On June 22, fans all over the world sighed in relief as the title of the fifth 'Jurassic Park' movie was revealed. Reactions were mostly positive and speculations on the meaning of 'Fallen Kingdom' ensued. Meanwhile, another very interesting development that happened was director J.A. Bayona posting a tweet suggesting the return of an iconic SUV from the first film. Leaked photos have more or less confirmed that as true.
As pointed out by website Screenrant, an anonymous source provided an image to the Facebook fan page Jurassic Park Motor Pool, focussed mostly on the vehicles from the 'Jurassic Park' series and custom jobs. The photo shows the iconic red and green Ford Explorer from Steven Spielberg's 1993 film, hoisted on top of a truck.
Screenrant notes that the car was shipped to the Hawaii sets of 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' earlier this week. This makes sense considering that J.A. Bayona tweeted a photo of a close-up of the black T-Rex logo painted on the car's door. So, the scene was either already filmed, or preparations were on, as seen from the mud stains on the body of the car.
The more interesting detail, of course, is the number of the SUV, which is "04." Eagle-eyed viewers would recall that the Explorer that the T-Rex dubbed "Rexy" smashed in the first film and threw inside a moat, was in fact numbered "04." A spectacular sequence ensued a little later while Grant tried rescuing Tim Murphy from the car, stuck on the branch of a tree. The car crashed to the ground, narrowly missing Grant and Tim.
Before the release of 'Jurassic World,' artist Mark Englert was commissioned to do an official teaser poster. His artwork, heavily influenced by scenes from 'Jurassic Park,' depicted a wild Raptor perched on top of the ruined "04" Explorer; the car's wheel pockets nesting her freshly laid eggs.
It was an eerie yet beautiful poster which made fans think that the surviving raptors from the first film and the Ford Explorer will be featured in 'Jurassic World' but that did not happen. That film did feature the Jeep Wrangler Saharas from the first film, though.
The teaser poster is much more significant now because we know the same Ford Explorer, if not the exact same car from the sets of 'Jurassic park,' will be featured in 'Fallen Kingdom' when Chris Pratt and Claire Dearing's characters head back to Isla Nublar to rescue the dinosaurs, from what appears to be an erupting volcano, as some set photos surfacing online have suggested.
In any case, the movie is looking more and more interesting as details emerge. Colin Trevorrow and Bayona have already said they are aiming to go back to the sensibility of the first 'Jurassic Park.' There is even a character in the movie called Benjamin Lockwood, played by veteran actor James Cromwell, who had deep ties to John Hammond, played by late Richard Attenborough. Jeff Goldblum returning as Dr. Ian Malcolm is worth the price of admission alone.
Steven Spielberg produced 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' is scheduled for release on June 22, 2018. It deals with the very topical theme of mankind's abuse and exploitation of nature, especially animals, for selfish reasons.
