Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, and Rupert Friend may never know how close to death they were while shooting Jurassic World Rebirth. Well, they will after reading Entertainment Weekly‘s latest feature about the anticipated Jurassic World standalone sequel. It turns out there were things more dangerous than dinosaurs on the set of Edwards’s new film, and after reading about them, my skin is still crawling.
“I’m allowed to say this now that we’re on the other side of it, but we shot in rivers and these mangrove swamps,” Edwards told Entertainment Weekly about filming Jurassic World Rebirth. “When we were scouting them, we saw poisonous water snakes, massive ones that we had to catch. We kept it quiet from the actors as they spent a whole day wading through the same area. And there were giant spiders that were poisonous and stuff on the edge of the trees. You just wouldn’t point them out if you saw them. Just keep going!”
Um, what? How is this okay? You wouldn’t catch my ass swimming with poisonous snakes while avoiding giant spiders falling from trees. No, sir!
One of the most interesting things about this new Jurassic movie is that it boasts a script written by original Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp, who is returning to the franchise for the first time since The Lost World: Jurassic Park. After sitting out the last four movies, Koepp has come back to tell the following story: Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling where they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures within that tropical biosphere hold the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind. This action-packed new chapter in the franchise sees an intrepid team racing to secure DNA samples from the three most colossal creatures across land, sea, and air.
Alongside Edwards’s horrifying admission about the Jurassic World Rebirth set, EW unleashed a batch of new images from the upcoming film. In the photos, Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey science the sh*t out of an escalating situation. Like any other Jurassic movie, things inevitably go sideways, forcing our characters to run for their lives from sharp teeth and killer survival instincts. The gallery also includes a photo of Rupert Friend, Mahershala Ali, and Bechir Sylvain smiling from ear to ear. I assume they’re marveling at a dinosaur before that tall grass part, revealing a hungry predator or two. The new photos feature shades of Gareth Edwards’s signature style and visuals, with everything looking relatively clean despite the area’s harsh conditions.
“Jurassic Park did lead the way with computer graphics, but I feel like we got lost along the way with the arms race to a spectacle,” Edwards says about returning to basics for Rebirth. “Jurassic actually only had just a few dozen VFX shots in it, and it’s such a powerful film. So, it was trying to go back to all those tricks and ideas that tease the audience, that creates suspense and tension that get you on the edge of your seat. I just wanted to create that feeling I had when I was young of being in awe of these things.”
On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you about Jurassic World Rebirth? Let us know in the comments section below.