Jurassic Park Film Still - H 2012
Jurassic Park 4 is hitting the pause button.
The dinosaur sequel, being directed by Colin Trevorrow, was due to begin production June 24 for a release date of June 13, 2014.
But on Wednesday the studio put the brakes on the project, deciding it needed more time for development.
“In coordination with filmmakers, Universal has decided to release Jurassic Park 4 at a later date giving the studio and filmmakers adequate time to bring audiences the best possible version of the fourth installment in Universal’s beloved franchise,” said the studio in a statement.
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The studio is bereft of tentpole movies for next summer, and trying to push its franchises to their limits in order to fill its slate.
It set a Fast & Furious 7 for a July 11, 2014, date but franchise director Justin Lin bowed out due to the time constraints. James Wan will try to take the wheel.
With Jurassic Park 4, Trevorrow, producer Frank Marshall and a crew have been working towards a June 24 start. Trevorrow is living in Hawaii and had been there for quite some time, working with his Safety Not Guaranteed writer Derek Connolly on a new script.
But the studio only received their draft two days ago, according to several sources.
The move put in motion the studio development process and a new round of budgeting.
It became clear that the start date and the release date would not be met under the new scenario, and rather than risk the situation, Universal decided to postpone its much-needed franchise player.
The production delay has been coming to a head since the new script arrived, with Ain’t It Cool News reporting of several tweets, now deleted, commenting on a possible shutdown.
“Hollywood makes and crushes dreams. Goodbye JP4,” tweeted Todd Smoyer, who is credited as a digital asset manager for the movie.
