When Jurassic Park premiered in 1993, little kids everywhere trembled in terrified fascination at the T. Rex in all her roaring, stomping glory. The original queen dino hasn’t been forgotten either – she will get a cameo in the upcoming Jurassic World , which opens in June.
And according to Colin Trevorrow, the original T. Rex is going to look like Burt Lancaster. Not literally, of course. What the Jurassic World director means is the dinosaur will be aged to reflect her captivity on the island since Dr. Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm, Lex and Tim took flight, Digital Trends reported.
The original T. Rex from our childhoods will not be the same – she’ll have some scars and her skin will be a bit more taut, to give her the “feeling of, like, an older Burt Lancaster. And this movie is her Unforgiven ,” he said.
After all, she’s had a rough time.
“She’s been on the island for 22 years. She’s still alive. She’s a little older, and she’s angry.”
There’s no word on what role the original T. Rex will play. But Colin does guarantee dinos with much more personality and even detailed back stories to make sure the film offers more than just cool tricks. There will be plenty of substance, too, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The film has “actual people who have relationships. Occasionally they’ll run into some dinosaurs.”
Which isn’t to say the monsters won’t be awesome. Audiences will enjoy some new dinos – like the Ankylosaurus, an underwater version, and a brand-new flying creature. But in this world, the title of most awesome will, of course, go to the raptors.
They will actually be played by individual actors in performance-capture suits , so that each is unique. According to the New York Times , they’ll have their own look, with “different bone structure in their face.. colors and … skin textures and patterns,” the director explained.
The film also introduces the idea that the deadly creatures can be controlled; Chris Pratt’s character, Owen, manages to keep one at bay when it tries to eat one of his friends, resurrecting something from the first installment as well – the moment when John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) says he imprints on each dinosaur at birth.
These changes will create dinos that can really tell a story, making Jurassic World stand out among its predecessors. But don’t worry, Trevorrow said they’ll still make you tremble.
“Our dinosaurs do look spectacular. But if the movie is terrible, no one is going to care. So all the time, we focused on telling a great story and trying not to do a carbon copy of the other movies. The raptors are still the most vicious predators in that park. And things are going to get nasty.”
[Photo Courtesy Getty Images, YouTube Screengrab]