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. The expedition then departs for South America

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, he then joins the expedition to the plateau. During the expedition, he falls in love with Challenger's beautiful daughter, Enid
 * 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 she and Malone begin to fall in love with each other.
 * Sean Pertwee as Lord John Roxton - A famous British big game hunter who is chosen by Challenger to be the expeditions protector. Some years before he was in South America when he killed the notorious slaver, Pedro Lopez.
 * Alan Rickman as Professor James Summerlee - A colleague of Challengers from the Zoological Society in London. He is very cynical of Challenger's claims of the lost world, so he decided to join his expedition in order to see for himself. However once at the plateau, he immediately apologizes to Challenger for disbelieving him.
 * Peter Mullan 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 along with King Trog. He is shown to have a bitter rivalry with Challenger since their days at Oxford University, he joined Challenger's expedition in the hopes of discrediting him once and for all. However after learning that Challenger was correct all along, he planned to kill the expedition and claim the discovery for himself.
 * 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 animals.
 * 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. He is a ruthless Ape-men who despises the Accala and seeks to exterminate them from the plateau, he is also 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
 * Helen McCrory as Jessie Challenger - The wife of Challenger and the mother of Enid. She is shown to be quite annoyed with her husbands penitence for throwing reporters out of their house.
 * 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 three 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 dying from his injuries he told Challenger of the plateau and gave him his diary which contained a map of where it lay.
 * Diego Luna 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, however he was killed by Roxton shortly afterwards.
 * Douglas Henshall as James McArdle - The editor of the Daily Gazette and the employer of Edward Malone. He is
 * Kit Harrington as Percy Pots - A solicitors clerk and Gladys' husband whom she married whilst Malone was on the expedition to the lost world.
 * Alfred Molina 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 Accala Native 1 -
 * TBA as Accala Native 2 -
 * TBA as Gorilla Ape-man 1 -
 * TBA as Gorilla Ape-man 2 -
 * TBA as Gorilla Ape-man 3 -
 * Martin Clunes as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - A famous British author who is well known for his Sherlock Holmes series. He appears at both the first and third episodes, being told of the adventure by Malone and Enid.

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 by Malone, Enid, Challenger and Summerlee.
 * Hypsilophodon - A small herbivorous ornithopod from the early Cretaceous Europe 130 million years ago. A Hypsilophodon named Figaro is adopted by the expedition and is later brought back to London, where he became Malone and Enid's pet.
 * 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. It is the top predator on the plateau, a pair appeared in the third episode where they were driven to the Accala village by the Ape-men.

Prehistoric Reptiles

 * Ichthyosaurus - A dolphin like marine reptile from early Jurassic Europe. A small pod appeared in the second episode where they encountered Malone and Enid whilst they were skinny dipping. the Ichthyosaurus pod played with them for a bit before swimming off.
 * Plesiosaurus - A large marine reptile from England in the early Jurassic. One appeared in the third episode where it was seen by the expedition in the lake,
 * Pteranodon - A large fishing eating Pterosaur from North America during the late Cretaceous. 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 - A giant crocodyliform from South America and North Africa during the early Cretaceous. One appeared in the third episode where it attacked some Accala in their canoe, it was then killed by Roxton.

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, Malone, Enid and Illingworth before bringing back to their village where they kill and devour a Accala woman. The Ape-men come in two variants, the normal chimpanzee like apes and the large gorilla like apes.
 * Doedicurus - A large spiked tailed armadillo from the Pleistocene in South America. 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. An aggressive one appeared in the second episode where it wandered into the expeditions camp at night, it was then driven off by Roxton with a flaming torch.
 * Phorusrhacos - A giant flightless bird from South America during the Miocene. A pair appear in the second episode where they chase Malone and Enid after they went skinny dipping, One is killed after falling into a put full of stakes, Malone killed the other one by shoving a sharpened stick in its mouth.
 * Smilodon - A famous lion sized cat with two saber-teeth from North and South America during the Pleistocene. 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

 * Anaconda -
 * Caiman -
 * Jaguar -
 * Jararaca -
 * Tapir -

Locations

 * London - The capital of England and the home of the main characters.
 * The Natural History Museum -
 * Challengers House -
 * Daily Gazette Office -
 * South America - A continent considered the Southern half of the Americas.
 * 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 their own 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. The plateau is considered taboo by many Amazonian tribes due to it being the home of Curupuri, the terrible spirits of the jungle and the Sukara, evil apelike demons who eat the flash of men. It is later revealed that the plateau is in fact inhabited by living dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures including a tribe of Indians and a race of anthropoid apes. The biome of the plateau includes jungle, swamp, scrubland and a large lake in its center.
 * Accala Village - The home of the Accala Indian tribe. It was located in some cliffs located across Lake Gladys, it was where the expedition was taken after they were freed from the Ape-men. They then live among the Accala for several weeks, until they were able to leave the plateau and return to London.
 * 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,
 * Geyser - A geyser located on the Eastern part of the plateau.
 * Lake Gladys - A large lake located in the center of the plateau and is inhabited by several prehistoric marine reptiles, it is also a source of drinking water for the animals and Accala of the plateau. It was named by Malone after his love interest, Gladys Hungerton.
 * Iguanodon Glade - A small glade located on the plateau, it is where some of the plateau's Iguanodon gather, either to mate or lay their eggs.
 * 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 an Allosaurus.
 * 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.
 * Enid finds and adopts a Hypsilophodon whom she names Figaro. Figaro is later brought back to London where he becomes Malone and Enid's pet.
 * 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.
 * Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Peter Mullan and Helen McCrory have all previously starred together in the Harry Potter films.
 * The Hypsilophodon character, Figaro was previously created for the 2001 BBC adaptation of The Lost World, which starred the late Bob Hopkins.
 * The models for the Pteranodon, Smilodon and Phorusrhacos were reused from the series Primeval.

Episode 2: The Plateau

 * Enid and Malone go skinny dipping in a lake. Both their buttocks and Enid's breasts are seen.
 * Before skinny dipping, Enid puts Malone's hand on her breast.
 * A native woman is seen wearing only a loincloth. This is for tribal purposes only.

Episode 1: The Adventure Begins

 * Maple White seen with slashes on his chest.
 * Challenger attacks Malone and tackles him down a flight of stairs.
 * A skeleton is found impaled on some bamboo.

Episode 2: The Plateau

 * A native woman is laid down on an altar by several Ape-men. Her head is then bashed by an Ape-man with a large rock, its not seen but a trail of blood is seen, her remains are then devoured by the Ape-men.
 * A native woman is laid down on an altar by several Ape-men. Her head is then bashed by an Ape-man with a large rock, its not seen but a trail of blood is seen, her remains are then devoured by the Ape-men.

Episode 2: The Plateau

 * The Accala woman's death by the Ape-men is shown to be quite disturbing.

Episode One: The Adventure Begins
(Challenger is brought into a native hut, inside he see's a badly injured man on a bed. He is shocked when he learns who he is)


 * Challenger: Maple White?
 * White: Who is it?
 * Challenger: Its me Maple, George Edward Challenger.
 * White: Challenger, old friend is it really you.
 * Challenger: Maple White, whatever happened to you?

(After Malone's ruse has been blown, Challenger and Enid confront him angrily)

(Turns to Enid) (After gaining Challenger's respect for refusing to press charges, Challenger brings him back into his study)
 * Enid: You are nothing more then one of those parasitic reporters who have come to harass my father and to call him a fraud like the whole of London has done.
 * Malone: Now Miss Enid I assure that's not why I'm here.
 * Challenger: Well I can assure you Sir, that you aren't going to be the first reporter I've thrown out of here.
 * Challenger: Enid honey, how many reporters have I thrown out so fa?
 * Enid: Why I do believe that he'll be the 27th father.


 * Challenger: So Mr. Edwardo Maloni, famous Italian scientist impersonator extraordinaire, why have you gone through the trouble of getting an interview with me?
 * Malone: I need a challenge, I need to make a name for myself at the gazette.
 * Challenger: I see McArdle has given up his hopes of getting the truth out of me.
 * Malone: There is. You see there's this girl, Gladys. She said she wants to marry a man of action and so.
 * Challenger: So you came to me to prove yourself to your girlfriend and to seek a challenge.
 * Malone: That's right.
 * Challenger: So if its a challenge you want, then it's a challenge I'll give you.

(Seeing the sketch of a large mesa in Maple White's diary)


 * Malone: What's is this place professor?
 * Challenger: That my young friend, is the Lost World.
 * Malone: The Lost World and may I ask what is that?
 * Challenger: A land where monsters from the dawn of time still roam during this day and age. The last stronghold from the long dead Jurassic of 150'000'000 years ago.

(Doubting the sketches in Maple White's diary)

(After Father Murphy has learned of the expeditions destination, he brings them into a room)
 * Malone: Are you sure your friend wasn't pulling your leg?
 * Challenger: I not too sure, I've known Maple White for many years. He wasn't someone who would make up something like this for a joke.


 * Father Murphy: Professor Challenger. Please cancelled this expedition of yours, I beg of you.
 * Challenger: But why father.
 * Father Murphy: This plateau that you want to go to, it is considered taboo by all the tribes in the Amazon, even by the cannibals.
 * Malone: Taboo why?
 * Father Murphy: It is the home of Curupuri and the Sukara.
 * Enid: And what are Curupuri and Sukara.
 * Father Murphy: The Curupuri are said to be the spirits who haunt the dreams man. Some of the Indians have said they even take the form of giant birds and lizards.
 * Challenger: Dinosaurs.
 * Father Murphy: I'm sorry professor.
 * Challenger: Nothing. Anyway, what are the other creatures, the Sukara?
 * Father Murphy: The Sukara are said to be evil demonic apes who eat the flesh of men.

(After the expedition reaches the plateau, they find a patch of bamboo with a skeleton impaled. Enid hands her father a watch with the initials J.C engraved on it)


 * Enid: Father whose initials are these?
 * Challenger: J.C. this poor man was Jim Colver.
 * Malone: Who was he professor?
 * Challenger: He was a companion of Maple White along three other men, Jeff Braddock, John Coogan, Henry Smith and his son, Eddie.
 * Enid: What happened to him?
 * Challenger: From the looks of it I think that he might have been thrown from the top.
 * Malone: Thrown. Are you saying that there are people living up there?
 * Challenger: Its a possibility.
 * Illingworth: People living on top of a plateau, preposterous.

Episode Two: The Plateau
(The expedition has just discovered a herd of living Iguanodon)


 * Challenger: Iguanodon. Living and breathing Iguanodon.
 * Summerlee: By George. Challenger, how can I ever earn your forgiveness.