Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's Writers Thought Audiences Would Hate A Key Plot Detail

2018's "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" was the second installment in the "Jurassic World" franchise, a series of legacy sequels to the "Jurassic Park" movies. Historically, sequels to 1993's "Jurassic Park" have not fared well with audiences and critics, failing to recapture the magic of the original dinosaur classic. However, the first "Jurassic World" proved broadly popular in its back-to-basics approach to the franchise, raising hopes for its subsequent sequels. Despite the return of original "Jurassic Park" stars, these sequels didn't quite maintain the excitement generated by "Jurassic World." Nevertheless, they made some bold choices, at least demonstrating a willingness to push the franchise's storytelling in new directions rather than simply clinging to nostalgia. Not only did "Fallen Kingdom" extend the genetic engineering focus to human cloning and set dinosaurs loose across the globe, but the movie also brought about the end of a major franchise mainstay with the destruction of Isla Nublar.

Introduced in the very first "Jurassic Park," Isla Nublar was the remote island where the original Jurassic Park theme park was situated. While sequels introduced Isla Sorna as the research facility — "Site B" — where Jurassic Park's dinosaurs were created, "Jurassic World" saw the franchise return to Isla Nublar. Then, "Fallen Kingdom" revealed the volcano on Isla Nublar was not as inactive as first thought, leading to the island's tragic destruction — a bold decision that gave the movie's writers pause for thought.

Colin Trevorrow co-wrote "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" with Derek Connolly, and it was their decision to destroy the franchise's original core setting. In a 2018 interview with Empire, Trevorrow explained that the writers understood the potential fallout of destroying such a huge piece of "Jurassic Park" lore. "We treated it with great reverence, we take it very seriously," Trevorrow said of the volcanic destruction of Isla Nublar. The writer and executive producer went on to explain how he, Connolly, and director J.A. Bayona attempted to avoid angering audiences:

"We looked at it almost like, if our characters are watching that happen, it's like they're witnessing the burning down of a church or a temple. I honestly think it's like killing off a character in a way, and if you're going to do that, as long as you approach it with the proper respect and acknowledgement that you understand how indelible and permanent what you're doing is, then hopefully people will have an emotional response but they won't hate you for it."

Isla Nublar's destruction played out in heartbreaking fashion in "Fallen Kingdom." Observed by Chris Pratt's Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire Dearing, the island burned in a cloud of volcanic smoke and fire. A lone brachiosaurus — the first dinosaur to appear in the original "Jurassic Park" — cried out as it was consumed by the fire and the site of the original Jurassic Park was lost forever.