Dinosaurs are just running around America now. That’s what happens at the end of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and, before we see how that plays out in Jurassic World 3 in 2021, the first hint will be online next week.
Yesterday, the surprising news broke that director Colin Trevorrow had made a Jurassic World short film called Battle at Big Rock which would be airing on the American FX network on Monday. At the time we had a title, poster and cast, and that’s about it.
Today, Collider spoke with Trevorrow, who explained exactly what the movie is, how it came about, and more. Here’s a taste.
Battle At Big Rock is a short film that takes place one year after the events of Fallen Kingdom. It’s about a family on a camping trip to Big Rock National Park, about 32km from where the last film ended. There have been a few sightings, but this is the first major confrontation between dinosaurs and humans.
So the eight-minute short shows the immediate aftermath of Fallen Kingdom. Trevorrow co-wrote the film with Emily Carmichael, who he’s co-writing Jurassic World 3 with, and shot the film in Ireland over five days last year on a shoestring budget. It features two new dinosaurs: a Nasutoceratops and an Allosaurus.
“It felt like a first step into a larger world after the last film,” Trevorrow added. “You have these animals loose in an unfamiliar environment, they’re disoriented, struggling to adapt. The first people they run into are bound to be camping. I wanted to see that.”
I have to say, I’m intrigued. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom felt like a huge misfire to me when it was released but the potential story it set up was undeniably cool. This feels like a fun table-setter of what’s to come.
“This is the movie I’ve been wanting to make since we started,” Trevorrow said. “It’s a celebration of everything we love about the franchise and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. You’ll hear more about it soon.”
Read more about the short over on Collider. It’ll air Monday on FX after Jurassic World and be online Tuesday, September 16. We’ll have it for you here.