The Lost World (FX Miniseries)

The Lost World is a 2016 British/American three part miniseries and based on the 1912 novel, The Lost World by Sherlock Holmes creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It aired on Sky Atlantic from June 14th to June 28th 2016. It also received two Emmy Awards, one Primetime for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and one Creative for Outstanding Special Visual Effects.

Plot
in 1909, British Zoological Society member Professor George Challenger returns from South America with claims of a lost world where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures still live. After being ridiculed by his colleagues, Challenger demands that the Institute organize an expedition is sent to verify the truth of his claims. The Zoological Society then organizes an expedition consisting of Challenger, Professor Summerlee, Professor James Illingworth, journalist Edward Malone, big game hunter Lord John Roxton and Challengers daughter Enid.

Cast

 * Gary Oldman as Professor George Challenger - An English scientist who is known for his imposing appearance and terrific temper. He first learned of the plateau whilst on his last trip to South America, after discovering his old friend Maple White fatally wounded in an Indian village
 * Ansel Elgort as Edward Malone - A young journalist from the Daily Gazette who joins the expedition to impress his love interest Gladys. At first Challenger attempted to violently attack him as he had done with all the other reporters but he managed to gain Challengers respect after refusing to press charges,
 * Ivana Baquero as Enid Challenger - Challengers beautiful daughter and who becomes the love interest of Edward Malone. She stowed away on her fathers expedition after being refused for her safety, after being found Challenger allowed her to join the expedition as their artist. During the expedition
 * Sean Pertwee as Lord John Roxton - A famous British big game hunter who is chosen by Challenger to be the expeditions protector.
 * Alan Rickman as Professor James Summerlee - A colleague of Challengers from the Zoological Society in London.
 * TBA as James Illingworth - A Scottish scientist who is a colleague of both Challenger and Summerlee who is also one of the two antagonists of the miniseries. He is
 * Chiewetel Ejiofor as Zambo - An African in South America who lives and works at St. Columba's. He is well educated and knowledgeable on the Amazons plants and
 * Andy Serkis as King Trog - The Leader of the Ape-men of the Plateau and one of the two main antagonists of the miniseries along with James Illingworth.
 * Poppy Drayton as Gladys Hungerton - Edward Malone's first love interest and his reason for going on the expedition. She tells Malone that she dreams of marrying a man of action
 * TBA as Jessie Challenger - The wife of Challenger and the mother of Enid.
 * Mark Hamill as Maple White - An American explorer and an old friend of George Challenger. Two years earlier in 1907 he disappeared whilst on an expedition to the plateau along with two others and wasn't heard from again, a year later in 1908 he wandered badly injured and delirious into a native village where Challenger was also staying in. Before he died from his injuries he told Challenger of the Plateau and gave him his diary which contained a map of the Plateau and where it lay.
 * TBA as Gomez - A South American guide working at Father Murphy's mission who was hired by the expedition to take them to the Plateau. Unbeknownst to them he secretly planned to kill them by trapping them on the Plateau, its revealed that he has a huge grudge against Roxton as he killed his brother, the notorious slaver trader Pedro Lopez. After reaching the plateau, Gomez destroyed the expeditions log bridge, trapping them in the Lost World.
 * TBA as James McArdle - The editor of the Daily Gazette and the employer of Edward Malone.
 * TBA as Percy Pots - A solicitors clerk and Gladys' husband whom she married whilst Malone was on the expedition to the lost world.
 * TBA as Father Murphy - A kindly Catholic priest who runs a mission in South America. He appears in the first episode where he greets the expedition, when he learns of their destination he tries to persuade the expedition not to proceed with their journey, due to having heard the local Indian stories of the plateau.
 * Raoul Trujillo as Accala Chief - The chief of the Accala Indians on the Plateau and the father of Maretas.
 * TBA as Maretas - The prince of the Accala Indians of the Plateau. He met the expedition after they were captured by the Ape-men
 * Heidi Garcia as Accala Woman - A member of the Accala Indian tribe on the Plateau. She was captured by the Ape-men and held along with Malone, Enid and Summerlee in a cage, During their captivity Enid tried to get the frightened woman to speak them, but to no avail. She was then taken out the cage by the Ape-men and was laid on a large rock, her head was then crushed by a rock and her body was devoured by the Ape-men.
 * TBA as Policeman -
 * TBA as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - A famous British author who is well known for his Sherlock Holmes series.

Dinosaurs

 * Diplodocus - A huge sauropod from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation 150 million years ago. A herd appeared in the third episode, they were seen passing the Accala village
 * Iguanodon - A giant herbivore from early Cretaceous Europe, Asia and North America 130 million years ago. A small herd is encountered at the end of the first episode by the expedition when they enter the lost world, it is also the first creature they encounter on the plateau. Several Iguanodon are shown to be domesticated by the Accala Indians and are used by them either as mounts or pack animals.
 * Stegosaurus - A large plated dinosaur with a spiked tail from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation in North America 150 million years ago. One appeared as a sketch in Maple White's journal in the first episode, a living one appeared in the second episode drinking water from Lake Gladys.
 * Triceratops - A famous three horned plant eating dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation in North America over 65 million years ago. A dead one appeared in the second episode
 * Tyrannosaurus Rex - A famous predatory dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation in North America over 65 million years ago. A pair appeared in the third episode where they were driven to the Accala village by the Ape-men.

Prehistoric Reptiles

 * Plesiosaurus - A large marine reptile from England in the early Jurassic 180 million years ago. One appeared in the third episode where it was seen by the expedition,
 * Pteranodon - A large fishing eating Pterosaur from North America during the late Cretaceous 80 million years ago. They appeared twice in the first episode, first as a sketch in Maple White's diary, second where it snatches the expeditions dinner whilst it was cooking. In the second episode several more were seen in a swamp where they had a nesting site
 * Sarcosuchus -

Prehistoric Mammals and Birds

 * Ape-men- A race of vicious anthropoid apes native to the plateau. For centuries they have been engaged in a vicious war with the Accala Indians, with each side neither gaining a victory. They first appear in the second episode where one scares Malone whilst he is climbing a tree. Later on they capture Challenger, Summerlee and James Illingworth before bringing back to their village where they kill and devour a Accala woman.
 * Doedicurus - A large spiked tailed armadillo from the Pleistocene in South America 1'000'000 years ago. A pair appeared in the second episode where they were shown drinking water from Lake Gladys, they were then driven off by a pair of Stegosaurus.
 * Megatherium - A giant ground sloth from South America during the Pleistocene 1'000'000 years ago. An aggressive one appeared in the second episode where it wandered into the expeditions camp at night, it was then driven off with a flaming torch.
 * Phorusrhacos - A giant flightless bird from South America during the Miocene 7'000'000 years ago. A pair appear in the second episode where they chase Malone and Enid after went skinny dipping, Malone killed one by sticking a sharp stick in its mouth, the other was shot by Roxton.
 * Smilodon - A famous lion sized cat with two saber-teeth from North and South America during the Pleistocene over 1'000'000 to 10'000 years ago. A pair of them appeared in the second episode as beasts in the Ape-men's arena, where Edward was forced to fight them.

Creatures outside the Plateau

 * Caiman -
 * Tapir -
 * Jararaca -

Locations

 * London - The capital of England and the home of the main characters.
 * The Natural History Museum -
 * Challengers House -
 * Daily Gazette Office -
 * South America -
 * St. Columba - A mission located in South American and run by Irish priest Father Murphy. It is where the expedition stop before continuing on their way to the plateau
 * Jararaca Swamp - A swamp inhabited by highly aggressive Jararaca snakes located near the Plateau.
 * Bamboo Grove - A grove of sharp bamboo located at the base of the Plateau and below Ape-town. The Ape-men sometimes throw captive Accala Indians onto it for enjoyment, it is also where the expedition finds the remains of Maple White's assistant James Colver, who had been thrown onto it by the Ape-men.
 * The Plateau/Maple White Land - A large mesa located in the Amazon rainforest. It is considered taboo by many Amazonian tribes due to being the home of Curupuri, the terrible spirits of the jungle and the Sukara, evil apelike demons. It is later revealed that the plateau is in fact inhabitant by living dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures including a tribe of Indians and a race of anthropoid apes.
 * Accala Village - The home of the Accala Indian tribe. It was located in some cliffs located across Lake Gladys,
 * Ape-town - The home of the plateau's Ape-men. It is located above a grove of sharp bamboo which the Ape-men sometimes throw prisoners onto,
 * Lake Gladys - A large lake located in the center of the plateau and in inhabited by several prehistoric marine reptiles. It was named by Malone after his love interest, Gladys Hungerton.
 * Iguanodon Glade - A small located on the
 * Pteranodon Swamp - A swamp that is the nesting site of the plateau's Pteranodon.



Differences from Doyle's Novel
Whilst being faithful to the novel there are also several differences which include:


 * There is a prologue featuring Challenger finding Maple White, there is no such event in the novel.
 * Challenger and Maple White are shown to be old friends, there is no indication of this in the novel.
 * Challengers daughter Enid doesn't appear in the novel, nor does Malone gain a second love interest. Enid instead appears in the later novel, The Land of Mist.
 * Whilst traveling to the plateau, the expedition is attacked by an enormous Caiman which is then killed by Roxton. No such attack happens in the novel.
 * In the miniseries a Megatherium wanders into the expeditions base camp, they then scare it off with a burning branch. In the novel it was a Megalosaurus.
 * The Ape-man King is named Trog and speaks in a broken English.
 * In the novel, the Indians deliberately call a pair of Allosaurus to the village where they kill and eat them. In the miniseries, the dinosaurs that attack are a pair of Tyrannosaurus who are driven to the village by the Ape-men.
 * Zambo doesn't come on the Plateau in the novel. In the miniseries he does and later sacrifices himself to save Challenger.
 * In the miniseries James Illingworth accompanies the expedition to the Lost World, where he later attempts to betray them and kill them in an attempt to claim the discovery for himself.
 * Near the end of the final episode both Malone and Enid are married and expecting their first child when they are shown meeting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and telling him the story of their adventure. This never happens in the novel, as Malone heads back to the plateau with Roxton. They do however get married in the sequel novel "The Land of Mist".

Trivia

 * This was Alan Rickman's final acting role before his death, the first episode was dedicated in memory of him.
 * Both Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman both previously starred together in the Harry Potter films.