by admin | Jul 2, 2025 | TV & Beyond Articles
In the first teaser trailer for “Jurassic World Rebirth,” Scarlett Johansson’s Zora Bennett explains that, “This island was the research facility for the original Jurassic Park.” While the movie itself doesn’t dive into the full history of the island, we do learn some key things about its history and how it factors into the larger “Jurassic” timeline. In short, it was a key location for both Hammond’s original park and Jurassic World.
The movie’s opening scene flashes back 17 years, showing us an incident that occurred on Ile Saint-Hubert while Jurassic World was up and running. The geneticists were working on various hybrid dinosaurs that could help keep the park more interesting, which eventually brought us the Indominus Rex. However, they first created the mutant Distortus Rex, aka the D-rex, which breaks containment thanks to, of all things, a Snickers wrapper. A scientist is eaten. Things go haywire.
From that point on, the facility was apparently abandoned, but many of the dinosaurs that were created there managed to live on, unbothered by humanity and left to fend for themselves. As the movie explains, many of the dinosaurs that had been roaming the planet since the end of “Dominion” were dying off, as the Earth isn’t hospitable to them. The ones who remain can only sustainably exist near the Equator.
Ile Saint-Hubert is an important location in Jurassic Park history
Universal Pictures
Unlike Isla Nublar or Isla Sorna, aka Site B as featured in “The Lost World” and “Jurassic Park III,” which were located near Costa Rica, Ile Saint-Hubert is located in the Caribbean near Barbados. It is situated near the Equator, meaning that the dinosaurs there have been able to exist comfortably. Unlike the dinosaurs of Isla Nublar, who were either removed from the island or died on it during the volcanic eruption that wiped it off the map in “Fallen Kingdom,” this island has been left largely untouched for nearly two decades.
Again, the movie leaves a lot of the island’s history up in the air, but the implication is that this is the island where InGen cracked the code on recreating dinosaurs to make Hammond’s wild theme park a reality. After the events of “The Lost World,” Simon Masrani and Masrani Global purchased InGen in 1998 and began hatching plans to open Jurassic World. The park eventually opened in 2005. Masrani repurposed the island to conduct further experiments for the park. Most notably, hybrid dinosaurs.
Aside from the D-rex, the scientists on the island also crafted the Mutadons, which feature prominently in the third act of “Rebirth” and were created using a mix of Velociraptor and Pterosaur DNA. These animals never made it to the park because they were “too dangerous.” As were many of the other dinosaurs that Masrani and InGen left behind after the D-rex incident.
It’s important to point out that all of the dinosaurs we see in “Rebirth” are new in some way. This island has never been explored in any of the previous “Jurassic” movies, so even though we’d seen some of these same species of dinosaurs we’d seen previously, the specific ones we’re seeing on screen are new. We’ve seen T-rexes before, but even this is a different T-rex. Even the Spinosaurus we see is different from the one we met in “Jurassic Park III.” This is sort of like the island of misfit dinosaurs.
Could the franchise return to Ile Saint-Hubert in the future?
Universal Pictures
The movie ends with the majority of the survivors getting off the island, save for Krebs (Rupert Friend). Unlike 2015’s “Jurassic World,” though, which clearly set up a potential trilogy, this was more of a standalone adventure with no major loose threads to tie up. It’s a close cousin to “Jurassic Park III” in that way.
That begs the question: could Ile Saint-Hubert return in the future? As it stands, Universal hasn’t announced any plans for another sequel, though “Rebirth” does seem poised to do pretty well at the box office. As is always the case in Hollywood, if something is successful, a sequel will probably follow. Whether or not that’s a more direct sequel to this movie or another adventure with more new characters remains to be seen. Edwards did leave things pretty open-ended and didn’t box the studio into any specific story that needs telling.
There’s also the matter of the animated shows like “Jurassic World: Chaos Theory” on Netflix. Who knows? Maybe those characters will make their way to Ile Saint-Hubert somehow. Maybe the next movie will finally bring us back to Site B after all these years, as that’s largely been unexplored since “JP3.” There are options for the future, but the mere existence of this new island suggests that there is more to explore, should Universal decide that’s the right thing to do.
Even if the future of the franchise isn’t centered on Ile Saint-Hubert, its most significant contribution to the franchise was bringing something new to the table that could open the door for more down the line, be that a further explanation of this island or somewhere else entirely.
“Jurassic World Rebirth” is in theaters now.
by admin | Jul 2, 2025 | Cinemablend News, News
Only a select few filmmakers have had the opportunity to direct one of the Jurassic Park movies, like Steven Spielberg or Colin Trevorrow. The latest to join their ranks is Gareth Edwards, who helmed the newly released Jurassic World Rebirth. Directors can come by gigs in a myriad of ways and, sometimes, that happens by way of sheer luck or happenstance. Edwards has a particularly wild story about what led him to join the Jurassic family and, believe it or not, it involves his girlfriend, as he revealed to CinemaBlend.
Gareth Edwards has directed some massive movies, like the MonsterVerse’s inaugural entry, 2014’s Godzilla and the acclaimed Star Wars spinoff Rogue One. Those credits didn’t make him a shoo-in for the job, though. However, Edwards has long held affection for the Jurassic universe and, as discussed with CinemaBlend’s Hannah Saulic, he channeled that into a four-page analysis of the OG film. Edwards explained that in doing that he was “trying to take the essence of the story and tell it like it was like a thousand years ago.”
Jurassic World movie was being made and swiftly took action:
David Koepp even compared the movie to Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film in several respects. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, Rebirth revolves around a covert team who venture to an island to obtain blood samples from dinosaurs for medical purposes. Their expedition is shaken up, however, when they cross paths with a vacationing family and dangerous dinos.
With a strong cast and seasoned crew (which included Ridley Scott collaborator John Mathieson as cinematographer), Gareth Edwards had plenty of help in pulling this all off. Due to their combined efforts, Rebirth was met with positive reactions from viewers who screened it early. This all amounts to the realization of a dream for Edwards, who later told CB that “this is what [he’s] always wanted to do.” I’d say his passion and hard work are what landed him the gig though, of course, his girlfriend deserves her share of credit as well.
Fans can take their own significant others and/or friends and family members to see Jurassic World Rebirth, which is now playing in theaters and is one of the biggest titles on the 2025 movie schedule. The other six films in the series are also available to stream with a Peacock subscription.
by admin | Jul 2, 2025 | Articles, Hollywood Reporter Articles
The biggest pleasure in Maa (Mother) is watching Kajol kick ass.
While the actor has spent over three decades playing everything from the girl every boy wanted to take home to mother (as Simran in Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenge) to a straight-up unhinged villain (as Isha in Gupt), we’ve rarely seen her in action mode.
Maa
The Bottom Line
More interesting in theory than in execution.
Cast: Kajol, Ronit Roy, Indraneil Sengupta
Director: Vishal Furia
Screenwriter: Saiwyn Quadras
2 hours 15 minutes
Here, she becomes the savior mom — think Liam Neeson in Taken, except that since Maa is billed as mythological horror, the saving is done in a creepy hamlet near Kolkata, India, called Chandanpur. When a demon called Doito comes after her 12-year-old daughter Shweta (Kherin Sharma), Kajol’s Ambika transforms into fire and brimstone.
Maa is the second entry in the shared universe that began with 2024’s Shaitaan, at the end of which Kabir (Ajay Devgn, a producer on Maa) comments, “If you want to understand the real meaning of strength, watch a mother fight for her child. In the entire universe, there is no stronger god than a mother.” Perhaps this is the line that inspired this spinoff. But although Kajol is solid as the divine feminine (whose name, Ambika, is another name for the goddess Durga), I just wish the film had more of her fury.
The movie is directed by Vishal Furia and written by Saiwyn Quadras, and while horror is very much in Furia’s wheelhouse (his previous credits include Chhorii and its sequel), it represents a departure for Quadras, known for such biopics as Neerja and Mary Kom. Here, Quadras offers a spin on the tale of Kali Maa and Raktbeej, the powerful demon who can replicate himself from every drop of his blood that spills on the ground. The idea of reworking such a fascinating religious myth into modern-day horror sounds intriguing on paper. But it proves not so much in execution.
Horror films are not about logic, so we can’t ask questions like why Ambika takes Shweta to Chandanpur when she knows its dangerous history, or why she stays there despite all the strange things going on. Characters in these movies never seem to leave the haunted place when they should. But we suspend disbelief and accept it as part of the deal. What’s harder to make peace here with are the lack of scares and the sluggish pace.
Shaitaan was anchored by a solid storyline, with a stranger coming home and taking possession of a young girl. It also featured a delicious performance by R. Madhavan as the titular devil, his perverse delight in torturing the girl and her parents becoming its own entertainment.
The gaping hole in Maa is the feeble antagonist. Despite the VFX and the background score, Doito doesn’t have an inch of menace about him. In fact, I kept thinking this tree-like creature, with snaking branches that he puts to murderous use, was basically an overgrown and angry version of Groot from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. There is very little personality here, and he’s saddled with forgettable dialogue, as in a scene when he tells a man, “Your heart is black. You could be useful to me.”
The story is both slow and convoluted — there is human sacrifice, Kali Puja, a Rajbari (mansion) with 30 rooms. (Incidentally, if you want to see a far better use of big Bengali mansions in a horror film, check out Anvitaa Dutt’s Bulbbul.) Maa also has echoes of Rosemary’s Baby, with feminist undercurrents that might remind you of the Stree franchise, and frames in the climax that closely resemble moments from Shaitaan. And although Furia put sugarcane fields to great use in Chorii, here, the forest is too fake to evoke fear.
There are a few fun jump scares — but little that chills or thrills.
by admin | Jul 2, 2025 | Articles, Hollywood Reporter Articles
Maureen Hingert, the Sri Lanka-born beauty queen who appeared as an actress in The King and I, Gun Fever and Gunmen From Laredo, has died. She was 88.
Hingert died Sunday of liver failure at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, her daughter, Marisa Zamparelli, told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was a beautiful and peaceful passing,” she said.
As Miss Ceylon, the 18-year-old Hingert finished second runner-up at the 1955 Miss Universe contest held in Long Beach, California, then appeared as a royal wife in Fox’s lavish adaptation of the Broadway musical The King & I (1956), starring Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr and Rita Moreno.
She followed with more substantial parts as Native American girls in Gun Fever (1958), starring, directed and co-written by Mark Stevens, and, billed as Jana Davi, Gunmen From Laredo (1959).
Born in Colombo, Ceylon, on Jan. 9, 1937, Maureen Neliya Hingert appeared in two 1954 films made in her home country, Circus Girl and the Elizabeth Taylor-starring Elephant Walk, directed by William Dieterle.
After being crowned Miss Ceylon, she stayed in California after competing in the first Miss Universe pageant to be televised. (Her appearance was credited with helping put her South Asian island country “on the map.”) It also got her a contract at Universal and a role in Pillars of the Sky, a Western starring Jeff Chandler and Dorothy Malone.
She performed as a dancer in venues around Los Angeles, and a photograph of her on the set of Gun Fever made it into Playboy in September 1957.
Hingert’s résumé also included the 1958 films Fort Bowie and The Rawhide Trail and episodes of The Adventures of Hiram Holliday, Death Valley Days and Captain David Grief. She was done with acting by the start of the 1960s, soon after she had her first of three daughters, Gina.
Her first husband was Mario Armond Zamparelli, chief designer for Howard Hughes’ corporate empire (RKO Pictures movie posters, the Desert Inn, etc.). They first met when she was modeling for a TWA mural he was painting for Hughes, and they were married from 1958 until their 1970 divorce.
Gina Zamparelli, a concert promoter, died in 2018 of a brain tumor at age 59. Another daughter, Andrea Zamparelli, died in 2009 at age 42.
by admin | Jul 2, 2025 | Articles, Hollywood Reporter Articles
The dinos are looking good.
Jurassic World Rebirth is on course for an opening day gross of $28 million at the domestic box office — among the top 20 Wednesday grosses of all time — for an estimated five-day debut of $127.5 million, according to early returns. The summer tentpole opened Wednesday, July 2, in North America in order to take advantage of the long Fourth of July holiday corridor. It’s also opening almost everywhere overseas for a projected global debut north of $250 million.
The seventh installment in the action-adventure franchise, from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Productions and Universal, features an all new cast anchored by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey.
So far, Jurassic World Rebirth is performing on the higher end of expectations.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story filmmaker Gareth Edwards directs from a script by original Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp. The story follows an extraction team who race to an island research facility that factored into the original Jurassic Park (along the way, they discover a shipwrecked family). Now, the island is inhabited by the worst of the worst creatures that were left behind.
Rebirth also stars Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda. Producers include longtime franchise stewards Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, with Spielberg and Denis Stewart exec producing.
The first three Jurassic World pics, which made up their own trilogy, all grossed north of $1 billion globally, and all opened higher than Rebirth domestically. At the same time, the latest film cost less to produce, or $225 million before marketing. In 2015, Jurassic World opened to a franchise-best $208.8 million, followed by $148 million for 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and $145 million for 2022’s Jurassic World: Dominion, not adjusted for inflation. (All grosses rep three-day openings.)
The first Jurassic Park, directed by Spielberg, opened to $47 million domestically in early June of 1993, not adjusted for inflation — a huge sum at the time.
Spielberg is always closely involved in the production of a Jurassic film, and was particularly so in the case of Rebirth, since it sets the stage for a new set of movies.
Other titles to watch over the holiday weekend include Brad Pitt’s F1: The Movie, which heads into its second weekend after opening to $57 million domestically, a stellar number for a racing pic about Formula One.
