Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, the Primitive War director, Luke Sparke, speaks on how his new horror movie went against expectations. This unique upcoming movie combines multiple genres, including action, war, and a monster horror dinosaur film. It is based on the book of the same name by Ethan Pettus.
The plot focuses on a group of U.S. military personnel in Vietnam in 1968 who are looking for a Green Beret group in an isolated Jungle Valley. On their dangerous mission, they discover that they are not alone, but rather are accompanied by dinosaurs. Primitive War features a leading cast including Tricia Helfer, Jeremy Piven, Ana Thu Nguyen, and Ryan Kwanten. It is set for release on August 21.
In a panel at SDCC that ScreenRant attended, Sparke spoke on how Primitive War stands out and was captivated by the Pettus novel and “pitched him [Pettus] what [he’d] love to do.” When he threw it around to various potential producers and distributors in Hollywood, he was met with “feedback” saying he is “not Steven Spielberg.”
Sparke also hinted that he “expanded on the ending” from what it was in the book. Check out the full quote from Sparke below:
I got in touch with the author and pitched him what I’d love to do… we shopped it around Hollywood… ‘you’re not Steven Spielberg, you can’t do dinosaurs…’ was the feedback… [But] here we are.
I… expanded on the ending.
What This Means For Primitive War
The Jurᴀssic Park Movies Have Set A High Bar
Ever since he directed Jurᴀssic Park in 1993, Spielberg has been known as the king of dinosaur films. While he has been less involved in the modern-day Jurᴀssic World reboot films, he can still be credited with reinvigorating the audience’s interest in dinosaurs. As such, it makes sense that the Primitive War team would have been met with such comparisons.
This was not helped by the fact that Sparke is not a big-name director. While he is experienced in the sci-fi genre, he has not released any big blockbuster films. That said, Sparke’s pᴀssion for adapting Primitive War is clear in his statement about the film.
He was clearly enthusiastic about the source material once he discovered the book and had a clear vision of how to adapt it. He also persisted despite the “feedback” about not being Spielberg.
Our Take On The Primitive War Quote
Primitive War Will Be A New Take On The Dinosaur Movie
Ultimately, it is great that Primitive War is not a Spielberg-ᴀssociated dinosaur project. The Jurᴀssic films can be huge box office winners, as evidenced by Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth, which has made $659.6 million and counting at the box office. This film will make for a tough comparison point for Primitive War.
Even if it makes far less at the box office (which it almost certainly will), Primitive War will be a chance to get a new take on the dinosaur genre. I appreciated the top-class CGI and thrilling beats of Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth, but Primitive War seems to offer something far more original based on the book’s premise alone.
