Chris Pratt
Not a reboot
The significant gap between Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World raised many questions as to what type of movie Trevorrow intended to craft. Was it a straight-up sequel to the events of the first trilogy, a prequel, remake or even a reboot?
Reboot is a strong word, he said on Twitter. This is a new sci-fi terror adventure set 22 years after the horrific events of Jurassic Park.
Film shoot
The decision to shoot Jurassic World on film instead of digitally was addressed by Trevorrow via Twitter, as he announced the newest arrival to the production crew. Honored to be working with cinematographer John Schwartzman on Jurassic World, shooting this April on 35mm and 65mm film," he Tweeted.
Tagged onto his message were shoutouts to Kodak and Panavision, hinting that the movie would be captured on Kodak film using Panavision cameras. Opting for the same technical choices favoured by Spielberg would undoubtedly lend the movie a similar to look to original.
Location, location, location
With a fixed release date allocated and location scouting in the bag, it was time for Universal to firm up dates for principal photography to begin.
At this stage it was safe to assume that production would likely take place in Hawaii, where most of the original was shot. Following the directors earlier photo teasing one Hawaiian island set to stand in for Isla Nublar, it came as no surprise when it was revealed the movie would film for four weeks on Oahu, then two weeks on Kauai.
Interestingly, after that the shoot was heading for New Orleans for another eleven weeks of filming. Were we in for another San Diego-style incident?
Pratt talks plot
Since signing on to headline one of the most well-loved franchises of all time, Chris Pratt finally spoke out about the movie. In a chat with MTV, his reasons for signing on were made abundantly clear:
What I liked about it is that it answers the question of, Why would they do that?' says when asked what drew him to the project. How do you suspend disbelief to be like, Oh, yes! Lets make this mistake again! We havent learned our lesson about dinosaurs. We should definitely live with them and see how that works out!
After three tries, they answer the question really well through the script. Colin did a great job of writing it and justifying it. Kind of, in his own way, having fun with that so that anybody who goes in with that question will be really amused the way I was.
Hes got a little of both [characters], he went on to say when comparing his character to the franchises two defining male leads. Hes got a little bit of the Goldblum cynicism, but also the Sam Neill excitement at the wonder and the biology of it all.
Vincent DOnofrio and Irrfan Khan
Two new additions climb aboard the movie in as-yet unknown roles. Up first is CSI star Vincent DOnofrio, whose involvement is given a little bit of detail in that hes revealed to be the films main baddie. We can only assume hes a human villain, and wont be strapping on Andy Serkis mo-cap outfit to bring a new brand of terror to the T-Rex.
In addition, Irrfan Khan signed on officially after being teased over nearly an entire year. Who would he be playing was anyones guess...
A familiar face
There would be no dinosaurs populating the park - sorry, world - if it werent for the ridiculously talented and meddlesome scientists plugging up frog DNA with scrappy blood remnants from dinos.
For the role of Henry Wu, the first scientist who cradles those hatching baby raptors, BD Wong was now slated to don the white coat once more. Trevorrow broke the news in an interview with IGN:
This hasnt been announced yet, but BD Wong will be returning as Dr. Henry Wu. He had a much larger role in the original novel, he was the engineer of this breakthrough in de-extinction. He spent two decades living in Hammonds shadow, underappreciated. We think theres more to his story.
Omar Sy
Already picking up cues from his social media fiend director, X-Men: Days Of Future Pasts Omar Sy confirms his involvement over Twitter: Fan of this saga from the beginning, Im very proud to be part of the cast for JURASSIC WORLD.
Meanwhile, another cast member long since rumoured finally puts a name to his face. Jake Johnson confirms his appearance as a technician named Lowery.
"I've seen early mock ups that Colin's put together, and it's going to be awesome. My character is fun, you know, he told AskMen. I play the tech guy, so I'm the guy in the booth, who oversees everything, and I kind of comment on it. But then the action comes to me, as kind of happens in those movies.
Party of five
Between May and June, the frantic search for new characters to populate Jurassic World picked up the pace. In that time, five cast members clambered aboard the ship setting sail for Isla Nublar. Would they fall prey to a herd of cavorting Gallamimus? Or would they be mere bystanders to the perils of the fallen?
Well, it was impossible to wager on account of Universals tight-lipped tactics. The first trio of newbies announced were Judy Greer (Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes), Katie McGrath (The Tudors), and Lauren Lapkus (Orange Is The New Black). A month later, The Offices Andy Buckley and Get On Ups James DuMont also joined production.
Production starts
On April 10th, production on the fourth Jurassic movie began in Hawaii. Instead of the usual communicator, Trevorrow, announcing the news, this time it came from producer Frank Marshall whose concise Tweet summed up proceedings nicely:
JURASSIC WORLD lives! First shot: 8:20 am. All is good.
