Years before Chris Pratt rode a motorcycle flanked by a pack of Velociraptors in 2015's Jurassic World, 2001's Jurassic Park III nearly included a very different scene featuring Raptors and dirt bikes.
This bit of trivia came from storyboard artist David Lowery, who appeared on the Stuck On Sorna podcast to discuss the third Jurassic Park film in honor of its 20th anniversary. The deleted scene in question had a group of Velociraptors chasing some of the movie's heroes on dirt bikes down a cliff. As one of the characters narrowly escapes by releasing a hang glider from their backpack, a pursuing Raptor lands on the saddle of their bike and rides it down to the bottom of the cliff. "For some reason, it didn't make it in," Lowery deadpanned.
Directed by Joe Johnston, Jurassic Park III follows the famed paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) as he's deceived into helping a divorced couple find and rescue their son from Isla Sorna, only to end up running for their lives from the island's dinosaurs. Notoriously, the film entered production without a finished script, often leaving Johnston and his crew to figure out how a scene would unfold on the day of shooting. The resulting movie was a box office hit but the lowest-grossing entry in the franchise, with reviews praising its tight pacing and relentless action while criticizing its hastily sketched plot and characters.
Earlier in 2021, Neill defended Jurassic Park III as being better than its reputation suggests. "I was just talking to someone earlier in the day who said, 'I really like Jurassic Park III and it gets an unfair [treatment].' He was from Rotten Tomatoes, I think it was him," said Neill. "And I said, 'Thank you very much!' I agree that the last 10 minutes are way too easy and way too hurried, but I think up to that point, it’s pretty damn good."
Neill will reprise his role as Dr. Grant opposite Jurassic Park stars Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic World: Dominion, the final movie in the Jurassic World trilogy and a capstone to the whole franchise. Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are similarly reprising their Jurassic World roles as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing for the sequel, with Colin Trevorrow directing. It will open in theaters on June 10, 2022.
Source: Twitter