Tuesday, February 11, 2014

The dinosaurs are coming. "Jurassic World," by Daniel Dupont

The dinosaurs are coming. "Jurassic World," Universal Pictures' long-awaited "Jurassic Park" sequel -- and the subject of months of rumors and speculation -- will shoot in New Orleans for 11 weeks starting June 2, according to the latest production update from the Louisiana film office.
The local shoot will be preceded by six weeks of filming in Hawaii -- four weeks in Oahu and two weeks in Kauai -- according to the Oahu publication  Midweek  (and called to our attention by  ComingSoon.net).
The start of production will mark the end of a tortuous road to reality for the film, which was originally scheduled to shoot last summer in Baton Rouge  before being postponed  to give filmmaker Colin Trevorrow, then the newly announced director of the project, time to rework the script and prepare for what is expected to be an effects-heavy shoot. Then, earlier this year,  rumors surfaced  that the project would move down Interstate 10 to New Orleans, although the studio at the time declined to comment on the possibility of that.
Now, with the confirmation from the state's film office of the project's move, the New Orleans area has landed its second high-profile sequel in just a few weeks. In mid-January,  "Terminator 5" was confirmed  to be bringing Arnold Schwarzenegger and company to town for an extended shoot. Filming on that Paramount-backed project is expected to last from April 21 to Aug. 1.  
Other major projects on the horizon for the New Orleans film industry are Warner Bros.' Will Ferrell comedy "Get Hard," set to start filming on March 17; and Relativity Media's Nicholas Sparks-penned drama "The Best of Me," starring James Marsden and set to start March 6. In addition, Twentieth Century Fox's "Fantastic Four" reboot is expected to shoot in Baton Rouge starting March 24.
As for "Jurassic World," the studio to this point has been tight-lipped about plot details. In addition, it hasn't confirmed any cast, although Bryce Dallas Howard has said she has signed on to the film. Chris Pratt and Jake Johnson are also reportedly involved in the project.