The biggest problem for Steven Spielberg in 1993’s Jurassic Park was keeping dinosaurs inside the fences after bringing them back from extinction. Seven movies later, those fences are far behind. Volcanic eruptions, genetic experiments, and attempts to turn them into military weapons have failed to kill the dinosaurs. They’ve been hunted, sold at auction, and released into a world not exactly welcoming to prehistoric life. The franchise’s subtitles have often foreshadowed its approach to the dinosaurs over the years. Each new title has provided a glimpse into what was to come, from the second island to the failure of John Hammond’s dream. An eighth sequel is now in the works, with a potential new title hinting the dinosaurs could need some rescuing. But this time, someone might fight for them.
The next Jurassic World movie may already have a title. Jurassic World Liberation is listed in the latest Production Weekly, which tracks upcoming film and television projects. The movie is listed alongside productions including Avengers: Secret Wars and Michael Bay’s Transformers 8. The title came up earlier this year, but those original reports were dismissed. Universal has not yet confirmed the name, but Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona is said to be the frontrunner to take over from Gareth Edwards, who left the sequel due to creative differences.
Could Jurassic World: Liberation Bring Back the Dinosaur Rights Movement?
The original Jurassic Park was named after John Hammond’s theme park. Jurassic Park: The Lost World gave us Isla Sorna, a second island where dinosaurs roamed free. The only other film without its own subtitle is Jurassic Park III, but the logo did get a unique look with the claw-mark-inspired Roman numeral III. When the franchise was revived in 2015, Colin Trevorrow convinced Steven Spielberg to change the name to Jurassic World. The new title reflected Hammond’s dream of a fully operational dinosaur theme park finally coming true. Fallen Kingdom destroyed Isla Nublar. Dominion brought dinosaurs to the human world. Rebirth took the series back to the isolated dinosaur habitats where it all started and introduced a new cast. Below is a gallery of all those film’s logos:
The most straightforward interpretation of Liberation is that someone will be fighting for the release of dinosaurs from captivity. It’s an idea the franchise explored nearly 30 years ago in The Lost World. Vince Vaughn played Nick Van Owen, a photographer and environmental activist who helped Sarah Harding, played by Julianne Moore, sabotage InGen’s hunting operation and, in the process, free the captured dinosaurs.
Bayona’s Fallen Kingdom gave the idea a creature feature slant. Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing and Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady rescue dinosaurs from a volcanic eruption, only to find it was all a ruse to auction the animals off to the highest bidder. Jurassic World Rebirth explored that theme, but more from the angle of conservation. Scarlett Johanssen’s Zora Bennett and Mahershala Ali’s Duncan Kincaid survived their quest to retrieve dinosaur DNA for a pharmaceutical company, ultimately choosing the greater good than their bank accounts. Their experience might make them valuable recruits for another expedition. Perhaps this time they’ll protect dinosaurs from poachers rather than collect specimens.
My fan-fueled personal hope is that, much like Dominion reunited the original cast, The Lost World trio of Ian Malcolm, Sarah Harding and Nick Van Owen will return to recruit the surviving mercenaries from Rebirth. And they might not be alone. Anne Hathaway has recently expressed an interest in joining her friend Scarlett in the franchise, ready to add her experience from The End of Oak Street to explore another world of dinos. Of course, Universal hasn’t confirmed the title or the plot, but the production seems to be moving forward with a working title that sets up a dinosaur freedom fight.