[Update: Chris Pratt talks Jurassic World 2 tone, calling it "scarier, darker and unexpected."]
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In the aftermath of director Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World, the entire franchise began a process of rejuvenation. Not only was the film a tremendous blockbuster, but for the first time in years, a Jurassic Park film captivated audiences. The previous two sequels had failed to ignite the excitement and fascination that the original Steven Spielberg film had and to date, Jurassic World has been the closest that Hollywood has come to repeating that magic.
With the public now well aware of plans to make Jurassic World into a trilogy, the anticipation of those films is perhaps matched only by the curiosity of what sort of films they’ll be. For the upcoming Jurassic World 2, we know that Trevorrow has stepped back from directing in order to focus on scripting as well as producing duties. The sequel is in the hands of J.A. Bayona (A Monster Calls) and his vision of the famed dinosaur park run amok will include animatronic as well as CG effects.
Now we’re also learning that Bayona’s Jurassic World 2 will be a much darker film than its predecessor. Scified brings us the latest news on the film after Bayona spoke with the Spanish language media outlet Agencia EFE. Comparing Jurassic World 2’s darkness and depth to other legendary second steps in successful film franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek, Bayona had this to say:
"It will be darker and scarier then the previous film. Obviously when you have Chris Pratt it will also be very funny. But it will be darker. It is a second step in a trilogy, and the second step is always dark as in 'The Empire Strikes back or the 'Wrath of Khan' which are the examples you always get. The film takes the story where it has never been before. To me it surprised me. We are going to places where the saga has never been before, and at the same time we are paying tribute to the franchise. We will take it a step further. There are things that will happen that people are not expecting and they really are shocking."
Most recently, Jurassic World 2 writer/producer Colin Trevorrow revealed that the sequel would deal with animal abuse by using the treatment of dinosaurs as a parable of the treatment that today’s animals often encounter. This sort of focus would certainly take the story where it has never been before and it’s easy to see how such a topic could indeed create a much darker Jurassic World film. Couple this darker take with Trevorrow’s previous assurances that the sequel would be scarier than its predecessor and the number of questions as to how all this could play out greatly increases.
Regardless of what either Trevorrow or Bayona might have to say about Jurassic World 2, the real test of how dark or scary the film is will come when audiences are able to decide for themselves. A film like The Empire Strikes Back didn’t require advance warning of its gloom and doom, it delivered these things while being highly entertaining. If Jurassic World 2 can perform in a similar fashion, then the dinosaur-mania that swept theaters with Jurassic World is sure to carry its monstrous momentum onward into the future.
Jurassic World 2 arrives in U.S. theaters on June 22, 2018.
Source: Scified