Another ‘Jurassic’ filming on Kaua’i

Motion picture crews are on Kaua’i this week for location filming for Universal

Pictures’ and Amblin Entertainment’s “Jurassic Park III.”

Not everybody on

the island was atuned to the cinematic activity. At one location, visitors

returning from a Wailua River cruise were oblivious to the filmmaking going on

nearby at Wailua Marina.

The film, the third installment in the studio’s

most successful film franchise ever, is scheduled for release next

summer.

Director Steven Spielberg is serving as executive producer for the

film. Spielberg traveled to Kaua’i in 1992 to film the original “Jurassic Park”

and survived Hurricane ‘Iniki inside the Westin Kauai’ at Kalapaki. He returned

in 1996 to film the sequel, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.”

Both films

featured numerous locations on Kaua’i, including Limahuli Valley at Ha’ena,

Olokele Canyon, the National Tropical Botanical Garden at Lawa’i, Valley House

at Kealia, the beachfront near the Otsuka store in Kapa’a, pastoral lands at

Kilauea and Maha’ulepu.

Joe Johnston (“October Sky,” “Jumanji”) is

directing “Jurasic Park III.” The screenplay is based on characters created by

best-selling writer and North Shore resident Michael Crichton.

Stan Winston

and the Oscar-winning visual effects wizards at Industrial Light and Magic will

once again create dinosaur effects for the film.

Also back for the latest

dinosaur flick is actor Sam Neill, who is returning in the role of Dr. Alan

Grant.

Location footage was filmed last week on the North Shore of O’ahu.

Filming will finish up at locations in southern California and on sound stages

on the Universal lot in Los Angeles.

The film company is anticipating

another blockbuster with “Jurassic Park III.” The first two films have

generated more than $1.5 billion in worldwide box office revenue.