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The Original Jaws Shark Is Being Restored For Academy Museum
The original shark from Jaws is getting put back together for inclusion in the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The Academy posted pictures from Greg Nicotero, who restored the one remaining shark, nicknamed “Bruce,” of the four used in the film.
Nicotero also posted the pics to his Instagram, noting, “Happy birthday JAWS!!!! Honored to restore the last original casting from the original molds for the soon to open @academymuseum we have spent the last 4 months restoring this piece to go on display utilizing original teeth and consulting with production designer Joe Alves and several original effects techs Cal Accord, Kevin Pike and Toy Arbogast. An honor to work with these brilliant artists and the folks at KNB working feverishly.”
The shark was in serious disrepair when the restoration began. Sophie Hunter of the Academy Museum told The Daily Jaws earlier this year, “It was in pretty rough shape. It needed a major restoration. It was filled with wasp nests and dirt.”
Nicotero said, “We’ve stripped all the old paint off of it, we’re patching all the cracks, we have to redo the eyes. We’re gonna restore it what it would have looked like on day one of filming for Jaws.”
The shark will be part of the Academy Museum, which will open soon in Los Angeles featuring exhibitions from iconic films like The Wizard of Oz, creators like Hayao Miyazaki and more.
Just in time for the 44th anniversary of #Jaws (1975)…🦈
An update on Bruce the shark's restoration! Special effects legend @G_Nicotero, his studio KNB EFX, and the #AcademyMuseum conservation team have fully transformed this undersea giant.
Photos by Greg Nicotero. pic.twitter.com/np2SEzPkld— Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (@AcademyMuseum) June 20, 2019
