“Jurassic Park” fans will have to wait a little longer to head back into the jungle.
“Jurassic Park 4” is indeed taking a break and will be pushed back from its summer 2014 release date, but rumors about its extinction have been greatly exaggerated.
With a completed script, a new director (“Safety Not Guaranteed” helmer Colin Trevorrow was chosen to direct), and chosen locations — last week, Trevorrow tweeted a pic of the film’s Isla Nubar — things seemed to be coming along swimmingly for the dinosaur epic, but various online reports called into question the film’s future.
However, Universal has issued a statement clarifying rumors about the fate of “Jurassic Park 4.”
“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,” the statement reads. “We could not be more excited about the vision that Colin Trevorrow has created for this film, and we look forward to watching as he and the producers create another great chapter in this franchise’s storied history.”
There have been rumors that the delay is due to creative differences and the studio’s desire to increase the film’s size and scope, but nothing has been confirmed. It could be that Universal, Trevorrow and producers Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall have decided to re-think the film’s ambitions now that “Jurassic Park 3D” has proven to be a hit.
“Jurassic Park 4” was originally slated for June 14, 2014, and while the studio hasn’t yet set a new date, it could be pushed back to the potentially overcrowded summer of 2015. Among the films anticipated to be released that season are “Star Wars: Episode VII,” “The Avengers 2,” “Pirates of the Caribbean 5,” and, possibly, “Justice League.”