The news that Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth will feature sequences cut from the original novel’s movie adaptation means the reboot could adapt a great set piece missing from Spielberg’s original movie. While Jurᴀssic Park’s ending is almost perfect, that doesn’t mean that director Steven Spielberg’s movie is an entirely faithful adaptation of author Michael Crichton’s best-selling novel of the same name. Jurᴀssic Park trimmed a lot of scenes from the original book and altered a few characters beyond recognition, most notably John Hammond.

The avuncular, well-meaning grandfather of the movie adaptation is a far cry from Jurᴀssic Park’s original Jim Hammond, a paranoid egotist who distrusts and dislikes everyone around him. Similarly, Gennaro’s role in the novel is outright heroic, whereas his movie role reduces him to a minor villain. The upcoming franchise reboot Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth can’t undo these changes since it is a sequel, rather than a remake. However, Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth could bring back some missing sequences from the novel, including one legendary cut scene.

The Original Jurᴀssic Park Movie Cut A Spectacular Raft Scene From The Novels

Jurᴀssic Park’s Missing Raft Scene Saw Alan Grant Chased Upriver By A T. Rex

Although it didn’t make it into Spielberg’s movie adaptation, Jurᴀssic Park’s source novel includes a spectacular raft sequence that could have been the movie’s coolest scene. The thrilling set-piece sees Alan Grant, Lex, and Tim board a river raft ride that was designed to take visitors through the reptile section of Jurᴀssic Park. Inevitably, the group ends up being chased down the river by the T. rex, which wades through the water behind them.

The missing raft sequence climaxes with the group’s raft reaching a waterfall, leaving Grant with an impossible decision. As the T. rex and a stampede of other dinosaurs rampage through the river, Grant opts to send the raft off the waterfall with himself, Tim, and Lex still inside. The trio lives to tell the tale, but the scene remains one of the most dynamic and action-packed parts of the novel. However, much like Jurᴀssic Park: The Lost World never explained how its T-rex escaped the cargo hold of a ship, Jurᴀssic Park cut this scene.

Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth Is Teasing An Unused Scene From The Novels

Screenwriter David Koepp Told Variety Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth Reinstates Novel Scenes

The decision to cut the sequence was likely due to its expense and complexity, although the book The Making of Jurᴀssic Park: An Adventure 65 Million Years in the Making notes that the sequence was planned and even partially sH๏τ before it was abandoned. Luckily, in an interview with Variety, Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth screenwriter David Koepp told the publication that viewers could expect some scenes missing from earlier movies in this upcoming reboot.

Per Koepp, “There was a sequence from the first novel that we’d always wanted in the original movie, but didn’t have room for.” Koepp said he was delighted to revisit the franchise as “We get to use that now” in Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth, which seems to bode well for the raft sequence’s potential comeback. While Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth’s plot remains under wraps, viewers do know that the movie will see Scarlett Johansson’s covert operative Zora Bennet undertake a top-secret mission to an island where the planet’s few surviving aquatic dinosaurs remain.

Which Other Book Moments Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth Could Be Adapting

Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth Could Bring Back Numerous Missing Novel Scenes

This plot doesn’t seem to set up a sequence like the raft scene, but Bennet soon meets a family of civilians whose holiday has become a fight for survival after they were capsized by dinosaurs. This mix of experts and inexperienced civilians is reminiscent of the original movie’s blend of paleontologists and Hammond’s family. While Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth’s story is original enough to feel fresh, it still shares the necessary hallmarks to bring back the missing raft sequence.

However, there are numerous other scenes from the original novel that Koepp could be referring to in this Variety interview. Hammond’s novel death is a memorably nasty moment that feels fitting for the character, and it could be repurposed for Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth’s villain. Similarly, the scenes where the characters realize that the dinosaurs bred in captivity are far more aggressive and legal than their ordinary counterparts is a meaningful moment absent from the movie adaptation.

As noted above, Gennaro’s Jurᴀssic Park book counterpart is a very different character, and the scene where he takes on a raptor is a great moment of heroism that the original movie excised entirely. While Genaro himself obviously can’t return for the reboot, Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth could re-purpose this fight scene for a new character who plays a similar supporting role. As such, it is hard to tell whether Koepp is referring to the raft sequence in the interview. There are numerous cut novel sequences that Jurᴀssic World: Rebirth could revisit, all of which deserve a chance to shine on the big screen.

Source: Variety