Jurassic Park IV (Pre Production - Information)

Numerous sites are reporting that The 4th jurassic park is in late-pre production heading for filming. here are some information from FilmForce:
February 14, 2005 - Jurassic Park IV is in early preparations for filming, and the latest script news confirms that the new sequel will be closely based on the first movie. According to Rope of Silicon.com, the screenplay turned in by William Monahan involves most of the original film's characters. Almost all the original Jurassic Park actors are expected to return, including Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough (John Hammond), and Ariana Richards (Hammond's granddaughter).

Although Rope of Silicon didn't mention it, writer John Sayles has been revising Monahan's screenplay, and there's no word yet on his progress. Sayles can be expected to lend his many years of filmmaking experience to the story penned by Monahan, an up-and-coming Hollywood writer.

Official confirmation on the cast is still forthcoming and might be dependent on the final screenplay. No announcements have been made regarding a director, but Spielberg is still involved in producing the film.

More evidence of active pre-production on JP4 comes from SKNR.net, who got word that paleontologist Dr. Jack Horner has been actively working as a scientific advisor for the film. Horner's expertise has been invaluable on the previous Jurassic Park films, and more on his involvement can be read here.

If all goes well, Jurassic Park IV could go before the cameras this summer and reach theaters before the end of the year.

If the screenplay isn't finished yet, there's no way that this will be out by the end of the year. While this news is from Feb., I highly doubt we will see this until at least Summer 2006.
Plus, a fourth film isn't necessary AT ALL. The third was a waste of time and the second was a disappointment. Even with all the cast members and the possible return of Spielberg, I can't see this movie being very good. Sure, it'll make $, and that's the ultimate goal I suppose, but it could end another faulty link to the Jurassic Park chain.

"Jurassic Park" was awesome. "JP2 The Lost World" Sucked so bad, it blew also. "JP3" was so so, but had a better storyline than 2. The way this series is going, the fourth will be dubbed Jurassic Poop! ;)



- Josh

So, who's directing, I don't think Spielberg will ever return to the JP series, and I hope Joe Johnston comes no where near this film (since JP3 was a total piece of crap)

The Jurassic Park franchise has real-potential in it. Even the lousy sequels had interesting parts to them. Such as the trailer sequence in JP2, other the raptors in the field in JP3 (coincidentally they had a good sequence of raptors in the field in JP2 as well). I just think they need to find a middle ground on all this. I for one would love to see a gritty, R-rated JP4 with lots of scary stuff and "cinematic gore" (I'll leave it to you to decipher that) with people stuck in underground complexes with raptors loose (JP1, only longer and better, with more close calls, not that the scene in JP1 didn't totally rock! But not so much in the dark so that the entire film is underground complexes... Resident Evil) and a good mix of ruined architecture and pristine environments. Basically lots of explosions, and more dinos fighting dinos, without a T-Rex getting his neck snapped in the first 30 seconds of a fight... :@. Like I said, I for one think Spielberg should have another go at the franchise, he seems to be in the vibe that I'm looking for right now (aside from the awful War of the Worlds... and the Terminal... and CMIYC... AND A.I. [sigh]) and could probably pull off some great cinema magic.

One thing that greatly distracted me on JPIII was that all the dinosaurs seemed purple. They looked nothing like the earth-toned brown and green of the previous films. JPII had great special effects but the plot seemed contrived (you think it's over? Well, there's ANOTHER island! Ha! And I didn't think to mention it until years later...) and the new characters did nothing for me. The return of Sam Neill in JPIII was a plus, but once again the new characters were lame, the film was too short and the "Army will save the day" ending doesn't work anymore. JPII is a pretty good flick, but nothing like JPI and it doesn't sit well next to other Spielberg flicks. Joe Johnston has done some great films, but JPIII is not one of them.

I agree. I feel it's a real testament to what Spielberg and co. accomplished in that the CG effects they produced then in '93 look better than most big-budget action films nowadays. It's always nice to have a film that doesn't show it's age after more than a decade (dear god am I really getting that old?)

Its been 12 years and two more movies since the first jurassic park and im still looking at all three movies and other films to find a better CG Shot than the the T-REX walking over the wire fence to the cars. Color Matching, animation, everything looks so damn real.

I found JPII to be a lot better than JPIII. Actually, JPII wasn't bad, but it wasn't great compared to JPI. I think the raptors are important but they didn't do anything new with them in the third film. We already know that they hunt in groups and can speak to each other. I do agree that they should get off the island, but JPIV wpould need Goldblum, Attenborough and/or Neill for me to be interested.

TGP,
In JP3, they went with Jack Horner's interpretation of what a dinosaur would most likely have looked like. These color patterns mimic patterns currently found in nature that distinguishes whether an animal is trying to intimidate, woo, whatever. According to the well-reputed Dinologist (made that one up), the flat earth tones were more likely artistic license than the more colorful ones.

Further on JP3: I thought this one was quite a bit better than JP2. Certainly not on par with JP1, it at least cut the melodramatic aspects of JP2 and focused on the action aspects. Was there story? Not a lot, but I enjoyed the characters and the pacing was excellent. I'll take this popcorn movie with extra salt, thank you.

As for JP4: Leave the raptors out! Every time we come back to the raptors. While they are fascinating, it's time to move on. Also, get off the island... but do it WELL this time. JP2 was uninspired and while I relished the thought of a T-Rex running down a city street, I wish it had been in a different movie.

Thougths on JP4: This should be a film about people who are not experts in the field. Have dinosaurs take over a resort island or something, and the protagonists have to escape.

The fundamental issue is that without any kind of military involvement, these people would never be able to defeat real, live dinosaurs, so the survival aspect is all the film can go on. If you care enough about the characters and the atmosphere is suspenseful enough, I think it can be pulled off. I would go with someone other than Joe Johnston who directed JP3. Though he has an eye for visuals, this one would call for tight pacing and decent character development to involve the audience in the story.

Sean (looking... looking... crap... can anyone loan me 2 cents?...) :D

There is no way spielberg will direct the 4th jurassic park.
Even John Williams left Jurassic Park 3 for another musician.

Hollywood is ending a circle. Just that. The great irony of big budget. Like every other medium when over-used or exploited as much, Eye-Popping-cinema will, by nature's law end its overblown life by itself. Like every other programmed and scheduled organism, natural or artificial, it will end its circle. One can define a "programmed and scheduled organism" as a large scale company or even a human being. Humans die, companies still exist. Why? Evolution. An "artificial" Organism re-news its self by evolving its own ways. Learning how to preserve its "feed rate" and keeps growing, consuming anything its market can bring into its grasp and continues expanding. What one might notice, is that if a "natural" organism does that...he or she will simply eat his or her way to death. With an artificial one, its a different story, its own food very simply ends.
To be more specific, imagine giving the same present to a child every year during Christmas with a different wrap color. It will undoubtedly result to a child feeling less and less excited and surprised. At the very end, he or she will simply ask you not to bring it anymore (or even worse, kick you out)
That’s the slomp. A Decline and maybe a very small, tiny glimpse of "light" that boredom so gracefully brought with it. A Sign that maybe minds are waking up, or even better, evolving. I watched some pre- Oscar Awards documentaries...showing that 75% of the viewers in theaters never actually saw or wanted to see the movies that were nominated. Then comes the academy...awarding (most of the times) the films that most people never saw, clearly saying to the average viewer... "This is what I call art. I don’t care if u never saw it, or never wanted to...that’s art. What you saw...is pure crap for the artistic critiques of the academy". But...dear reader, the average viewer will never focus on profound truths. He or she will simply Observe the Louis Vouiton Handbag that JLo is holding, or maybe the Roberto Cavalli dress that renee so gracefully walks in. Even more ironically, the person posting this Message is the one that started the JP4 topic.

Next topic I’m starting is about: How the new technologies in cinema that came during the last ten years enforced the illusion…or messed it up.

I wholeheartidly agree. When did it become the norm to see a remake once a month? Why is it that all we have nowadays are sequels? Why is it that we wait for the academy to decide what we're going to watch after the fact? Why are we anticipating another JP4? The series was a one time affair. That's the best you can get from it. More and more this year I'm being less and less wowed by everything that comes out, barely even able to utter a "wow" or "neat" anymore while watching a movie. The truth is I'm so sick of these lousy sequels and prequels and remakes and superhero trash and CG crap that doesn't even look good that all I want is one fresh movie. One great summer fling to tide me over till next year. But I know it won't happen, and that I'll be stuck seeking entertainment from older films that I've already seen dozens of times before. Becuase they're that good. I hate Hollywood.

They're already a $9 a ticket where I live (bargain hour being $7.50), no joshing you. Can't say I'd notice the difference if they raised it another dollar. It's really no big deal to me because I rarely waste my money on consessions.

I keep saying this and I'll say it again, the audience decline is because we're all getting tired of seeing rehasshed old TV shows and superhero comics made into movies. As I keep saying, it is a complete lack of original writing and big Hollywood execs. that are afraid to take any big risk on some fresh talent (writers). As it is, it is probably too late as they have banked their bucks in high budget Buckheimer style film making. And here we are talking about another JP? I think we all know it is a franchise that should have quit after #2, but here we are talking about the rehasshing of an old idea that has long wore its welcome out. Gee, no wonder Hollywood is losing money.

COME ON PEOPLE! The likelyhood that ANYONE will top, or match Spielberg's original is slim to none. We're talking about the fourth sequal in the series here. Does "Superman IV", "Alien IV", "Jaws IV", or "Fantastic IV...oops, I mean, 4", conjur up feelings of excitement? Or suicide?

Maybe S Coaster's idea of combining films is the only direction Hollywood has left to go. Maybe we'll see similar ideas like: "Predator VS. Skywalker... The Jedi Bounty", or maybe "The Bourne Of Roses: Jason Bourne has fallen in love again. But, little did he know, his fiance is FLOURIST!... ♪ dun dun duuun ♫".

Hollywood had better do something quick. With movie sales steadily dropping for the last 5 years or so, and the biggest decline this year, we're either going to see even MORE TV commercials in theaters, or ticket prices are going to jump up to $10 per person for an evening showing!



- Josh

S Coaster,
I like the Die Hard angle. At least he accidentally gets there rather than intentionally going there like in the previous two sequels.

I think we need to go with:
The Cretaceous has a new natural disaster: John McLane.
Die Hard: Jurassic Escape

Sean ('course, the audience might want to be the one escapin' the theater on this one...) :)

I don't like fresh blood

What about an apocalyptic dino event? Wait... I think that already happened.

why dont we Throw Bruce willis in there at a cruise which ended up a hijacked nuclear boat with...i dont know...ukranian terrorists. The boat's GPS Cruising system (since it will be the 1st cruise ship to cruise with no captain or cruising crew onboard, and our friend bruce will be amongst the undercover cops that are there to "supervise" the ship for its first voyage) is broken by some bullets during a "terrorist disarm" scene and the ship is traveling to siteB while the passengers are not knowing where the ship is heading to. There you have it. You have explosions, good guy, bad guys, neutral beasts (dinasaurs) innocent people stranded on dinasaur infested island... etc etc.
DieHard 4: Jurassic Escape
somebody add a tagline cause im out.

TGP,
Personally, I felt JP2 was a lukewarm rehash of JP1. I remember sitting in the theater so disappointed at the end. Walking out, the only word I could muster was "unispired." I know my expectations were high, but the film didn't produce for me. Too many stock characters and no one to really care about in a film that really tried to make you care.

With JP3, I guess my expectations were lowered due to my dislike of JP2. Maybe that's why I liked it better. I felt it was better paced and went for action rather than story and character. I left my brain in the car and just sat and enjoyed.

One thing that I always seem to come back to with these is that Grant is, for me that is, simply a more interesting character than the narcissistic Malcolm. It's hard for me to root for the lothario who has no knowledge to use, whereas with Grant, he knows what's really at stake with these things.

Like I said, I think with JP4, you take it out of the world that it's been in. Get rid of all the dinosaur/science people and people who have experienced this before, and hit it fresh with a new group who know nothing, only that their lives are in great danger.

JP4 + Airport-like Event Movie = fresh blood.

Sean (fresh blood... get it?... yum, yum!...) :)

Im going to keep this short and sweet. I got bored reading all that ^^^ lol. In 3, at the end, I think it was a perfect setup for the teradactyls to lead the show. Escaping from the cages and all. Could be interesting, but no, they wont do the obvious huh! lol

it sucks that there are only 4 movies:@:@:@:@:@

i cant wait 2 see the new dinosaur:p:p