Jurassic Park IV

Posted by: Loren Coleman on January 28th, 2010

Jurassic Park IV

Living dinosaurs, anyone?

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 HammondJeff 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.


11 Responses to “Jurassic Park IV”

  1. MountDesertIslander responds:

    Jurassic Park should stand alone as the representative that franchise. While it was a fantastic movie, volumes II and III should have been named ‘CGI Dinosaurs Gone Wild’. They just didn’t stand up to the original concept, character development, storyline, plot resolution and overall quality.

    I suppose it is too much to hope for that IV goes back to its roots and blends compelling characters into a well executed film that tells a story. Much like the first Rocky film was art deserving the Academy Award it received, the following sequels were caricatures and cartoons.

    Let’s hope Allan Grant doesn’t have to fight the ‘Mr. T Rex’ in this next installment.

  2. cmgrace responds:

    I completely agree with MountDesertIslander.

    Jurrasic Park was my favorite movie when I was a kid. I made my parents take me to the movie theater to see it 3 times and when it came out on video I made them buy it. I wore that tape out! I would love to see Jeff Goldblum come back as he is one of my favorite actors.

  3. MattBille responds:

    The first film was the best, easily, although it was annoying to hear Goldblum’s lines in the first film about the evils of science and discovery and the unwise act of countering evolution by bringing back dinosaurs, because they were not things a “chaostician” would say. Chaos theory doesn’t define anything as “unnatural” or “forbidden.” (BTW, cafepress.com sells T-shirts that say “Future ex-Mrs. Malcolm.”)

    It will be interesting to see what is meant by a new direction in the JP series. It would be fun to find out some dinos had been here all along.

  4. Loren Coleman responds:

    When I was teaching, at the university-level, for a couple decades, I would often use that line, when telling people I was looking for the “next, future ex-Mrs. Coleman.” People would instantly recognize the reference.

    I’m still looking, but I refuse to hand out business cards, as John A. Keel once did, saying “Available Bachelor.” Most cryptozoologists, at some point in their lives, are often “available.”

  5. Cryptoraptor responds:

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

    Like what? Bigfoot swoops in to attack one of the dinosaurs?

  6. red_pill_junkie responds:

    I loved the first movie; and I also loved Malcolm’s preachiness about Chaos and the responsibility of Science. I was in the US so not only I had the chance to see the movie a whole month before anyone else in Mexico, but I got to visit the exhibit at the NY Museum of Natural History —I was even interviewed by a local radio station in Connecticut about waiting eagerly to see the film! how crazy is that?

    The second movie was 50-50 for me. The first part is awesome because it was derived from Chrichton’s novel; but then Spielberg wanted to make his own dino-version of King Kong, and all hell broke loose —how the HELL did the T-Rex manage to kill the entire crew of the ship transporting it to San Diego???

    Third one was OK. Sam Neill’s return was great; the pterodactyls were amazing; but adding the Spinosaur to the fauna of the park was a bit too much. The only fun part about it was the Cpt Hook’s reminiscence with the cell phone’s ringing in the belly of the dino.

    I guess I can go for a 4th trip to the island(s). As long as they don’t make it a live version of ‘Cadillacs & Dinosaurs’… although now that I think about it, that’s a pretty cool idea! 🙂

  7. forsakenfuture responds:

    I was and still am a HUGE Jurassic Park fan. Everything I’ve heard about the new movie says that it will involve half human/half dinosaur hybrids which would destroy everything about what I loved about these movies.

  8. cryptidsrus responds:

    I, for one, would have no problem with a fresh spin on the series.
    The original JP was superb, the second one OK (but Goldblum DID get to be a BIT much) and the third one great but not as great as the first JP.
    I wonder how they will spin the next trilogy. Can’t wait. 🙂

  9. Cryptoraptor responds:

    Will they update the dinosaurs to include colorful feathers like the ‘Conan O’Brien’ plumed Sinosauropteryx, which is capturing headlines?

  10. MattBille responds:

    Speaking of dinosaurs, I went to “Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Experience,” last weekend. It’s worth the admission. The dinosaurs are amazingly detailed, and they move so well you can suspend reality and just believe. The brachiosaur, 40 feet tall, was the highlight. (My only criticism is that there’s got to be some way to make the wires suspending the pteosaur less visible.)

    The second JP had a few fun moments. I loved the little Godzilla homage when the T-rex chases Japanese tourists, one of whom says (in Japanese), “I left Tokyo to get away from this!”
    I have several times in business had reason to quote Malcolm’s retort to the old man’s assurance, “We’re not going to make the same mistakes.” Malcolm’s reply was, “No, you’re making all new ones.”
    And the early sequence with the Stegosaur was cool.

  11. Tobiathan responds:

    Maybe they’ll turn the focus to the repeated implications in III that the velociraptors could talk and think, and lay traps. That would be relatively cryptozoological in nature. I’ve always wondered if there might a kind of sentient reptilian in the world…

Sorry. Comments have been closed.

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