Movies
James Cameron Almost Directed R-Rated ‘Jurassic Park:’ “It Would Have Been ‘Aliens’ with Dinosaurs’
Answering reader questions in the latest issue of Empire, James Cameron spoke about his version of Jurassic Park that almost was.
“[Steven Spielberg] was the right guy to make it,” Cameron said. “Not me, because I would have made it too terrifying and R-rated. It would have been Aliens with dinosaurs.”
While it’s impossible to deny the impact of Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, it’s fun to imagine Cameron — fresh off of Terminator 2: Judgment Day — making an R-rated adaptation of Michael Crichton‘s novel.
Cameron previously discussed his take on Jurassic Park with Huffington Post back in 2012. “I tried to buy the book rights and [Spielberg] beat me to it by a few hours,” he explained.
“But when I saw the film, I realized that I was not the right person to make the film, he was. Because he made a dinosaur movie for kids, and mine would have been Aliens with dinosaurs, and that wouldn’t have been fair.”
Cameron added, “Dinosaurs are for 8-year-olds. We can all enjoy it, too, but kids get dinosaurs and they should not have been excluded for that. His sensibility was right for that film, I’d have gone further, nastier, much nastier.”
Released in 1993, Jurassic Park earned over $978 million worldwide and won three Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Sound Effects Editing.
Sunrise Films has announced the official North American release of William Bagley‘s horror comedy Hold the Fort, and it’s accompanied by an energetic new trailer.
Hold the Fort debuts on digital platforms on June 23.
In the film, “Lucas and Jenny think their life is finally coming together when the couple become homeowners. Little do they know that their new house comes with a big catch. Lucas and Jenny soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they become trapped in a battle between their Homeowners Association and an onslaught of monsters from hell. The horror-comedy takes the timely concern of home-ownership and wraps this up in an entertaining action-packed thrill ride.“
Watch the new trailer below, which introduces one wild HOA gathering during an equinox. Things get bloody fast.
Chris Mayers (Adult Swim Yule Log), Haley Leary (“The Walking Dead”), Levi Burdick, and Julian Smith star.
William Bagley writes and directs, in addition to producing with Smith, Matt Dodd, Luke Williams, and Tim Reis (Adult Swim Yule Log).
Ahead of the release, Bagley said, “My goal with this film was to make a hilarious, fast-paced thrill ride while also telling a great story with heart. Hopefully, through all the blood, laughs, fights, and gags, you leave the film feeling inspired to tackle whatever life throws at you.“
Hold the Fort premiered at Fantasia last summer before going on to play FrightFest London, Toronto After Dark, and Beyond Fest.
I wrote in my review, “It’s an infectiously charming assemblage of jokes and monster vignettes bound together by a barebones plot with not much on its mind beyond delivering an entertaining time.”
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