- "Now you're John Hammond."
- —Ian Malcolm(src)
Peter Ludlow was the nephew of John Hammond, CFO, then CEO of InGen, and the main antagonist of The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Following Hammond's removal from office, the newly elected CEO planned to solve InGen's imminent bankruptcy by transporting dinosaurs from Isla Sorna to a small venue in San Diego. He met his end when he was fed to a baby Tyrannosaurus as its first live prey.
History[]
The Lost World: Jurassic Park[]
Ludlow at the director's meeting.
Peter Ludlow appears to be in his 40s during the events of the The Lost World: Jurassic Park. He was mentioned in Jurassic Park: The Game, which shows that he has been an important member of InGen for a long time. It is suggested that Ludlow was married, as he was shown wearing a wedding band ring on his left finger. He also had kids as mentioned to him by Malcolm during the film.
After the events of the Isla Nublar Incident, InGen and Ludlow made Ian Malcolm a generous compensatory offer for his injuries. However, Malcolm considered it a "payoff and insult," and attempted to go public about his experience on Isla Nublar, only to be discredited by Ludlow, who made him appear insane to the public. This was further complicated by Malcolm being in open violation of the non-disclosure agreement he signed prior to the Incident, further damaging his tarnished career. Malcolm also had his University tenure revoked for telling "wild stories" to the press.
Also, John Hammond had blocked any attempts to create a new Jurassic Park, and due to wrongful death settlements (family of Donald Gennaro, 36.5 million, family of John Arnold, 23 million, family of Robert Muldoon, 12.6 million), damaged or destroyed equipment (17.3 million), demolition, deconstruction and disposal of Isla Nublar facilities organic and inorganic (126 million), and research funds and media payoffs for silence, InGen was on the verge of bankruptcy since the Incident. Its stock had dropped from seventy-eight and a quarter to nineteen.
After the Bowman Incident, Ludlow proposed to the board of directors to solve InGen's financial crisis by transporting some dinosaurs to a small Jurassic Park in San Diego. He seemed to think very highly of San Diego and referred to San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, and the football team the San Diego Chargers during the course of the film. Because of this proposal, he was named the new CEO of InGen.
Ludlow employed the famous hunters Roland Tembo and Ajay Sidhu to lead the expedition. Ludlow's original plan to transport a number of the (herbivorous) dinosaur species failed, after the Gatherers sabotaged the cages. In the havoc that followed, all of Ludlow's equipment was destroyed. Ludlow found the Gatherers after their equipment was destroyed by a Tyrannosaurus rex attack. Therefore, the only option Ludlow can think of to call for help is to walk to the Worker Village and use the phones there.
Ludlow was moderately disliked by Ian Malcolm and Roland Tembo, along with many of the other characters in the film. It is worth mentioning that Ludlow never gets mad on any of the Gatherers for destroying all his equipment or putting all of their lives in danger. He also arrogantly claimed that animals that had been extinct for millions of years had no rights, pointing out that it existed because InGen made it and since they patented it they owned it.
During the long walk across the island, the people are attacked by T. rexes and Velociraptors. While Ludlow manages to survive, Roland is able to sedate the Tyrannosaur Buck. Since he can't capture new dinosaurs, Ludlow decides that this male T. rex and its infant should be taken to Jurassic Park: San Diego.
While the adult Tyrannosaurus is brought to San Diego by boat, Ludlow personally oversees the transport of the Infant Tyrannosaurus on his private jet, where he alongside security personnel places the creature in the medical facility of the Amphitheatre before heading off towards the docks to give his press conference to many journalists, investors and InGen board members.
When the ship S.S. Venture carrying the dinosaur arrives in San Diego, it crashes into the dock. Ludlow and some guards investigate the boat, finding the entire crew dead. Ludlow orders a guard to open the cargo hold, thinking there might be some crew members below (despite Malcolm's warnings), inadvertently releasing the adult Tyrannosaurus, as Ludlow watched in horror. Malcolm came up to him from behind and whispered that he is the new John Hammond. After The T. rex left the dock, Ludlow was shaken that his plans were falling apart, and Malcolm and Sarah confront him into revealing where the infant T. rex is, Ludlow in a state of shock was unaware of Malcolm and Sarah their intentions with the infant, he told them the infant was safe in the amphittheatre.
The adult T. rex escapes into the neighborhood and then into the city, creating untold chaos. In an attempt to lure the adult Tyrannosaurus back on the boat, Sarah Harding and Ian Malcolm returned the infant T. rex to the cargo hold. Meanwhile, Ludlow ordered mercenaries in his employ to shoot the Tyrannosaur Buck and to keep the infant. Since he believed that as long as he had the infant Rex, Jurassic Park: San Diego could be saved. After following the couple onto the boat, he demanded they'd hand over the infant T. rex back to him, but the couple jumped overboard. Ludlow hears the infant's cries from the cargo hold and goes down following the noises, finding the infant as well as its muzzle.
The adult Buck returned to the boat when Ludlow was trying to recapture the infant Tyrannosaurus. The adult gently roars at him and corners him. When Ludlow tried to escape all the while mumbling wait multiple times, the T. rex plucked him by his leg and pulled him off the stairs, breaking Ludlow's leg and causing him to scream in agony. However, rather than devouring Ludlow, the Tyrannosaurus rex instead drops him in front of the infant, and starts playing with Ludlow for a short while longer. As it turns out, the father T. rex wants to see how his offspring can hunt his prey down (similar to how Dodgson was killed in the Lost World novel), as the infant pounced on and devours the screaming Ludlow. The adult Tyrannosaur was tranquilized by Ian and Sarah just before Ludlow's mercenaries could make the kill via sniper rifle. The S.S. Venture was then sent back to Site B, with the parent and infant aboard. Despite his nephew's death, John Hammond did not regain control of InGen again, despite being shown later (listed as former CEO), saying that humans must be absent in order to let the dinosaurs survive on Isla Sorna in harmony, and persuading people to stay far away from Isla Sorna.
Dinosaur Protection Group[]
Ludlow was later mentioned in a report about the old park by the Dinosaur Protection Group.[1]
Video Games[]
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (video game)[]
He was briefly mentioned in the T. rex intro of the video game The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
Jurassic Park: Trespasser[]
In Hammond's memoirs in Jurassic Park: Trespasser, Hammond states that the InGen Corporation is taken out of his hands by a vote of the Board of Directors in 1996, and his nephew (Ludlow) assumes his role.
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis[]
Ludlow popping up to tell the player something
He is a primary character in Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis, and in more new interest, he is the financial director of InGen while he was only the newly-elected C.E.O. of InGen in the film. He gives you the financial report of how much money you have spent, and how much money you must make to keep your business healthy in financial development, or Jurassic Park can become permanently closed, and you must start the game all over again. This can be quite frustrating if you worked really hard on a park, only to see all your effort go down the drain. The main dialogue he only has is Let's discuss some things, shall we?. He is most notably the financial director because of his desire of money. He also reports to the player of their quarterly report.
Jurassic Park: The Game[]
He is briefly mentioned in Jurassic Park: The Game, when Laura Sorkin is on the phone and asks to speak with Peter Ludlow, while in the marine exhibit.
LEGO Jurassic World[]
Peter Ludlow appears in the video game LEGO Jurassic World voiced by the video game's voice director Liam O'Brien. Instead of being killed, he is taken back to Isla Sorna by the Tyrannosaurus rex and used as an ornament for an infant Tyrannosaurus mobile.
In Comics[]
Jurassic Park: Redemption[]
Comic Ludlow, horribly scarred
In the non-canon Jurassic Park: Redemption comic series, a heavily scarred Peter Ludlow appears. In this series Peter Ludlow in fact did not die. The Tyrannosaur Buck was sedated, and Ludlow was able to escape from its baby.
In Issue #3, from IDW comics, you see the behind the scene scheming of a wheel chair bound character assisted by Lewis Dodgson. Hints are dropped throughout the issues as to who he actually is but by the end not only does he claim his uncle John Hammond's cane as a prize won in an online bid, against the, then unknowing, adult Tim Murphy, but also claims to be his long lost family member. Ludlow seeks revenge against Hammond and his offspring by sabotaging Tim's plans of a new Jurassic Park. By creating carnivores and letting them loose, he hopes that Tim will end up in prison and Hammond will be even further demonized in the memories of the people.
He is finally killed at the end of the series by a pack of Gracilisuchus.
Jurassic Park: Dangerous Games[]
In Jurassic Park: Dangerous Games II, Ludlow was significantly more vile than his canon version, as shown by his treatment to the former InGen scientist Dr. Frances White. she tells how she was growing tired of how the men used brute force to handle the dinosaurs. Peter Ludlow thought she was crazy. He wanted to fire White and let "some big-game hunter" (probably Robert Muldoon) take over her job. She and Ludlow got a fight about the issue in her lab. At some point Ludlow attacked White. White released the raptors to defend herself. Ludlow shot one of the raptors and one of the bullets grazing White's cheek.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ludlow's actions aren't very evil compared to most of the other human villains in the franchise and are more controversial, usurping his own uncle (in order to save InGen), discrediting Ian Malcolm (to protect Jurassic Park and InGen), and attempting to bring a Tyrannosaurus to the mainland, despite the possibility for disaster (in order to salvage the operation). Furthermore, selfish but powerful people in real life tend to be more malevolent and do far more harm to humans and the environment than Ludlow did in the movie. Eli Mills, Daniel Kon and Lewis Dodgson are examples of how dangerous a person like Ludlow could be with the resources available to wealthy men in the Jurassic Park universe.
- The movie version of Ludlow is arguably the least evil villain of the franchise, alongside with Indoraptor, who was abused and tortured by Mills and his crew in order to become a living weapon, and the book version of Dennis Nedry, who has financial problems and was abused by the book-version of John Hammond.
- Peter Ludlow in Jurassic Park: Redemption is far worse than the movie version of Peter Ludlow. The comic version is almost as evil as both cinematic and comic versions of Lewis Dodgson, as all three are knowingly involved in schemes that could cause mass casualties. The comic version of Lewis Dodgson even works under Ludlow's orders.
- Despite the fact that Ludlow isn't very villainous, he is still one of the most hated characters of the franchise due to his (perceived) greed, making him not evil enough to be recognized and not sympathetic enough to be liked, except for fans who wanted a Jurassic Park to happen.
- His (perceived) greedy characteristic as well as discrediting others, (including not caring for safety) is a mirror to the novel version of John Hammond.
- Ludlow was an original character created for the film. Lewis Dodgson was the main antagonist in the Lost World novel, and suffered the fate of being killed by the T. rex. Ironically, the two would team up and go through major adaptational villainy together in the Redemption comic series.
- An almost identical scene happens in Jurassic Park III, in which a former sergeant M.B Nash is bitten onto inside a plane by the Spinosaurus, before being bitten and killed under its body and legs.
Quote[]
- "Careful, This Suit costs more than your education"
- —Ludlow to Malcolm after Malcolm grabs him by the arm in Hammond's Mansion(src)
- "Dr Malcolm! What Have You Done with It, I Want That Infant"
- —Ludlow while following Ian Malcolm and Sarah Harding on the SS Venture(src)
- "Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!"
- —Ludlow after being cornered by the Tyrannosaurus Buck and its Infant in the Cargo hold(src)
References[]
- ↑ Ross S. (June 11, 2018). "Investigation: The Old Park". Dinosaur Protection Group.
