact page on our website.
I also want to know what you would change about the current state of the Jurassic brand. Give me your thoughtful answers, because I’m interested in what you’d change. Stay safe! Be Kind! Thank you SO MUCH for reading... and enjoy!