"Jurassic Park 4" has a director. And it is not Steven Spielberg.
Colin Trevorrow has been bestowed with the responsibility of returning the noted franchise to its seemingly distant glory after two critically panned sequels. A number of reports indicate that the "Safety Not Guaranteed" helmer was hired on Thursday to direct the Dinosaur franchise which will come out in 2014.
The film will be produced by Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver as writers.
The original "Jurassic Park" film is currently 22nd in all-time domestic gross. The sequel was released in 1997 and brought in $618 million worldwide, but the third film only brought in $368 million world-wide. The steady decline in sales for the series could be attributed to quality. The first film was hailed as a masterwork and received 90 percent approval on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. The follow-up only received a 52 percent approval from critics while the third was only applauded by 50 percent of the pundits.
Trevorrow's "Safety Not Guaranteed" was a huge success and received 91 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes with the website claiming that "Safety Not Guaranteed's ostensibly modest ambitions are outmatched by the movie's strong performances, beguiling charm, and heartfelt story."
Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald said that the film "is droll and hilarious, but there isn't a cheap laugh in it, and the ending is so perfect it sends you soaring" while Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post noted ""Safety Not Guaranteed" is most vibrant and vital at its edges, in the way that the characters interact with each other while waiting for something to happen."
"Jurassic Park 4" will have steep competition in 2014. Films expected to release during that summer include sequels to "Transformers," "X-Men," "The Hobbit," "Spider-Man," "Captain America," "How to Train Your Dragon," and "Planet of the Apes." There will also be a new "Godzilla" remake and a "Ninja Turtles" reboot due next year.