Credit: Universal PicturesThe upcoming Jurassic Park: Survival (TBA) follows directly from the original 1993 film. But it could mean a huge change for the Jurassic World trilogy.
Jurassic Park (1993) could have easily gone on without any sequels, but we got five anyway: The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park III (2001), Jurassic World (2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
While three of these installments have proven divisive over the years — Jurassic Park III, Fallen Kingdom, and Dominion — the series, which has grossed a combined $5.9 billion worldwide, has been mostly well-received from a critical standpoint.
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However, while a sequel to Dominion is inevitable, many fans have been keen to turn the clocks back and revisit the franchise’s glory years: the Jurassic Park era. And their wish has finally come true, because Jurassic Park: Survival takes place 24 hours after the first film.
But what does this mean for the five movie sequels? It’s unclear whether or not Survival is canon, but if it is, it may affect everything post-Jurassic Park III by implementing the destruction of Isla Nublar from the best-selling novel the 1993 film based on.
Before we dive in, check out the trailer for Survival, per Jurassic World YouTube:
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If you’re familiar with Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park (1990), you’ll know that Isla Nublar doesn’t survive beyond the final page. Fearful of the spread of disease, the Costa Rican Air Force is ordered to destroy the island and with it, all the dinosaurs, using napalm.
A deleted scene from the 1997 sequel The Lost World in which InGen CEO Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard) mentions Nublar’s destruction was likely omitted so that the island could be kept on the back-burner for future installments. Enter the Jurassic World trilogy.
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In Jurassic World, we learn that the original park has been replaced with the titular one, which has been up and running for several years. However, Isla Nublar still winds up being destroyed down the line, by a volcanic eruption in the 2018 sequel Fallen Kingdom.
The film series may have abandoned Isla Nublar for two whole films, with the second and third installments taking place on Site B/Isla Sorna, but the fact the 1993 film kept the original island alive is the only reason the Jurassic World trilogy exists in the first place.
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Should Jurassic Park: Survival re-introduce Isla Nublar’s destruction by the Costa Rican Air Force — which would make for a thrilling race-against-the-clock scenario in the game — then it would erase the three Jurassic World films from canon. From its own canon, at least.
Of course, the Jurassic World trilogy isn’t going anywhere. It certainly has its fair share of haters, but not to the extent that fans want it to be removed from canon in the same way Star Wars fans are still praying the globally reviled Sequel Trilogy will be.
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Nevertheless, Survival is free to rewrite canon as it sees fit. After all, it’s only a video game. Perhaps it will do nothing more than slot in nicely between the 1993 film and The Lost World, or maybe it will satisfy the Jurassic Park purists in more ways than one.
Per the official website, here’s the synopsis for Jurassic Park: Survival:
Return to Isla Nublar the day after the events of the beloved 1993 Jurassic Park film in an original adventure 65 million years in the making.
Survive thrilling first-person action as InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who was unable to evacuate Isla Nublar, in this single-player action-adventure game and discover a never-before-told story.
Through thrilling encounters, experience the wonder and danger of dinosaurs, each with their own distinct and adaptive behaviors brought to life by John Hammond’s vision.
The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. There’s no release date as yet.
How do you think Jurassic Park: Survival will affect the sequels in the film series? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!