One of many greatest cinematic surprises of 2025 was director Luke Sparke’s “Primitive Battle.” Produced independently but sacrificing nothing when it comes to scale, it delivered blockbuster dinosaur motion for the catering price range of a superhero film. Sparke has already introduced “Primitive Battle 2,” however the franchise could properly increase past a single sequel.
Sparke solely simply launched the trailer for “Dinosaurs of the Wild West,” which takes issues in an sudden new path. The sequence will unite people and dinosaurs within the outdated West, nevertheless it is not a follow-up to “Primitive Battle.” It is one thing else completely. In honor of the launch of the Kickstarter marketing campaign to fund that sequence, I had the chance to talk with Sparke.
In the course of the dialog, we talked about his deliberate “Primitive Battle” sequel and the way that is been evolving behind the scenes. As Sparke defined, he and the gang at Sparke Movies have developed a number of potential sequels inside the franchise. This is what he needed to say about it:
“For ‘Primitive Battle,’ I’ve acquired a number of sequels now. I’ve spent the time mapping out the place the story’s going to go, and quite than simply leaping one by one, I’ve really mapped it out. So, we have really acquired just a few scripts sitting on the bench with a number of actors and a number of issues taking place in that.”
“Primitive Battle” basically solutions the query: What if “Jurassic Park” was a Vietnam Battle film? It facilities on a army recon unit throughout the Vietnam Battle as they enterprise into an remoted jungle valley looking for a lacking platoon. Earlier than lengthy, although, they discover themselves in a combat for his or her lives with lethal prehistoric dinosaurs.
Primitive Battle’s sequels will not fall into the larger equals higher entice
“Primitive Battle” relies on Ethan Pettus’ novel sequence of the identical identify. Whereas Luke Sparke did not say a lot when it comes to what these “Primitive Battle” sequels will appear to be, particularly, he did point out that the assorted tales which have been developed do not essentially lend themselves to a straight-up trilogy or something like that.
“There’s positively slightly little bit of non-linear. There is a couple that might shift,” Sparke mentioned. “There is a couple which are positively like, this should occur after X movie, however there’s nonetheless by means of traces of every one. Every one might need a cameo from somebody from the primary one. All of it type of comes again to the primary one, nevertheless it could be totally different timelines that could be the identical timeline taking place on the similar time, and he is over right here, and she or he’s over there or no matter.”
Sparke additionally confirmed that “Dinosaurs of the Wild West” will not take the place of “Primitive Battle 2,” making it clear that each tasks can co-exist. The filmmaker added that he desires to come back up “with attention-grabbing methods to return into that world.” Mainly, he would not wish to fall into the standard sequel entice, which is assuming that greater is healthier. Per Sparke:
“I might hate simply to return and go greater is healthier sequel. After which immediately you burn out on that, which is what occurs so much with franchises. It immediately simply goes, subsequent one must be greater. Then, by the point it will get to the third one, you are like, that is simply ridiculous.”
Producers are going through numerous challenges making films as we speak, significantly within the unbiased area. Sparke is in an particularly difficult place making an attempt to make blockbuster-scale leisure on a decent price range.
When can we anticipate to see Primitive Battle 2?
Going greater, in that case, solely additional complicates issues. Luke Sparke made “Primitive Battle” for an incredibly low price range of lower than $10 million. Anybody who has seen the film and is aware of something in any respect about film budgets will most likely be shocked by that truth. However that additionally makes it essential for Sparke to have some flexibility when it comes to the path of the way forward for the franchise.
For the filmmaker, the viral success that “Primitive Battle” achieved is not one thing that he takes flippantly. Consequently, he would not wish to rush the sequel to market and compromise the ultimate product. That is why they pumped the brakes earlier this 12 months quite than rush into manufacturing. As he instructed me:
“I’d hate to simply rush ‘Primitive Battle 2’ in. And there was a time this 12 months that we have been about to go on ‘Primitive Battle 2’ on one of many scripts after which we have been like, ‘Are we simply doing it to do it? Are all of the items proper? Ought to we anticipate the correct second?’ So, once more, there’s all these conversations that occur day-after-day. So, it is positively very shut. It is sitting proper there, and I might like to do it this 12 months to launch it subsequent 12 months or early 2028, is type of the plan.”
Not that anybody desires to attend a very very long time between sequels, nevertheless it’s good when a director takes time to really contemplate what to do with a franchise, quite than rush one thing simply because it’d make some form of monetary sense to take action. Followers, in the meanwhile, must train some endurance.