Historic movie franchise reborn with help of former Champaign man turned paleontologist

SAVOY, Ill. (WCIA) — A historic movie franchise is being reborn with the help of one former Champaign man turned paleontologist.

Steve Brusatte grew up in Central Illinois and is now a professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He also helped with the new Jurassic World Rebirth movie as a consultant.

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Brusatte said he helped make sure the dinosaurs appeared realistic, including his favorite of them all.

“You’ll see T. rex; you’ll see some of the raptors,” Brusatte said. “But we have some new ones. And my favorite new ones are the giant long-necked titanosaurs. These were the very biggest animals that ever lived on land in the whole history of the earth. They weighed as much as a Boeing 737 airplane. They shook the Earth when they walked.”

Brusatte got to be at the movies premiere in London. And on Wednesday, he watched it with his family at the Savoy 16.

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