We’re still a little under two years away from the next cinematic chapter of the Jurassic Park/World franchise unfolding in Jurassic World 3, but those of you looking for a quick fix of dinosaur action in this fictional world are in luck. This weekend, an eight-minute short film is debuting on the FX channel called Battle at Big Rock, which is set one year after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and was directed by Colin Trevorrow, who helmed Jurassic World and will be back in the director’s chair for Jurassic World 3.
There’s a lot to unpack about what we can expect from Battle at Big Rock, but one of the key things to be on the lookout for is a couple of dinosaur species new to the Jurassic Park/World universe. In Colin Trevorrow’s words:
There are two species we’ve never seen before. The Nasutoceratops, which is a beautiful herbivore that feels like a Texas Longhorn. And the Allosaurus, one of the most iconic dinosaurs of all time. This one was a juvenile in the last movie. She’s all grown up now.
Battle at Big Rock may not be anywhere near as long as the Jurassic Park/World tales we’re used to, but Colin Trevorrow and his team are nonetheless making sure to introduce a few more of these prehistoric creatures during that short running time, which is a wise approach. If you’re giving audiences a new installment of a beloved franchise, even if it’s a short film, you need to bring enough fresh material to the table to ensure it doesn’t feel like a rehash of past stories, and showing off new dinosaurs can help with that.
As for the plot, Colin Trevorrow explained Battle at Big Rock follows a family going on a camping trip at Big Rock National Park, which is about 20 miles from where Jurassic Park ended. As you’ll recall, the sequel saw all the dinosaurs that were held captive at the Lockwood estate being freed, meaning that humans must now learn to coexist with dinosaurs. As Trevorrow put it, what goes down in Battle at Big Rock marks “the first major confrontation between dinosaurs and humans” since everything changed.
Colin Trevorrow also mentioned during his interview with Collider that this short film (which was originally supposed to be shorter) was shot over five days with a small crew in Ireland last winter. Trevorrow also co-wrote Battle at Big Rock with his Jurassic World 3 writing partner, Emily Carmichael, and he saw this short film as an opportunity show that the world is “bigger” now following the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Of course, Battle of Big Rock is just one way the Jurassic Park franchise is expanding away from the big screen. There’s also an animated Netflix series arriving next year called Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which is set during the events of the first Jurassic World movie and follows a group of teenagers who are attending an adventure camp as Isla Nublar and must figure out a way to escape the island when the dinosaurs break free.
Regarding Jurassic World 3, Colin Trevorrow didn’t provide any specific updates on its development, but did say the threequel is the movie he’s “been wanting to make” since they started, and that we should get some updates on it soon. It’s previously been revealed that Jurassic World 3 will serve as a “celebration” of the entire franchise, and it will not revolve around dinosaurs attacking cites or include any hybrid dinosaurs.
You can catch Battle at Big Rock this Sunday on FX after the channel’s airing of Jurassic World, and it will drop online soon after. Jurassic World 3 will rampage into theaters on June 11, 2021.
