‘Jurassic Park 4′ Put on Hold, 2014 Release Scrapped
Just as recently as last week we had fresh 'Jurassic Park 4' updates from director Colin Trevorrow who tweeted from the location scout that the upcoming sequel would return to the original Jurassic Park. But things move fast in Hollywood and just a few days later comes word that 'Jurassic Park 4' has been shut down and may not be happening at all any time soon.
We don't know the full story yet but yesterday two staff members on the 'Jurassic Park 4' production team tweeted that the film was put on hold. The tweets were quickly deleted but this is the internet where nothing is ever really gone forever and Ain't It Cool screencapped the tweets in question.
From 'Jurassic Park 4' concept artist Dean Sherriff:
Then later from 'Jurassic Park 4' Digital Assets Manager Todd Smoyer:
There has been no official statement from Universal or Trevorrow who have yet to comment on the news.
UPDATE: Universal has now issued a format statement saying:
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. 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.
UPDATE #2: The Hollywood Reporter says that the reason for the delay was because the first draft of the script was submitted on Monday and that it was "way more epic and ambitious than they were prepared for."
So what does this mean for 'Jurassic Park 4?' Well, putting on a project on hold is never a great sign but it's also not exactly a death knell either. Warner Bros. put a hold on an old 'Justice League' movie a few years back and that project was never able to recover and was officially shut down. But the same studio put a hold on 'Mad Max: Fury Road' and that film recovered and recently wrapped production with Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy starring.
At this time, it's too early to tell if 'Jurassic Park 4' can survive or will be permanently placed on the Hollywood backburner.