Jurassic Park IV

In June 2002, director Steven Spielberg told Starlog magazine that he planned to produce Jurassic Park IV and that director Joe Johnston, who helmed Jurassic Park III, would direct it. In November 2002, screenwriter William Monahan was hired to write, with the film’s release slated for summer 2005. In July 2003, Monahan completed the first draft, with the story no longer set in the jungle. Actor Sam Neill said he was returning as Dr. Alan Grant, with filming expected to begin in 2004 in California and Hawaii. In September 2004, screenwriter John Sayles was re-writing the script, with the film re-slated for a winter 2005 release.

In October 2004, paleontologist Jack Horner said he would return as technical adviser for the fourth film as he had done for previous Jurassic Park films. By April 2005, special effects artist Stan Winston explained that the delay in production was due to repeated revisions of the film’s script, none of which satisfied Spielberg. According to Winston, “He felt neither of [the drafts] balanced the science and adventure elements effectively. It’s a tough compromise to reach, as too much science will make the movie too talky, but too much adventure will make it seem hollow.”

In February 2006, producer Frank Marshall said a “good script” had been completed and filming would begin in 2007 for a 2008 release. In March 2007, Sam Neill said he was not asked to reprise his role as Dr. Alan Grant, while Laura Dern was asked to return for the new film, which Universal still wanted to release by 2008. Director Joe Johnston was also reported not to be directing the film. Richard Attenborough has been contacted about reprising the role of John Hammond. Jeff Goldblum has expressed some interest in reprising his role for the fourth film.

In December 2008, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy were asked if there was any development on the sequel. Kennedy responded, “No… I don’t know. You know, when Michael Crichton passed away, I sorta felt maybe that’s it. Maybe that’s a sign that we don’t mess with it.” While Marshall and Kennedy were no longer signed with Universal Pictures in a production capacity, the two will remain involved with the studio and its plans for Jurassic Park IV.

In November 2009, Joe Johnston discussed the possibility of Jurassic Park IV, stating that the story for the film is completely different from that of its predecessors and would take the franchise into a whole other trilogy.

Jurassic Park III director, Joe Johnston, revealed in an interview a few days ago, in January 2010, that Jurassic Park IV was set to be the beginning of a second Jurassic Park trilogy. He also added that “[Jurassic Park IV] is going to be unlike anything you’ve seen.”

As Chad Arment of the Strange Ark blog says, “I suppose it’s too much to hope for some sort of cryptozoological take.”

One thing is for certain, it would seem logical to guess that it will utilize the new 3-D technology and marketing appeal of Avatar.

Loren Coleman About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.

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