Recent location news has fans of the Jurassic World franchise excited for the new entry into the film franchise, with pre-production on the new project, known as ‘Arcadia’, well into development. Fans have been excited by the news of new locations – but a few of the ones shared so far have us scratching our heads with eager anticipation! Today, we’re going to speculate a little on the direction which the new film could take utilising these locations - and dive a little more into some hype for this upcoming blockbuster.
Hold onto your butts – because we are going all in!
As many of us already know, ‘Arcadia’ pre-production has been taking place at Pinewood Studios just outside of London – the same location where many of the interior locations like the Lockwood Manor rooftop were constructed during the shoot for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Pinewood is a popular hit for many films to shoot at (Marvel and Star Wars properties also frequent the lot) so it is no surprise that Jurassic will once again return to the location to construct sets, and presumably utilise some of the stages which are available at the venue.
If you listened to my set-location visit segment shortly after Fallen Kingdom released, however, then you will know many of the surrounding areas near Pinewood were used for Lockwood Manor and the surrounding estate. If the location returns in the upcoming sequel for any reason (perhaps exploring the fallout of the auction as it unfolds in JWFK), then we may see film crews return to these locations. It is worth noting that the natural areas around this part of the United Kingdom are also very diverse – so we may see the production utilising some of these locations to represent new locations within the upcoming sequel.
A new and exciting location was also recently revealed – with the production heading to Vancouver, in Canada. Films such as War for the Planet of the Apes have utilised areas in this part of Canada – with serialised productions like Stargate SG-1 also frequently making use of the city and its surrounding areas. Spending a little bit of time googling Vancouver turns up some interesting results. Not only do we see sprawling cityscapes, but we also see wide lakes and towering mountains. These, combined with countless woodlands, create an exciting and diverse new location for Jurassic to explore.
I could see Vancouver serving a variety of different functions. As it is, I could picture the lakes potentially enabling an interesting Mosasaur sequence to take place. The recent Jurassic World: A Rising Tide Motion Comic highlights that the Mosasaur is still a very real threat – so perhaps this is something we will see explored here. Equally, however, I could see the snowy mountains and locales easily standing in for a location like Siberia – somewhere which Jurassic World’s viral marketing highlighted as holding an In-Gen facility known as Martel. Arcadia is a rather cold and arctic sounding name, so I do wonder if we may finally be able to explore animals from the Pleistocene epoch. Introducing creatures like Woolly Mammoths and Smilodon could be an interesting way of changing things up for the third installment in the refreshed franchise.
It has been reported that shooting in Vancouver will only last 10 days – so it will be interesting to see if we are getting another tightly-shot sequence akin to ‘Battle at Big Rock’ within the new film. Perhaps this could be an introduction to our new characters – and how their experiences with dinosaurs have thrust them into the plot of the third film? Whatever we see shot in Vancouver, it is very exciting to be adding yet another location to the expanding ‘world’ of Jurassic World.
Last, but certainly not least, our good friend Reel News Hawaii recently reported that the production is also set to return to the Island for the third installment. After the destruction of Isla Nublar in the Jurassic World sequel, it is safe to say that many of us believed that this would be the last of the films sharing a relationship with Hawaii. This does not appear to be the case, however – but it may not mean that Isla Nublar or Isla Sorna are returning just yet. Whilst traditionally used to convey the geography of these two islands, it is important to note that Hawaii offers vast and diverse biomes which could easily be used to represent any other tropical location. If Jurassic World 3 is the globe-trotting adventure which are expecting it to be, then it is safe to assume that Hawaii could be any of several different and brand-new locations!
With that said, however, it is exciting to consider the prospect of a return to familiar territory. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom broke tradition by including a flashback in the form of Owen’s Raptor Squad Diaries, so there is nothing to say that flashbacks will not also become a part of the subsequent sequel. Perhaps we could see the original trio return to Jurassic World during its hey-day, or maybe, with the ever-present use of de-aging technologies, we could see an extended look at the fallout of the 1993 incident? Whichever direction Colin Trevorrow and Emily Carmichael decide to take, it is safe to say that fans of the franchise will be eager to see how Hawaii factors in on this occasion.
It is safe to say that Pre-Production is well underway – with shooting set to begin in just a few short months! Are you excited to see the production of Jurassic World 3 get underway? What are you most hoping to see this new project bring to the table?
Let us know in the comments below, and make sure to stay tuned right here on the Jurassic Park Podcast where we will be sure to breakdown all the latest ‘Arcadia’ news the second we get it!
Written by:
Tom Fishenden