Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2072

Damn Fine, Official TWIN PEAKS Jewelry From RockLove Has Arrived

For much of the past twenty-five years, if you were a loyal Twin Peaks fan, it was tough to get any merchandise based on the show at all. David Lynch was notoriously picky about what he allowed to be created as products based on his and Mark Frost‘s beloved television series. Aside from a few t-shirts and coffee mugs and such released during the show’s original heyday, there’s been next to nothing.

Boy, is that sure different now. With the show’s impeding return to the airwaves on Showtime, the floodgates are open when it comes to Twin Peaks merch, for maybe the first time ever. There are Twin Peaks Funko figures, Twin Peaks vinyl album re-releases, Twin Peaks posters, and now, thanks to the folks at RockLove, a new line of official Twin Peaks jewelry.

Among the items are a collector’s set of enamel pins, featuring the Double R Diner favorites of cherry pie, donuts and a cup of coffee, as well as a pin featuring the Owl Cave symbol. Also offered is s an Owl shaped keychain, which features the Giant’s mysterious message to Agent Dale Cooper “the Owls are not what they seem.”

There are also necklaces and pendants, featuring the zig zag pattern of the Red Room/Black Lodge, and bracelets which feature the cryptic phrase from the series “Fire Walk With Me.” But the coolest of these items is a recreation of the Owl Cave ring worn by Laura Palmer in the film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, which is now up for pre-order. This signet ring is 14K yellow gold over sterling silver, and looks almost exactly like the one featured in the movie, truly a must for any hardcore fan of the series._

You can check out images of the entire RockLove Twin Peaks jewelry line in our gallery down below, and to order any of the damn fine items, be sure to head over to RockLove.com.

Are you excited to finally be able to own some cool Twin Peaks merchandise? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: New Line Cinema; RockLove Jewelry

DESTINY 2 Is the Game We Originally Wanted (Preview)

Most of us can agree that Destiny‘s release was far from perfect. Its lack of an enticing narrative (or any at all, actually), repetitive missions, and annoying RNG loot drops drove a lot of players away. Of course, that was never the case for yours truly. It wasn’t until after I put 300+ into the game that I finally decided enough was enough. With that in mind, I already had a laundry list of improvements I wanted to see in a potential sequel. Thursday’s stellar keynote address answered a lot of my concerns, but unfortunately not all of them. Here are my takeaways after an afternoon of going hands-on with the campaign (PS4), PVP (PS4), and Strike (PC) from the highly anticipated Destiny 2.

There’s finally a real campaign–Praise the Traveler! I played the same 10-15 minute-long mission shown off at the keynote called “Homecoming” and well, watching the Tower crumble was definitely intense. While the gameplay felt pretty familiar, the increased NPC chatter that surrounded me, on top of new scripted moments, made it clear that Bungie heard everyone loud and clear and added a robust campaign. The changes weren’t earth-shattering by any stretch, but characters appear to have the soul and charm that were sorely lacking in the first game. This was also my first look at the new Dawnblade special, where the player wields a mighty blade that shoots out fire blasts. Let’s just say it packed quite a punch. I can’t wait to wreak havoc with the sequel’s new specials.

My hope is that at the very least, the campaign gives Guardians some memorable moments. I don’t really think it will dive too deep into the lore that was revealed in the first game since the new focus seems to be on a new threat, Primus Ghaul. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see; consider me cautiously optimistic.

Moving on to the new strikes, I checked one out called “The Inverted Spire” on the PC. Teaming up with two other players, I travelled down to a drilling site to duke it out in a three-staged boss fight. Of everything, this was the most impressive thing I saw. While the premise was the same as past Destiny strikes (pew pew your way through hoards of enemies to reach the boss), the journey to the boss felt more imaginative. Not only did we have to fight our way through a massive site on the new Vex-controlled Nessus equipped with a deadly drill we constantly had to avoid, we also had to hop between platforms while taking out a barrage of enemies.

When we finally reached our destination, the final boss was reminiscent of our good friend Atheon—albeit a miniature version. This was easily the most impressive and fun gameplay I got a chance to experience. It almost felt like they took cues from what made the Raids so much fun regarding the mission structure. I can also report that the build we played had no hiccups on the PC, and it ran smooth as hell.

My final stretch of the Destiny 2 tour landed me in the four-on-four PvP mode called Countdown. In this particular mode, one side has to arm one bomb in one of two possible locations while the other team is tasked with defending those two locations. The first to six gets the whole burrito. It was a fairly straightforward and fast-paced mode. My first impression was that nothing has really changed as far as the core gameplay is concerned, and that’s not bad at all. It’s pure butter. Bungie just knows how to make great precision-based sci-fi first-person shooters. And they didn’t have to fix anything here, it’s still all about precision and skill. The new specials felt incredibly powerful in this mode because you could take out a whole team in one fell swoop. Building up your special meter quickly became imperative throughout the rounds. There’s also a third ability to go along with your grenade and melee attack for each class that’s activated by holding circle.

Some have already started to describe this as Destiny 1.5, and to be blunt, based on what we’ve seen so far, it’s a fair assessment—at least for now. And that’s what’s so tough about this. Bungie clearly allowed the community’s voice to shine through the decisions they’ve made, so it’s hard to penalize them for that. Everything I saw and got my hands on was fun and exciting, but at the end of the day it felt like more of the same.

Bungie is definitely headed in the right direction with Destiny 2. It’s important to remember that this is just a glimpse of what’s going to probably be a massive package. We’re simply analyzing a small sample size. We still need to see what the whole package will be like. How will the loot system be retooled? Will the level system be reimagined? How well will the clans and guided games be implemented? Will planets finally feel massive and mysterious? How will the raids be improved? How will the gameplay vary when it comes to the daily grind?

As you can see, there are still so many things we need to get our hands on. I’m excited, as every dedicated Guardian out there should be. One thing’s for certain, Bungie has been listening.

Destiny 2 launches September 8, 2017.

Image: Bungie, Activision

Mera First Look Reveals How AQUAMAN Will Differ From JUSTICE LEAGUE!

Since Man of Steel hit theaters, the DC Extended Universe has been known for its almost monochromatic depiction of the colorful world of superheroes. (It’s as if bright colors don’t exist.) But there may be hope on the horizon: The early critical word on Wonder Woman is very positive, and a new look at one of the main characters in Aquaman is much more faithful to her depiction in the comics. Today’s Nerdist News is going beneath the waves to examine Mera’s new costume!

Join host and the Edna Mode of the DCEU, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through the very eye-catching new design for Amber Heard’s Mera, as revealed by Aquaman director, James Wan.

Lady MERA swept in from the sea. First day with the exquisite Amber Heard. (Shot by the talented @jasinboland ) pic.twitter.com/FWQANu0S12

— James Wan (@creepypuppet) May 18, 2017

For comparison’s sake, this is what Mera looks like in the comics:

She’s missing her signature headpiece, but it’s a pretty close approximation of Mera’s comic book look, and we love it! You may also notice that it’s different from the outfit that Heard wore for Mera in the Justice League film. That version of her costume had more of a battle armor feel, with shoulder and kneepads. Her new suit is much more streamlined and pleasing to the eye. If the rest of the Aquaman costumes look this good, then we’re very excited to see them!

It’s clear that Wan is able to go in his own direction for the Aquaman film, but this new costume may indicate that the story takes place before Justice League. The early word is that Jason Momoa’s Aquaman doesn’t initially get along with Mera and they find themselves at odds with each other before eventually coming together. Think of it as an underwater Romancing of the Stone or Raiders of the Lost Ark. Essentially, it can tell the story of how Aquaman and Mera became a couple, before they present a united front in the Justice League film.

What do you think about Amber Heard’s new Mera costume? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

THE SHINING Maze Comes to Universal Halloween Horror Nights 2017

Halloween Horror Nights at the Universal Studios theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando have become the premiere haunt attractions over the past several years. Although there are many other decent haunts all around the country during the month of October, Universal is unique in that they get the licenses to some of the most well known horror films of all time, and recreate them in terrifying and meticulous detail.

Last year’s Horror Nights featured the debut of a maze based on arguably one of the most revered horror films of all time, The Exorcist, and now it looks like they’re going to top it this year with one based on none other than Stanley Kubrick‘s version of the Stephen King classic The Shining. You can see Universal’s announcement for the brand new The Shining maze (via Bloody Disgusting) in the video down below:

Are you ready to check in at the Overlook Hotel? The Shining has so many iconic moments, from the creepy little girls, to the old lady in the bathroom, to Jack Torrance’s crazy ax wielding chase of his son Danny through the hedge maze, that the folks behind Halloween Horror Nights have their work cut out for them with this one. But based on previous years, I’m sure they can pull it off. Also: if they somehow manage to include that one super weird scene of the guy in the bear suit with the older gentleman, then they score extra points with this horror fan.

Last year’s Halloween Horror Nights not only had The Exorcist, but also mazes for all four iconic movie slashers Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers and Leatherface, not to mention American Horror Story. Definitely a tough act to follow. But although the other mazes haven’t been announced yet, but with the inclusion of The Shining, it seems they might be able to top last year’s incredible haunt.

Halloween Horror Nights 27 begins September 15th and continues running on select nights through November 4th.

Will you be making the trip to Hollywood or Orlando this Halloween to check in to the Overlook Hotel? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Warner Brothers

Talking AQUAMAN and WONDER WOMAN, VENOM Casting, and the MCU Future

In case you haven’t noticed, we here at Nerdist are especially fond of our caped crusaders, our masked vigilantes, our high-flying, skyline-decimating guardians angels–you know, superheroes. And today’s episode of Nerdist News Talks Back covers all our favorite big scree day-savers in one fell swoop. Whether your particular superpowered tastes lie with sea kings, Amazonian queens, Wakandan princes, or Asgardian gym rats, we’ve got your interests covered. So tune in to watch host Jessica Chobot, Managing Editor Alicia Lutes, and writer Amy Vorpahl talk Marvel, DC, and more.

First up, let’s dive deep into this latest image from James Wan’s upcoming contribution to the DC Extended Universe, Aquaman. We’ve gotten plenty of glimpses of Jason Momoa’s seafaring crime fighter already, but this marks a fresh new look at Amber Heard’s character Mera.

Meet Mera. Day 1 #Aquaman pic.twitter.com/L9XKpPCagF

— Amber Heard (@realamberheard) May 18, 2017

On top of this, rumor has it that Aquaman is being compared to the likes of Raiders of the Lost Ark and, perhaps even more curiously, Romancing the Stone. What do you think of Mera’s get-up, and of this ambitious direction for the film?

Keeping it in the DC family, we move on next to Wonder Woman. With only a few weeks left until her film’s release date, we’ve begun to hear from select critics about just how good the movie is… and it’s good! At least that’s what the masses–and our own Jess and Alicia–have to say. Does this breed new hope for the DCEU in general?

Now, we’re not really super if Scrooge McDuck and his raspy-voiced nephews qualify as “superheroes,” but they are at the very least devoted citizens. In any event, the DuckTales reboot cast Lin-Manuel Miranda, who himself might also be a superhero, as the technical genius Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera, a.k.a. Gizmoduck. Any chance Miranda’s casting means they’ll be doing musical episodes?

Back in the superhero fold, we’ve heard a bit about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For instance, we’re hearing that Black Panther may take shape as a political intrigue thriller, Thor: Ragnarok will focus on Hela’s attempts to seize the throne of Asgard from Loki, and Infinity War will finally bring Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Stones to the forefront of the action.

And last but not least, every superhero needs a good villain, and one of the best in Marvel Comics history is Spider-Man’s nefarious foe Venom. News broke today that Sony’s long gestating Venom movie, directed by Zombieland helmer Ruben Fleischer, will star none other than Tom Hardy as the central evil-doer. Shout out your own thoughts on the casting as we chime in with ours, and let us know what you’re expecting of Aquaman, Wonder Woman, the MCU, and, of course, DuckTales!

Producer Peter Chernin on What Comes After WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES

Whenever a modern remake of a classic movie franchise is announced, one cannot help but reflexively raise an eyebrow like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson encountering a jabroni out in the wild. Naturally I was apprehensive when Fox decided they wanted to transform the classic sci-fi of Planet of the Apes into a sprawling modern movie saga, but when I first saw 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, it caught me completely off guard. It was so good, so emotional, and it made me so invested in these impeccably acted and visually stunning computer-generated primates. Now, some six years later, War for the Planet of the Apes, the third film in the what may be the best realized film franchise of the last decade and one of the must-see picks in our massive summer movie guide, is poised to hit theaters on July 14, 2017. This will mark the end of the trilogy of stories that began in 2011’s Rise, but it won’t be the end of the franchise, according to producer Peter Chernin, whom I spoke to over the phone in an exclusive interview this week.

“Well, what I would say is that it is–and recognize this is a little bit hedging–meant to complete this Caesar arc,” Chernin said with a laugh. “It was meant to complete a story that began when Caesar was born and a bunch of medical experiments were carried out on apes, and they became intelligent and violently intelligent. Inevitably, it was going to lead to this place, and Caesar’s obviously the vehicle for telling that story. So, I think people will find this an incredibly satisfying finale. This story is Caesar.”

Indeed, Caesar, the hyperintelligent ape played by Andy Serkis, has been both the emotional and narrative throughline of the series; we’ve seen him go from innocent lab experiment to the leader of an entire species (and its attendant army). Without Serkis’ nuanced, emotionally charged performance, the Planet of the Apes franchise would not pack nearly as much of a punch as it does, but that is also in part due the technological achievement of these films.

“The level of special effects stuff and the level of physical production and vision in this movie is crazy,” Chernin said. “I think most people don’t realize when we did Rise, it was the first time anyone had ever done [motion-capture] on location, and frankly, the only location that we did was in the backyard of the house and we did it kind of in the street in front of the house. That was the first time mo-cap had ever been done on location, and then by Dawn, we were obviously doing mo-cap in the woods and so forth. Here, we’re out on top of mountains, and it’s crazy the stuff that’s there. We’re doing CG mo-cap in these crazy, crazy locations.”

Yet, at the end of the day, what makes these movies work is Caesar and seeing his evolution as both an animal and a leader. War for the Planet of the Apes will put Caesar through the most brutal, emotionally grueling challenges he has faced to date, both in the form of traitors within his own tribe and the menacing threat posed by Woody Harrelson’s villainous character, “The Colonel.”

“Caesar is as much tested by himself in this movie as he is by Woody [Harrelson’s character], and I think that’s one of the things that’s remarkable about the story–Caesar is really tested in his own beliefs and his own wants,” Chernin explained. “One of the things that we’ve worked hard on this movie is things are not always as they seem, and there’s really complexity in the relationships among the apes, and you can obviously see from the trailer and from the poster that there’s a whole group of ‘traitor apes.’ It’s not as smooth there as you think, and frankly, the same thing is true there on the human’s side. You know, neither side is this one model of where everyone agrees with each other, so this is not only a conflict between humans and apes, but it’s a conflict between apes and apes and humans and humans.”

That being said, the threat posed by Harrelson’s character is not to be downplayed by any means.

“[The Colonel] looks at this as a holy war, and you can see hints of that in the trailer,” Chernin told me. “He views this as a war for the future of life on Earth and has no ambiguity about that. At the same time, he deeply admires and respects Caesar. The Colonel is not an empty villain or heartless one. I think he comes to realize through the course of this movie that [Caesar] is an extraordinarily gifted, smart leader who he has a lot of respect for. I think that makes him a really, really interesting villain, or antagonist in this case.”

Chernin’s history with the Planet of the Apes franchise is longer than many realize, as it turns out. When he was the head of 20th Century Fox, some 25 years ago, Chernin began the process of developing a reboot of Planet of the Apes; this project turned into Tim Burton’s 2001 Planet of the Apes adaptation some six or seven years after he’d left the studio. It was a franchise that he had always loved because it was “relevant and timely almost to any time in history,” and so when the opportunity came to bring it to modern audiences, he leapt on it.

Much like time was a flat circle, so was my conversation with Chernin, which inevitably touched upon what the future holds for the Planet of the Apes franchise following War. Will it stay grounded in the gritty, honest realism of this trilogy, or will they push the franchise to some of the crazier places of the original films, like Escape from Planet of the Apes?

“From the moment we started this, we looked at this as one story, as one trilogy, and so we have never thought about doing [something as far-out as Escape from Planet of the Apes],” said Chernin. “We’ve been thinking about what subsequent Apes movies might look like, and we’ve been doing a lot of talking over the last six months about what others Apes movies we might do. There may be things that are more radical, but this has always been driven by one narrative arc and, frankly, by a specific group of characters. And as a result of that, it’s been very tonally consistent. Look, I can’t guarantee anything, but I’d be shocked if we ever did something this tonally, wildly different as they did in some of those early movies.”

Long story short, don’t get your hopes up for a time-traveling Caesar anytime soon…but then again, never say never.

War for the Planet of the Apes, directed by Matt Reeves, hits theaters on July 14, 2017.

Images: 20th Century Fox

Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).

Sony’s VENOM Movie Will Star Tom Hardy

In order to bring the bane of Spider-Man’s existence to life, Sony is turning to the Bane of our existence, Tom Hardy. Sony announced that Tom Hardy will play the eponymous Venom/Eddie Brock in the Sony’s forthcoming Marvel movie. Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer will helm the Spider-Man follow-up, which will enter production this fall and hit theaters on October 5, 2018.

Tom Hardy is Eddie Brock in #Venom, the upcoming film from Sony’s Marvel Universe releasing October 5, 2018 – production starts this fall. pic.twitter.com/OZQqDEvoum

— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) May 19, 2017

The news that Tom Hardy is attached to yet another comic book franchise shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Hardy was originally tapped to play Rick Flagg in Suicide Squad before scheduling conflicts forced him to drop out, and his name has been bandied about for everything from Wolverine to The Punisher over the years. In fact, Hardy is producing an adaptation of Vertigo Comics’ 100 Bullets, too, but evidently the actor has been a longtime fan of Venom, so this move seems perfect for him.

What is particularly fascinating about this film is that it isn’t a spin-off of Spider-Man as many had originally speculated. Rather, as Nerdist learned last March, this Venom film is the first entry in Sony’s burgeoning expanded universe of films based on the Marvel Comics character licenses it owns that Spider-Man: Homecoming will kick off this July.

Venom was first created by writer David Michelinie and artists Todd McFarlane and Mike Zeck in 1988, and quickly became one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Comics universe. Venom is an alien symbiote, a parasitic lifeform that latches on to a human host in order to survive, imbuing its meat condo with an array of superhuman powers that rival Spider-Man’s.

The Venom symbiote first appeared in 1984’s Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8, a comic book mini-series that saw Marvel’s most popular heroes transported to a faraway planet called Battleworld. When Spider-Man’s costume was damaged in a fight, he discovered a strange black orb that spread over his body and gave him a new costume. This was originally a ploy by then-editor-in-chief Jim Shooter to sell Spider-Man action figures (which it did), but it wound up becoming a major part of Spider-Man lore when the suit began trying to permanently bond itself with Peter Parker.

When the symbiote reappeared in 1988, it affixed itself to disgraced journalist Eddie Brock, who blamed Spider-Man for all of his personal and professional woes. Dubbing himself “Venom,” Brock became one of Spider-Man’s most murderous and dangerous arch-nemeses. That being said, Venom has been recast as an anti-hero in the vein of Deadpool over the years (but with less of a motormouth), at times even teaming up with the likes of Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy to take down larger threats.

Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach will produce Venom alongside Amy Pascal, with Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner penning the script. Plot details are being kept tightly under wraps at this time, but we do know that this will feature the Eddie Brock version of the character rather than the Flash Thompson or Mac Gargan version.

What do you think of Tom Hardy as Venom? What storyline would you like to see it follow? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Marvel Comics; Warner Bros

Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).

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First WONDER WOMAN Reactions Are Pretty Darn Positive

As excited as we may be for Wonder Woman, it’s been a bit tough to be all-out optimistic for the picture. Even those of us who enjoyed the contentiously received Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Suicide Squad have to recognize Warner Bros’ somewhat shaky hold on its DC Comics universe, evidence of which rears itself behind the scene of almost every picture in the works. For instance, the trapped-in-oblivion The Flash movie, and the giant question mark that is Ben Affleck’s standalone Batman film, and his future in the franchise altogether. And it’s not as though Wonder Woman, which passed hands from director Michelle MacLaren to, eventually, Patty Jenkins, hasn’t had its own share of red flags.

But to all those who’ve held out hope thus far, it seems as though your optimism is being rewarded. While the American public will have to wait until June 2nd to see Wonder Woman hit theaters, the film has screened to its first batch of film critics. And even when wrangled by the Lasso of Truth, they had mostly positive things to say. Take a look at some early viewers’ responses, which hit Twitter in droves just last night:

WONDER WOMAN: Easily my favorite DCEU film. Has the humor and heart the franchise so desperately needs. Gadot and Pine are charming as hell.

— Kate Erbland (@katerbland) May 19, 2017

Wonder Woman is the DC movie I’ve been waiting for. It’s exciting, inspiring, funny, and has some truly awe-inspiring action scenes.

— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) May 19, 2017

#WonderWoman is fun, optimistic and inspiring – and, frankly, the fantastic female-led superhero movie I have been waiting AGES for.

— Molly Freeman (@mollyrockit) May 19, 2017

I loved #WonderWoman so much. Easily one of the best superhero origin films I’ve ever seen. Amazing action & Gal Gadot is pure heaven pic.twitter.com/313ATzpC8x

— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) May 19, 2017

#WonderWoman is the ray of light the DCEU has been waiting for. Gal Gadot just owns it.

— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) May 19, 2017

My reaction to @WonderWomanFilm : exciting, powerful, bold, epic, simply wonderful and – best of all – absolutely empowering.

— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) May 19, 2017

WONDER WOMAN is great. My favorite of the recent DC movies. It’s fierce, funny, well-written and badass. @GalGadot owns it. Her lasso FTW pic.twitter.com/rQ0ufZxWXP

— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) May 19, 2017

#WonderWoman is the easily the best DCEU movie so far. It’s got heart and a love of heroes. Pine and Gadot are charming beyond measure.

— Haleigh Foutch (@HaleighFoutch) May 19, 2017

#WonderWoman is hands down the best DCEU Film to date! Film is SO GOOD. I absolutely loved it! Bravo @PattyJenks @GalGadot @GeoffJohns

What STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Would Look Like in 1983

Star Wars, as the great visionary George Lucas once said, is like poetry: it rhymes. That’s why so many of the titles within each Star Wars trilogy sound similar to one another — first we had Return Of The Jedi in 1983, and now we have The Last Jedi in 2017.

Except, what if The Last Jedi had been released when Return Of The Jedi did? What would it have looked like — or, more accurately since we don’t actually know what the movie is like yet, what would its trailer look like? Video editor The Sleepy Skunk, who jokingly calls himself the Roger Corman of YouTube, produced just such a VHS-inspired experiment for ScreenCrush. Whether or not you were alive in 1983, trust me when I tell you it’s going to hit all your nostalgia buttons in just the right way.

For comparison, here is a trailer for the release of Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, which is the origin of all that “return” voiceover from the parody trailer.

Unfortunately we’ll have to wait until December 15 when The Last Jedi is released to find out if it succeeds at delighting moviegoing audiences in the same way that Return Of The Jedi did. But come on… it’s got Mark Hamill training Daisy Ridley! I, for one, refuse to believe that could be disappointing in any way.

Do you think Screencrush’s trailer got the ’80s VHS aesthetic right? Let us know what you think in the comments, and tell us if you have any favorite wacky trailers that you remember from growing up!

Image: Lucasfilm

Tyrannosaurus Rex’s Bite Felt Like Steak Knives with the Weight of 3 Cars Behind Them

The reason you can get lost in volumes of dinosaur facts is a credit to the research skills of archeologists. Most of what they have to work with is stone in the shape of bone, and if they’re lucky, reasonable comparisons with living creatures — sometimes looking to the present for dinosaur deets can be just as enlightening. Case in point, by looking at modern animals, a group of scientists recently estimated that the Tyrannosaurus rex had a bite force of about 8,000 pounds.

Gregory Erickson of Florida State University and Paul Gignac of Oklahoma State University began by studying the bites of crocodiles, which Erickson told NPR were “probably our best model for looking at dinosaurs.” They got crocodiles to bite a bathroom scale-like device that could measure the force of their bites, and then they used data related to bite force and crocodile jaw muscles to create 3D computer models that could estimate the bite power of T. rex.

Erickson and Gignac found that the tip of a T. rex tooth could exert 431,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, which allowed the dinosaur to break large bones and access the tasty marrow inside. The 8,000 pounds of bite force behind that pressure would be stronger than anything on Earth today — modern crocodiles hold the record at about 3,700 pounds, and for the sake of comparison, the human bite is about 200 pounds.

That’s impressive, but Erickson and Gignac believe that the T. rex doesn’t hold the all-time bite record, since that would probably go to extinct species of 40-foot crocodiles that could bite at around 18,000 pounds of force. To put the T. rex bite in perspective then, Erickson said to NPR, “That’s like setting three small cars on top of the jaws of a T. rex — that’s basically what was pushing down.”

Featured image: Julian Fong/Flickr