While the final version of Indominus Rex that appeared in 2015’s Jurassic World was certainly a force to be reckoned with, new images of what the hybrid dinosaur might have looked like tease a more terrifying appearance for the creature.
RELATED: Jurassic World Concept Art Reveals a Very Different Indominus Rex
The images come from concept artist Ian Joyner, who shared them through his ArtStation account. Titled Early I-Rex Design Exploration, Joyner describes the art as “an early exploration for the Indominus Rex in Jurassic World. No one particular dinosaur was referenced, as it was a hybrid creation.”
While it still resembles a T-Rex in many ways, the design is a pretty significant departure from the final product in the film. This version has a tail club, much like an Ankylosaurus, while the dinosaur’s nose forms a ridge. There’s a significant amount of saliva leaking from the creature’s mouth, and the close-up reveals the presence of an ear hole on the side of the dinosaur’s head.
In Jurassic World, the Indominus Rex was a new dinosaur created by Ingen’s Dr. Henry Wu by combining different dinosaur DNA, most notably the T-Rex and velociraptor. The hybrid creature escaped and was the most dangerous (and intelligent) of all the rogue dinosaurs in the film.
RELATED: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Wraps Filming
The next film in the series, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, is directed by J.A. Bayona from a script by Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly. Arriving June 22, 2018, the film features returning stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and B.D. Wong, joined by Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, Ted Levine, Geraldine Chaplin, James Cromwell and Jeff Goldblum.