Hollywood Turned Down Primitive War

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I still remember when Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park came out over 30 years ago – it totally kicked off this amazing franchise! And it’s still going strong, with the latest movie, this summer’s Jurassic World Rebirth, being a perfect example. The original 1993 film was a huge hit, bringing in almost $1 billion at the box office and even winning three Oscars. It really inspired a whole new wave of filmmakers, and I was definitely one of them!

Luke Sparke, the director of this year’s film-often called a dinosaur epic-is sharing how Spielberg’s classic dinosaur movie influenced him and sparked his career in filmmaking. “I always believe in going all out,” Sparke explained to SlashFilm. He also admitted that Hollywood initially wasn’t interested in Primitive War, but he didn’t let that discourage him.

Primitive War features Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) playing Sergeant First Class Baker. Baker is part of the Vulture Squad and is sent to Vietnam to find a missing platoon of Green Berets. Once in the jungle, Baker’s team discovers the area is overrun with ancient, predatory creatures. The film has been well-received by audiences, earning an 85% approval rating. However, critics are less enthusiastic, giving it a score of 53%.

“I first saw Jurassic (Park) at age nine, and it was a turning point for me – it’s what made me want to be a director,” Sparke explained. “When I found the project, I immediately felt I was the right person to bring it to life,” he said, referring to his recently released, action-packed dinosaur film, now available on VOD. Primitive War took its inspiration from the writings of author Ethan Pettus.

Sparke explained, “I discovered the story and immediately felt I was the right person to bring it to life. It really resonated with me. My first idea was to secure the rights, develop it fully, and then present it to Hollywood and the studios.” However, Sparke noted that the studios didn’t share his perspective, particularly given the existence of the Jurassic films.”

The issue, as you previously mentioned, was that people believed Jurassic Park had a complete hold on dinosaur movies. They reasoned that since I wasn’t Steven Spielberg, it would be impossible to succeed. As Sparke explained, “I kept saying, I love Spielberg and the Jurassic Park series, but here’s my idea!” Unfortunately, nothing came of it. Everyone gave me the same response, and I’m not someone who easily accepts defeat.”

What Is Next for Luke Sparke?

After working on Primitive War, alongside Tricia Helfer, Nick Weschler, Ana Thu Nguyen, Anthony Ingruber, and Jeremy Piven, Sparke is now looking toward the Star Wars universe. He has expressed interest in a story from that galaxy that hasn’t been made into a movie yet.

“But I would love to do ‘Knights of the Old Republic’. That or the Legacy comics that came out 20 years ago, which were set a hundred years after [‘Return of the] Jedi.’ It’s a whole different thing. Yeah, that’s what I’d like to tackle. That would be my dream,” Sparke said.

This story first appeared as a video game in 2003, set 4,000 years before the time of the Galactic Empire. In Knights of the Old Republic, many Jedi battle against the Sith. The game originally introduced fans to the characters of Darth Revan and Darth Malak.

Primitive War is available on VOD platforms.

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2025-10-05 00:09