A Jurassic Park Prequel Idea Makes More Sense Than Any Reboot

Not every film or franchise needs a prequel, but Jurassic Park deserves one without any doubt. With three films each in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World series, the franchise has no shortage of sequels and soft reboots. But it hasn’t dared to explore the origin story of the dinosaur theme park yet.

Based on Michael Crichton’s novels, every film after Steven Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park has been a straightforward sequel set after the events of the previous film. In some of these sequels, like The Lost World and Fallen Kingdom, new elements have expanded on the backstory that was only briefly touched upon in the first movie and the books.

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Does Jurassic Park Need A Prequel?

Why An Origin Story Would Work

It’s high time there was a prequel movie or TV series about the events before Jurassic Park. The prequel should be set during the development or construction of the original park. The original 1993 film started at a point in time when the park’s launch was imminent. While it explained almost every technical aspect of how the place came to life, it didn’t show audiences how it happened or what it could have covered up beneath the surface.

And this is not a bad thing. In fact, Spielberg’s use of show-don’t-tell benefited the movie and saved the audience from an exposition dump, or an overexplanation of the plot. However, as it stands, recent Jurassic World installments like Fallen Kingdom and Dominion almost feel like they’ve run out of enough story to cover in the present timeline. Going back to the beginning might be a refreshing change for the franchise. (That is, of course, unless Alex Garland proves us wrong with the upcoming Rebirth movie.)

Story For A Potential Jurassic Prequel

Site B, InGen & Hammond

A potential Jurassic Park prequel movie or TV series could explore many ideas detailed in Michael Crichton’s novels, such as the introduction of Site B or people who helped InGen clone dinosaurs. Details like these weren’t mentioned in the first movie, but over time, they were scattered across the sequels, giving the audience a deeper understanding of how John Hammond brought his vision to life by “sparing no expense”.

Essentially, the prequel would cover the beginnings of InGen and how they managed to clone dinosaur DNA. It would elaborate on the establishment of places like Isla Nublar, Site B, and Jurassic Park San Diego. While Benjamin Lockwood was introduced much later in Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, the audience could finally get an idea of why exactly he had a fallout with Hammond before the first park was opened.

What Led To Jurassic Park’s Creation?

A Jurassic Park 0 Before The Next Sequel

The main argument in favor of a Jurassic Park or Jurassic World prequel is that it would take the necessary time to explore elements from the books that were either condensed or left out altogether. The prequel could also explore the first ever discovery that led to the rest of the story, as shared by Crichton in a featurette for The Lost World: Jurassic Park. This would work especially well as a series, as it could lay a solid foundation for further sequels in the franchise.

What happened was, I had done a screenplay about a young graduate student who genetically engineered a single dinosaur from fossil remains. And the screenplay didn’t work out. It was too fantastic an event to be kept secret, which was what happened in that story.

For example, when The Lost World came out in 1997, the introduction of Isla Sorna faced criticism because the concept of a second island felt abrupt. It was introduced too suddenly, without any mention of what happened to Isla Nublar in the first movie. A prequel could address such gaps and provide a stronger narrative base for other films to build on. It would also deal with some unanswered questions and perhaps give a new perspective on some iconic characters.

Main Characters For A Jurassic Park Prequel

Darker Shades, Different Perspectives

John Hammond comes across as a cheerful, grandfatherly character in the films, but in the books, there’s no doubt that he’s the villain. A prequel could shed light on his darker side and show how he may have covered up more deaths than the few we know about. Moreover, it would ideally include all the characters who are around for the building of the original Jurassic Park. This includes Hammond, Henry Wu, Benjamin Lockwood, and game warden Robert Muldoon.

More Horror, Less Adventure

A possible Jurassic Park prequel needs to feel less like an adventure movie and more like a horror or thriller. This could be achieved by showing incidents that led to certain decisions seen in the original movies. For example, the electric fences built around the park are a no-brainer security measure, but imagine if the prequel showed what prompted them to build it in the first place — perhaps with an upsetting incident.

Prequel Series Or Complete TV Reboot?

Jurassic Park: Movie Vs. Book

In fact, it doesn’t just have to be a prequel. There’s also scope for an entire series adaptation of the Jurassic Park movies, which would be more book-accurate and cater better to the fan base. This could essentially work as a second adaptation while still maintaining a distinct flavor from the movies. An appropriate example would be how Dune has been adapted in different instances as both movies and TV shows.

Jurassic Park isn’t any ordinary movie — it’s cemented in pop culture. Most audiences across generations don’t need any explanation about what happened in the earlier films. Watching a moment like the first successful birth of a baby dinosaur, or how the iconic gates on Isla Nublar were constructed, wouldn’t just be a Jurassic Park fan’s dream come true. It also works without needing complex setup or context.

Jurassic Park

Release Date

June 11, 1993

Cast

Sam Neill
, Laura Dern
, Jeff Goldblum
, Richard Attenborough
, Bob Peck
, Martin Ferrero

Writers

Michael Crichton
, David Koepp