Home Entertainment Director Colin Treverrow talks JURASSIC WORLD; the return of an original character, script challenges and details of the film's leads

Director Colin Treverrow talks JURASSIC WORLD; the return of an original character, script challenges and details of the film's leads

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Jurassic World

Dinosaurs are cool. This is an unassailable fact. They’re even cooler when chasing down humans on a tropical island theme park where they’ve been brought back to life. This a scenario we haven’t seen played out on our screens in a while, but writer-director Colin Treverrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) is set to change that with Jurassic World, the latest addition to the fan-favourite franchise that started with Steven Spielberg’s classic Jurassic Park.

That is quite the legacy to live up to, and as Treverrow – who is about to leave for Hawaii to start shooting – explained to IGN, he’s just allowing that to happen naturally.

“I’m not on a mission to separate this film from the ones that came before. That will happen naturally – I have different instincts. But, like a lot of people my age, I grew up on Amblin movies. They’re a part of who I am as a filmmaker, and arguably as a person. This film will have a lot of new ideas in it, but I think the spirit will be familiar. It will have an old soul.”

Part of that old soul will not be doctors Grant, Sattler and Malcolm though, no matter how much fans may be clamouring for the return of the heroes from the first 3 films, played by Sam Neil, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. But that doesn’t mean that we won’t be seeing a a familiar face from the original 1993 movie again though.

“I know a lot of fans want to see the original characters back. They’re iconic. But 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. But there is a character from the first film who makes sense in our world. This hasn’t been announced yet, but BD Wong will be returning as Dr. Henry Wu. He had a much larger role in [Michael Crichton’s] original novel, he was the engineer of this breakthrough in de-extinction. He spent two decades living in Hammond’s shadow, underappreciated. We think there’s more to his story.”

JurassicPark_wong

Speaking of learning more to a character’s story, Trevorrow also spilled the first details on the film’s two lead characters played by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

“[Chris Pratt’s character]’is a classic hero in a very modern context. He’s the guy who will get you through the jungle alive – but like Malcolm, Grant and Sattler, he’s an expert in a scientific field that’s connected to our story. The character allows us to explore some new ideas about our relationship with these animals, without losing the humor and sense of adventure. He’s a great contrast for Bryce Dallas Howard’s character, who starts off very corporate, very controlled. Until the running and screaming starts. Then they need each other.”

And figuring out just what story was needed to prompt all the said running and screaming was initially no easy task, hence us having to wait till next year to see the film.

“Getting the script right was the tough part. There are a hundred different ways to tell any story, finding the right one takes persistence. Jurassic Park movies 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. The characters have to be authentic, the situations real. Derek [Connolly, co-writer on the film] and I started with a blank page and worked all the way through the summer. The process got easier when we decided not to rush to meet that 2014 release date. There just wasn’t enough time. Steven [Spielberg] had the foresight to make that call, the studio was supportive, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Honestly, I’m just grateful we’re getting another installment in one of my favourite franchises again, and from a very talented filmmaker to boot.

Jurassic World also stars the young duo of Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer) and Ty Simpkins (Iron Man 3), and will be stomping into cinemas on June 12, 2015.

Last Updated: March 19, 2014

5 Comments

  1. I cannot wait!!!!

    Reply

  2. Gareth L (That Guy)

    March 19, 2014 at 14:10

    I worry about this movie mostly because I don’t know the director. It doesn’t matter how passionate or enthusiastic the director is. As we learnt with “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Terminator Salvation”: if the director chosen isn’t the right person for the job, it’ll show within the first few minutes.

    I don’t like the fact that they’ve chosen a nearly-unknown to direct. Has anyone actually seen “Safety Not Guaranteed”? I don’t know anyone who has. This feels like another studio flog-off to make a buck, and the fact that they’re treating Jurassic Park like this after such a long-awaited and hoped-for sequel it really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Like that last Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Yeesh.

    Reply

    • Kromas

      March 19, 2014 at 15:06

      Sometimes you have to get a fresh start. Remembers Ridley Scott? He created and destroyed the Alien franchise all by himself and I hear he is making a sequel to Prometheus. I feel like I want to gag.

      Reply

      • Gareth L (That Guy)

        March 19, 2014 at 17:26

        One of the key issues with Prometheus was that too much faith by Ridley Scott was put in Damon Lindeloff’s script.

        Reply

    • Kervyn Cloete

      March 19, 2014 at 18:23

      I’ve see Safety Not Guaranteed. It couldn’t be further in tone from Jurassic Park, but it is pretty good. Treverrow had to pitch his take to the studio, and they obviously liked what they saw, or they wouldn’t have given him the gig.

      Reply

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