When Universal Shut Down a Sequel: The Making of Jaws 2 (Ep. 59)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 11 July 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Eric is packing for his return trip to Epic Universe - but before he battles the Florida heat, Jim takes him on a wild ride through box office records, coaster rumors, and a deep dive into the troubled waters of Jaws 2. In this episode: • Jurassic World Rebirth dominates globally—why Scarlett Johansson is now the highest-grossing lead actor• Updates on Universal UK: massive coaster plans, HHN expansion, and hotel additions• Universal Kids in Texas—new concept art reveals hotel details and TrollsFest changes• A fan question about Florida mosquitoes leads to... canal trivia and boat logistics• Jim’s deep-dive into Jaws 2 and why the original sequel idea was shut down by the U.S. Navy• The true story behind the USS Indianapolis—and why it almost became the basis of a Spielberg-less sequel• A surprise appearance by “angry, burned shark” and the focus group line that changed movie posters forever Plus: Canceled directors and what a $9 million overage feels like in 1974. Unlocked Magic Unlocked Magic, powered by DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market, offers exclusive Disney & Universal ticket savings with TRUSTED service and authenticity. With over $10 MILLION in ticket sales, use Unlocked Magic to get the BIGGEST SAVINGS. Learn More Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to the epic universal podcast. I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill, and this is the podcast where we cover the latest
0:22.4	universal news, rumors and history. And as always, I'm joined by Eric Hersey, who you're packing,
0:29.2	right? Or have you started a pack? Well, we're, we're getting pretty darn close there, Jim,
0:34.7	because in previous episodes, we did not have a trip planned,
0:38.2	but I knew I was not going to be able to go this entire summer without making our track down.
0:43.2	So we're heading down in about a week, and we're staying at the brand new Terraluna.
0:48.6	So we're pretty excited.
0:50.5	And we'll get to venture into Epic for the second time, but this time it's going to be with more people, I'm sure.
0:57.3	We were fortunate enough to go back in April during a passholder preview, the first day of passholder preview.
1:03.6	So we will see and I'll be able to report back the differences of what it's like when they're, I guess, throttling attendance versus now it's the
1:11.6	full force of summer and how long will I have to wait for things to, so it could be a different
1:16.9	experience. I'm kind of hoping it is, at least for your sake, and at the Terralona. Wow. Okay.
1:24.3	Not the Helios, but that's still cool. All right. I'm going to holy cow. Why that as opposed to...
1:31.1	Well, Jim, at the end of the day, we went and they had a heck of good deals for annual passholder. So for, I think it was like $230 just when we were just shopping around. And then when we plugged in our account as annual passer, it went down to like $120.
1:45.0	So $120 for a brand new room that we haven't got to stay at.
1:49.7	So I don't believe this one has the walking path.
1:52.6	I believe it's the Stella Nova that has the 15 minute walking path.
1:56.1	But we're going to scope things out and see how it is.
1:58.1	And we're going to spend, it is July, so we're going to spend a lot of time at the pool and getting some refreshments as well, because Lord knows,
2:05.3	I don't know midday if I have what it takes to be inside of a very hot park. So we'll be
2:10.8	spending some time at the Terran. Neither do I. And again, Miles, of course, is still recovering
2:15.8	from Lyme disease. So just swing by Lowe's and just get some white house paint and tell him it's like SPF 150.
	...

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