The Jurassic Park franchise had pretty much run its course by 2001’s Jurassic Park III, and since Hollywood is incapable of letting a franchise die, it was in serious need of a reinvention if there was going to be a fourth movie, which of course there was. Check that, is. As of today, Rise of the Planet of the Apes writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver are scripting a fourth Jurassic Park, with Steven Spielberg producing, aiming for a summer 2013 release. But back in 2004, there was a pitch and a script from William Monahan (The Departed) and John Sayles (The Spiderwick Chronciles) that involved dinosaur-human hybrids that shot weapons and were used to fight crime. Oh what could have been.
It might be hard to believe but the story saw a secret genetics lab get involved with cross-breeding humans with dinosaurs, giving them problem-solving intelligence and the ability to fire weapons and fight crime, but controlled by human authorities. [Reddit via FirstShowing]
DINOSAURS THAT SHOOT GUNS AND FIGHT CRIME! And to think, all this time I thought that idea only existed in old Photoshops of mine. Apparently it made it far enough into pre-production that ILM created concept art and 3D models (see above and below). Jesus, that is the best idea ever. Here’s a bit more, from an old, ridiculously verbose script review on AICN:
…a DIRTY DOZEN-style mercenary team of hyper-smart dinosaurs in body armor killing drug dealers and rescuing kidnapped children…
So we are introduced to Achilles, Hector, Perseus, Orestes, and Spartacus, each of them a specially created deinonychus, which is sort of like a miniature T-rex. They have super-sensitive smell and hearing, incredible strength and speed and pack-hunting instincts, and they have modified forelegs, lengthened and topped with more dextrous fingers, as well as dog DNA for increased obedience and human DNA so they can solve problems well. All of this is topped off with a drug-regulating implant that can dose them with adrenaline or serotonin as the situation demands.
OMG OMG! (*excitedly fans face with both hands*) Can they also have parkour dog’s DNA for free-running skills and EXTREME ATTITUDE?!? Ooh, and wingsuits, and a gland in their necks that secretes Monster energy drink…
You hear that? That was the sound of Michael Bay’s giant boner slamming into his brushed Titanium codpiece.
[pics via imgur]