After the first screenwriter left the project, the producers had to call another screenwriter to create a new script for the film and that's how it works, guys.
It was from there that Steven Spielberg (Or Uncle Spielberg for those of you close), director of the first two films in the franchise, had a terribly crazy idea of militarized dinosaurs being used as weapons, but his version of the idea was much more fanciful. And what's worse is that he thought the kids would love this idea, holy shit!
To make matters worse, in April 2003, Spielberg and the other producers were looking for screenwriters to write a new script that was based on Uncle Spielberg's "brilliant" idea, and they later called on infamous screenwriter John Sayles to create the new script for the movie. For those who don't know, John Sayles was the screenwriter for the films Piranha (1978) and The Howling (1981), meaning he specializes in creating B horror films.
And that's how that terrible proposed script for the fourth film in the franchise written by John Sayles came about. Get ready to hear the story of John Sayles' screenplay.
Jurassic Park IV by John Sayles
By 2004, John Sayles had written two scripts for the film, the second script having been leaked onto the internet by hackers. Yes, since the end of the 90s, some scripts were leaked onto the internet through hackers and an example of this was the script for the film Scream 2, where the screenwriter had to change several things in the script due to the leak, thus avoiding spoilers of the movie plot. But going back to Sayles' script, as I said, the second script had been leaked online in 2004, where this script is the version we all know.
This second script has one of the most intriguing and infamous aspects of the franchise as a whole. Despite this, it's worth taking a look at this script to get an idea of what the film would have been like if it were released at the time the script was written. Below is a summary of the script, although I recommend that you read the script first before viewing my summary.
The script's story begins with a group of Pteranodons attacking several people during a baseball game, in which it is widely thought that these are the same Pteranodons that appeared at the end of the third film in the franchise. The whole world has started to pay attention to the mainland of Costa Rica, as some dinosaurs are migrating to the mainland. This invasion of dinosaurs to the continent is generating a lot of concern for the entire local population due to the possibility of the ecosystem collapsing.
The new protagonist introduced in the script, Nick Harris, an ex-military man hired by John Hammond to recover the Barbasol can left by Dennis Nedry before he was killed by a Dilophosaurus. That can contained DNA embryos from several dinosaur species stolen by Nedry, and Hammond wants them in order to use them to create a group of sterile and extremely aggressive dinosaurs, because according to him, these dinosaurs would exterminate the entire remaining population of the islands, so there would be no more incidents involving dinosaurs on the mainland.
However, Nick's mission is completely secret, as Hammond has lost the rights to Isla Nublar and his company, InGen, which currently belong to the Grendel Corporation, a Swiss multinational company and conglomerate. In addition, Hammond is also prohibited from cloning new dinosaurs, mining ore and excavating amber of mosquitoes. Hammond now spends his time paying millions to families who lost loved ones in the incidents of previous films.
On the island, Nick manages to find Barbasol can, but is attacked by Excavaraptors, a group of Velociraptors left over from Isla Nublar, where they lived in the underground area of the park. Over the years, they have evolved drastically, where in addition to adapting underground, they have developed large claws similar to the claws of a mole and the behavior of these creatures has gone far beyond, where they are now smarter and more aggressive than normal Velociraptors.
To make matters worse, Nick is also pursued by a group of Compsognathus and the military soldiers of the Grendel Corporation, who at all costs want the Barbasol can. After managing to lose them, Nick tries to return to his plane, but the plane is destroyed by a Kronosaurus, which also chases him quickly. Thanks to the power of protagonism, Nick manages to escape from the marine reptile and manages to return to the mainland. However, after returning to the mainland, Nick is finally captured by Grendel Corporation soldiers, in which he is taken to the company's headquarters in the Swiss Alps.
Nick is forced by the Grendel Corporation to train a squadron of genetically engineered Deinonychus, promising him a payment far greater than what John Hammond had promised him, on condition that he reveal the whereabouts of the Barbasol can.
In this script, we are introduced by other new characters, which are: Adrien Joyce (Ex-military, old friend of Nick and second villain of the plot), Baron Hermen Von Drax (CEO of Grendel Corporation and villain of the plot), Dr. Maya Lundberg (Scientist of Grendel Corporation and second protagonist of the script) and Sherman Fosdick (Chief scientist of Grendel Corporation).
After meeting the other characters, Nick is finally introduced to the hybrid dinosaurs, the Deinonychus Draxi. The Deinonychus Draxi would be the first hybrid dinosaurs in the franchise, which are composed of five of them: Spartacus (X-1), Orestes (X-2), Perseus (X-3), Hector (X-4) and Achilles (X- 5). They were created by Grendel Corporation with the intention of using them as military weapons, where the company's CEO, Baron Von Drax, wanted the embryos stolen by Dennis Nedry to use them in creating more dinosaurs for military use. Deinonychus Draxi has human DNA (which was donated by the company's CEO) and dog DNA.
Human DNA was added for better problem solving, while dog DNA was added to increase obedience. Each one has an identification number pulverized (Which in this case is an X with a number) and all were controlled by a device attached to the side of their heads, where these devices inject chemicals into the raptors, to make them obey Nick commands well for most of the script. In addition to having human and dog DNA, these hybrid dinosaurs also had squid DNA to camouflage themselves (just like the Indominus Rex from Jurassic World).
Nick, with help from Maya, Sherman, and the other company employees, begins extensive training with the Deinonychus Draxi, putting them through several different exercises to prepare them for their future military missions. The dinosaurs' first mission is to rescue a ten-year-old girl who had been kidnapped by a terrorist group. The mission is a brutal success, with the Deinonychus Draxi violently tearing apart the terrorists and saving the little girl from the criminals.
In the middle of the plot, Spartacus begins to have a friendly relationship with Nick (Like Blue and Owen in Jurassic World), while Achilles gradually turns into an uncontrollable killing machine (Something similar with Delta in Jurassic World). After an attack by Achilles during training that almost resulted in its death, Nick discovered that Maya is trapped in Von Drax's castle against her will, being forced to work for him.
Furthermore, Baron Von Drax becomes very impatient and threatens Nick with a crossbow, in an attempt to obtain information on the whereabouts of the Barbasol can. With no choice, Nick finally reveals the location of the can, under the condition that he release Maya after the Deinonychus Draxi's second mission is over. Later, Nick and Maya had a private conversation, where in addition to confessing their feelings for each other and kissing, the geneticist tells the ex-soldier that Von Drax arranged for that little girl to be kidnapped.
Eventually, they would have to rescue a group of hostages held by a drug lord in South America. However, this mission would also serve as a demonstration for various corporations looking to invest in the latest military technology. Investors are shocked to see dinosaurs parachuting during the mission on the observation monitors. In addition to the Deinonychus Draxi, there were also two Dilophosaurus, Casper and Pollux, and an Ankylosaurus, who were also trained by Nick weeks before the day of the mission.
All of the Deinonychus Draxi and the Dilophosaurus were equipped with armor. The dinosaurs manage to invade the drug cartel hideout and once again the mission was successful, where the dinosaurs killed all the drug dealers, leaving only the hostages alive. It is at this point that it is revealed that Nick had tricked Baron Von Drax, where he replaced the embryos in the Barbasol can with frog genes, much to the villain's chagrin.
It is also revealed that Von Drax was paid by a rival drug cartel to eliminate the drug lord and his henchmen. In parallel to this, the Deinonychus Draxi manage to remove their respective devices that controlled them and flee into the forest. Nick and the other Grendel Corporation employees headed to the drug cartel's hideout to assess the damage done by the dinosaurs.
However, the Deinonychus Draxi attack everyone by surprise, turning against their creators. As the hybrid dinosaurs killed Baron Von Drax and all of his company's employees, Nick and Adrien had a final standoff after Adrien deduced that Nick had planned the entire dinosaur attack from the beginning. When Adrien was about to kill the protagonist, one of the Deinonychus Draxi, Achilles, quickly attacks him, brutally killing him.
However, after killing the second villain, Achilles succumbed to its injuries caused by one of the Grendel Corporation soldiers, dying in the process. At the end of the script, Spartacus and the other hybrid dinosaurs flee into the forest, sparing Nick and Maya's lives. Also, Nick reveals to Maya that he had already sent the embryos to Hammond, hoping that Hammond will do the right thing.
Man, this script had many holes, such as the plot of the Barbasol can, because in the first film of the franchise, it is revealed that if dinosaur DNA leaves a refrigerator, the useful life of that DNA will end quickly. Because of this, Dennis used a fake shaving can, which contained a mini cooler that could delay the life of the embryos for a long time, where this process would last a maximum of 2 days.
However, the story of this script takes place after the events of the third film, that is, it makes no sense for the characters to want that lost can, as the useful life of dinosaur DNA samples had ended many years ago. Furthermore, the characters' explanations of the creation of the Deinonychus Draxi is very vague in the script. It's as if such explanations were just there to fill in the holes in the script.
Many of the ideas presented in the script were retooled for Jurassic World and its sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Yes, John Sayles' script has been repurposed in the current franchise, being readapted to be less bizarre. The concept of hybrid dinosaurs (Indominus Rex and Indoraptor), a squadron of trained Velociraptors (Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo), an ex-military protagonist and trainer of that squadron (Owen Grady), a former colleague of the protagonist who wants to use dinosaurs as military weapons (Hoskins), a scientist responsible for creating one of the hybrid dinosaurs (Claire Dearing), the story takes place in a specific location outside the islands (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), and dinosaurs on the mainland (Jurassic World: Dominion) were taken from this script.
It's just that these repurposed concepts were more reliably readapted compared to what was in the pages of John Sayles' second script. Detail: JW's Hoskins character is a bit of a satire on Sayles' script, since everyone knows that militarizing dinosaurs and using them as weapons is a terribly bad idea. But that's not to say it's a bad read, I particularly like this script written by Sayles as it's a fascinating part of the franchise's history, as well as being a reminder of just how trippy and weird Jurassic Park IV could have been.
I would even like to see how the fourth film in the franchise could have been if this script was approved by the studio and it's no wonder that I made 5 fanarts of this script to imagine what the film would be like if it were released at the time the script was written. Not only that, in 2023, an incredible artist I met on Tumblr who makes beautiful drawings called Ralbino hamster (Also known as Ralbi) drew one of the hybrid dinosaurs from this script for me.
In 2020, I had made the first fanart of John Sayles' script. But it was only in 2021 that I finished the drawing.
When I drew the characters, I had to choose the characters that were featured in the script, and these characters are (From left to right): John Hammond (Even with a small participation in the beginning of the plot), Dr. Maya Lundberg (Scientist of Grendel Corporation and one of the creators of hybrid dinosaurs), Nick Harris (The main protagonist), Adrien Joyce (Nick's old friend and one of the plot's villains) and Baron Hermen Von Drax (CEO of Grendel Corporation, one of the creators of hybrid dinosaurs and villain of the story).
To draw Nick Harris, I didn't want him to be similar or identical to Owen Grady, where I imagined the actor Michael Fassbender playing him (Although the character doesn't look much like an actor in the final version of my drawing). Before, I wanted to draw another character from the script, Dr. Sherman Fosdick (One of the creators of the hybrid dinosaurs), but I didn't have much space to draw him.
When I drew the dinosaurs, I chose the main dinosaurs from the script, which are (From left to right): Deinonychus Draxi/Spartacus (One of the hybrid dinosaurs), Dilophosaurus, Ankylosaurus and Excavaraptor. To draw the hybrid dinosaur, I had to base myself on its characteristics according to the script, that is, it is literally identical to the "normal" Velociraptors in the franchise. But since it's a hybrid, I had to add dog teeth and five fingers, as well as add spines on its head and back (A reference to the concept art of a hybrid T. Rex made by Carlos Huante) and the same coloring as the Bernese Mountain Dog.
When I made this fanart, I had added the Dilophosaurus, even though it wasn't mentioned by its correct name in the script (Where it was called "Spitters" in the script, as well as being "replaced" by an unknown dinosaur similar to the frill-necked lizard, Chlamydosaurus Sputori). Also, I painted the Dilophosaurus yellow, red and black to give a reference to the Dilophosaurus featured in Michael Crichton's book. To draw the logo, I was inspired by the logo of the movies The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III (Only the number in roman numerals).
After I had finished making the first fanart of the script, I noticed that the Deinonychus Draxi (Spartacus) that I had drawn in that fanart looked very similar to the normal Velociraptors seen in the movies. Thanks to this small "error", I really wanted to make a fanart of the Deinonychus Draxi, the hybrid dinosaurs presented in that terrible script.
Only I didn't want to draw just one of those hybrids, but the whole squadron of Deinonychus Draxi (Something most fans haven't done until today).
The hybrid dinosaurs that are in my drawing are (From left to right on top row): Spartacus (X-1), Achilles (X-5), Perseus (X-3), Orestes (X-2) and Hector (X-4).
Before I started drawing, I had asked Hellraptor for permission to use the same Spartacus coloring and fur that he had used in his fanart, where he allowed it.
I'm a Hellraptor fan and really liked the Spartacus fanart he made, and I wanted to put the same Spartacus colors and fur he used to reference him and his art. So all the credit for Spartacus' coloring and fur goes to Hellraptor, and if you want to see his awesome art, click here: https://www.deviantart.com/hellraptorstudios
To paint Achilles, I used the Rottweiler coloring to give it a more menacing tone (Since the Rottweiler is one of the most dangerous dog breeds in the world, and I think it goes a lot with this killer dinosaur). As for the coloring of Perseus, Orestes and Hector, I used the colors of Shiba inu, Beagle and German Shepherd, respectively. When I had finished the art, I noticed that Hector was very similar to Indoraptor, but now I couldn't change his appearance as I had already outlined the art (lol! XD).
Finally, I had added the number four in roman numerals, to give the impression that my art is a poster of the movie (If it was released at the time the script was written).
In 2022, I made three more fanarts of the discarded script for Jurassic Park IV, written by John Sayles. In the first fanart of that year, I drew the two protagonists of the script (Nick Harris and Dr. Maya Lundberg) and the two hybrid dinosaurs (Spartacus and Achilles) again.
In the second fanart, I decided to make a realistic drawing, where I imagined the actors Michael Fassbender and Regina Hall playing the two protagonists of the script, Nick Harris and Maya Lundberg. Furthermore, I radically changed the appearance of the hybrid dinosaurs in the script, the Deinonychus Draxi, where they now look 100% like the normal Velociraptors from the films.
However, I really wanted the drawing to have a realistic painting, so I asked my brother's friend, Camila Vytória, if she could paint this drawing for me, which she agreed to. This was the second drawing that Camila painted for me.
I loved the final result of the painting and I am immensely grateful for it. Thank you very much, Camila! If you want to know her wonderful work, click here: www.instagram.com/vcamilart/
In the last fanart, I redesigned the logo for the fourth film in the Jurassic Park franchise if it had been released at the time John Sayles' script had been written. I improved the line and this logo was just perfect, because it really looked very similar to the official movie logos. This was my last fanart of John Sayles' Jurassic Park IV and currently I'm not interested in making more fanarts of this script, because I feel that my work here is done.
A little art of Spartacus, one of the hybrid dinosaurs from the second discarded script for Jurassic Park IV, written by John Sayles. This drawing was made in 2023 by Ralbino hamster (also known as Ralbi), an incredible German artist and super nice person that I met on Tumblr. To draw Spartacus, she was based on two fanarts that I made of this dinosaur a while ago and the result was very good. If you want to see her work, click here: www.tumblr.com/ralbinohamster
BONUS: These are a series of fanarts made by YouTuber Terrordome 3000, who made a video in 2017 about the development of the fourth film until it reached the final product. These photos show what Jurassic Park IV would be like if John Sayles' script was accepted by Steven Spielberg. Yes, this YouTuber was the first to make fanarts of hybrid dinosaurs based on the script.
If you want to see his video that talks EVERYTHING about Jurassic Park IV before it became Jurassic World, from discarded ideas and scripts, rumors from the time, etc., click here: Mysterious Islands: The History of Jurassic Park 4
In addition, this script had two things that until today have not been explored in the franchise: Graphic violence/gore and the constant use of firearms. The intent of Sayles' script was apparently to make the fourth film in the franchise an R-rated movie, something we've only had in Michael Crichton's two books, which is interesting.
As I said before, the story of the previous films was more of the same for focusing on isolated incidents on one of the islands, where the protagonists always fled from dinosaurs without the slightest chance of defending themselves against them. However, here it is different, as all the characters had weapons to defend themselves against the dinosaurs and were always ready for any risk situation.
Furthermore, just like in Crichton's books, the script contained scenes of extreme violence and a lot of gore, where dinosaurs wreaked havoc and killed people in various possible ways, be it tearing people apart, tearing off their heads or limbs, devouring someone alive and etc. In other words, here the dinosaurs, just like the dinosaurs in the books that gave rise to the first two films in the franchise, were treated as monsters, who kill for pure pleasure, contrary to what was implemented in the films, where dinosaurs are treated as animals who act on instinct just like any other animal.
The problem is that if this script was approved at the time the script was written, the film would probably bring a lot of loss to Universal, since the film proposed by Sayles was a film for adults. Are you tired of knowing that even today dinosaur films are treated as films for the whole family to watch, due to the fact that many children like dinosaurs. Because of this, to this day Universal does children's merchandising in the franchise, in which it sells toys from the films to all children, making huge profits from it.
If a film like that was released at that time, the film would be a failure, because in addition to the fact that fans would not like the film under any circumstances, the film would not attract the attention of children, causing Universal to lose a lot of money, since children's merchandising generates a lot of profit for it. This film would certainly be a complete failure, where this film would bury the franchise once and for all for an indefinite period of time, just as happened with the Dino Crisis franchise after the release of Dino Crisis 3.
And as for those supposed official artworks from Sayles' script made by Carlos Huante, here's the thing: The Deinonychus Draxi always had the same physical appearance as the Velociraptors, that is, they were normal dinosaurs despite being hybrids (just like the Indominus Rex and the Indoraptor, which are hybrid dinosaurs but are visually normal dinosaurs), that is, those concept arts of the hybrid dinosaurs made by Carlos Huante are not and never were official artworks from this script.
Yes, those aberrations that actually look more like monsters from B horror movies than dinosaurs were never the squad of hybrid dinosaurs from the leaked script, according to Carlos Huante himself. Carlos even made a video on his YouTube channel discussing the concept arts of the hybrids. They were commissioned by Joe Johnston for his presentation of JP4. According to Carlos, they were made during a meeting in 2004 and were based on discussions, not on a script. In other words, the artworks were made parallel to John Sayles' script.
Yeah, those hideous aberrations are not the hybrid dinosaurs from Sayles' second script that was leaked on the internet, because the script itself confirms that the Deinonychus Draxi are literally the Velociraptors from the franchise, with few differences in physical appearance. The problem is that to this day, many people think that the hybrid dinosaurs from the leaked script that we have available to this day are those abominations from Carlos' concept arts, when that is not true.
Like, every time someone talks about this script, that person states with certainty that the dinosaurs in this script are the dinosaurs from those concept arts, but that person hasn't even read the leaked script, because the script itself denies this by stating that the hybrid dinosaurs they are literally the Velociraptors of the franchise. It's no wonder that to this day no one in this world has had the courage to make a fanart of the hybrid dinosaurs from the script, where me, Hellraptor, Ralbino hamster and the youtuber Terrordome 3000 are the only ones who drew the Deinonychus Draxi based on the script, not on Carlos Huante's arts.
But anyway, I hope you enjoyed the fanarts I made from this discarded script.
