In 2015 dinosaurs were brought back from extinction in a major way with Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World. The soft-reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise handily turned into a massive success when it debuted in theaters, and much of that success can likely be traced back to the colorful and exotic new dinos that the film brought to life with modern technology. In fact, arguably no dinosaur epitomized that idea more than its biggest genetic hybrid, the Therizinosaurus-inspired Indominus Rex. But the final version of the beast was nothing compared to artist Ian Joyner's original concept art. Take a look below to see for yourself.
Right off the bat, it's pretty clear that this piece of concept art shows a radically different design for the Indominus Rex. Although the basic physical structure of the dinosaur pretty much remains the same (sharing notable similarities with a T-Rex and a velociraptor regarding build and body type), the color scheme is far more vibrant (almost neon) than the final product. There also appears to be considerably more armor plating around the head, which would've likely helped it get an upper-hand in its climactic battle against the Tyrannosaurs, as well as far more spikes on its backside.
Of course, it's worth mentioning that none of these Indominus Rex designs come anywhere close to the level of ridiculousness that almost transpired in the Jurassic Park universe. Before the development of Jurassic World, Universal very seriously toyed with the possibility of making a Jurassic film focusing on InGen's creation of human-dinosaur hybrids -- and the results were terrifying. These designs were ultimately never used, instead opting for the somewhat more traditional dinosaur design of the Indominus Rex. However, as the franchise continues to become more and more outlandish (in many ways reflecting the increasing sophistication of actual genetics), it's anyone's guess as to whether or not those terrifying hybrids will eventually take Indominus' place.
For now, it looks like the Jurassic World franchise is thematically aiming the concept of animal rights -- and the violation of those rights. We don't have much concrete plot information to work with just yet, but early rumors about Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom have suggested that the story of the film will see the dinosaurs evacuated off of Isla Nublar after unexpected volcanic activity threatens their habitat. Transported to an unfamiliar location (a la the San Diego sequence in The Lost World: Jurassic Park), things will inevitably go awry when "life finds a way." Even without an Indominus Rex around to lay waste to humans, things are very clearly not going to go according to plan.
We still have no idea what sort of bizarre genetic inventions we will see when the highly-anticipated Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom finally hits theaters next summer, but it's already clear that Indominus Rex will be a tough act to follow. Fallen Kingdom will premiere on June 22, 2018, but if you're in the market for more information on all of the films set to debut over the next year, take a look at our comprehensive 2017 movie premiere guide, as well as our 2018 movie premiere guide.
