What does Jurassic World 2 have in common with ‘The Empire Strikes Back’? Director J.A. Bayona explains!
The crust has seemingly broken open, allowing Jurassic World 2 news to trickle out like the slow flow of magma fissures before an inevitable eruption. Recently director J.A. Bayona said the film will address the responsibility mankind faces for playing god, while Colin Trevorrow said the film will tackle more complex themes such as the mistreatment of dinosaurs (he also joined our podcast and unloaded details about the sequel, such as more animatronics, making a scarier movie, and confirming they’re not focusing on weaponized dinosaurs).
Today J.A. Bayona shared a little more with Noticias RCN:
“Obviously, when you have Chris Pratt will also be very funny.. but [Jurassic World 2] will be darker. It’s the second part of a trilogy, which are historically darker. ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ or ‘ the Wrath of Khan ‘, are good comparisons.“
“In that sense,” continued Bayona, “the film takes the story to new places, which surprised me. We are going to places where the saga has never been before, and yet at the same time, we are staying true to the franchise. We will take it a step further. There things that will happen that people are not expecting, and they really are shocking. That’s what really excites me about a project like this.”
J.A. went on to say how excited and honored he was to be working with Steven Spielberg alongside Frank Marshall and Colin Trevorrow. From there he added:
“‘[The Jurassic Park franchise] is a creation of Spielberg’s. He created it, and Colin Trevorrow is helming the new trilogy, so you know it’s a collaborative effort of filmmakers. It is also a personal film like ‘The Impossible’ or ‘A Monster Calls'”
So, if you’re like me, you’re probably trying to connect the dots and figure out what direction the story may be heading. For those unaware (spoiler warning!), ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ is the Star Wars film where Darth Vader reveals himself as Luke Skywalkers father, cuts off Lukes hand, and freezes Han Solo in carbonite. ‘The Wrath of Khan’ (Star Trek) is the movie in which Spock dies in self sacrifice to save Captain Kirk and the others.
The Darth Vader reveal and death of Spock in those two films are huge pieces of pop-culture relevance, that are constantly hearkened back to by fans and filmmakers alike. Thematically both movies are more serious films, and while they do not lack the sense of fun their predecessors established, they allude to impending disaster and feature real consequences. The two films are revered for their high stakes and surprising reveals, coupled with betrayals, and loss.
Will Jurassic World 2 live up to the high bar those movies set? Time will tell. I suspect high stakes will certainly play a role in the film, perhaps blurring the line of right and wrong, judging by the above themes coupled with past news – specifically the morality of caring for dinosaurs and mankind facing responsibility for creating them. Considering Jurassic Park has no villains to reveal their true identity (unless Dodgson crawls back out of the woodwork), it seems likely the film will shock audiences with loss, and hard choices presented to our heroes.
Sound off in the comments below, and let us know if you think the Jurassic World sequel can truly be ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ of Jurassic Park, and how you think they can do it. As always, stay tuned for the latest news!
Source: Noticias RCN
