UPDATED WITH NEW INFORMATION BELOW!
Production woes are nothing new for the Jurassic Park franchise, but just days after seeing the first behind-the-scenes photo from director Colin Trevorrow's location scouting trip for JURASSIC PARK 4 we now have some conflicting information that the film may be on hold.
Last night JURASSIC PARK 4 Concept Artist Dean Sherfiff sent out the following tweet:
That tweet was later deleted, but the mystery didn't end there. Shortly after Sherriff's tweet was taken down, JP4 Digital Assets Manager Todd Smoyer also took to Twitter, releasing the following tweet:
As of yet there is no word from Universal regarding what is going on with JURASSIC PARK 4 but considering the activity on Twitter over the last few hours there is some kind of shake-up going on with the production.
Universal has already slated the fourth film for release on June 13, 2014, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the studio realized that there was no way they could have it completed within that window and have decided to slow it down a bit. There's no doubt that fans are excited for another entry into the JURASSIC PARK franchise and that it will do gangbusters domestically and internationally, so hopefully the studio has decided to not rush the product so that they can deliver quality to an awaiting audience.
We'll keep you updated on news regarding JURASSIC PARK 4 as it comes in.
UPDATE:
As promised, we have an update on what is going on behind the scenes at JURASSIC PARK 4.
The folks over at www.jurassicpark4-movie.com were contacted by a reliable source who shared a bit of information about the situation behind the production, sharing the following:
So what is going on with Jurassic Park 4? Simply put, the studio doesn't necessarily see eye-to-eye with some of those involved in the film's development and this has lead to some conflict.
According to our source, Jurassic Park 4 is still in production, just on a temporary hiatus while there is a "restructuring of the guard", if you will. Not to worry however, as we are told that Colin Trevorrow is still directing the film and adds that the film will deliver on an EPIC scale. It is this "EPIC" demand by the studio however, which has lead to the current situation. It seems Universal wants to pull out all the stops and go above and beyond what they had initially set their goals to be. This has lead to a number of disagreements between those working on the project and the Studio, which has resulted in an overhaul within the film's production crew. No specifics however.
With regards to a few employees mentioning over Twitter that they were let go today – our source further assures us that those affected, and about 80% of JP4's Art Department, had most of their work for the project already done. So, the film has been moving forward at a steady rate and Universal has no plans to give up this late in development.
Regarding Jurassic Park 4's script, which was previously thought to be the cause of this potential breakdown, our source tells us that the script is NOT the issue. The script apparently, is fine. The only problems which have arisen, have come from within the film's developmental core.
So to sum it all up – Jurassic Park 4 is not dead, it's merely on hold while the studio sorts out a few things behind closed doors and comes to an agreement with those working on the project. This is not uncommon, just look at the RoboCop remake, which was initially scheduled for a 2013 release, but ended up getting postponed and pushed back to 2014, to cater to the Studio's requests.
It's good to know that the film is not facing extinction and hopefully the restructuring will help deliver a better film. As always, we'll keep you updated!