February 9, 2010
Johnston: "Different" Idea For JP4
In an interview with Drew McWeeny (aka AICN's Moriarty) at Hitfix.com, JP3 director Joe Johnston says they have moved on to a different idea than the one proposed in the infamous script we heard about back in 2004. That script, if you'll remember, was penned by John Sayles and William Monahan (the latter would go on to win an Oscar for his work on "The Departed"), and featured genetically modified hyper-smart dinosaurs that the main character is tasked with training. But in this new script, "[it's] not about the dinosaur park anymore," Johnston tells McWeeny. "It's about all-new characters.. It's something different that we haven't seen before in the 'Jurassic Park' world." But is that original idea dead? Johnston says maybe not! "Universal and Steven will want to keep making these movies as long as they're successful, and who knows? We may see the Monahan/Sayles version come back," he says. (Thanks Randy and Zach)
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January 14, 2010
Johnston Says JP4 "Beginning of a Second [JP] Trilogy"
Forget JP4, could both a JP5 and JP6 be in the future? Our ol' bud Joe Johnston, director of JP3, seems to think so in an interview with Boxoffice.com. "There is going to be a Jurassic Park IV," he tells the site, in an interview about his upcoming films, "The Wolfman" and "Captain America". "[JP4] breaks away from the first three—it's essentially the beginning of the second Jurassic Park trilogy. It's going to be done in a completely different way." Could it really be, more than a year after our last bit of disappointing-sounding JP4 news, the gears are slowly turning again? Sure sounds like it, but Johnston's involvement in projects through 2011 seem to suggest we might be waiting awhile (then again, we've been waiting since 2001). Though in this new "Avatar" age of films, it would seem ridiculous studios don't revisit franchises that might bring in the big bucks (A 3-D T-Rex anyone?)... Only time will tell I suppose! (Thanks 'raptor2000')
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December 8, 2008
JP Producers Say JP4 Plans Fallen Through
In what probably won't be a surprise to most of us, JP's long-time producers, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall said yesterday that no new work has been done on JP4, and that Kennedy thinks that "maybe" the franchise is finished. "You know, when Crichton passed away, I sorta felt maybe that's it," Kennedy told reporters at a press junket for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. "Maybe that's a sign that we don't mess with it." Is this the end, JP fans? I'd say probably, but then again we've heard talk like this before. To paraphrase the great Troy McClure, "Who knows what adventures we'll have between now and the time the franchise becomes unprofitable?" (Thanks ComingSoon.net, Clinton, Ryan, Eric, and Mark)
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November 5, 2008
JP's Creator, Michael Crichton, Dead at 66
Michael Crichton, novelist, screenwriter, and best known to us here at DJP3P as the visionary inventor of the fictional "Jurassic Park" in his two novels, died yesterday, according to a report at ETOnline.com, after waging what is described as a "private battle" with cancer. He was 66. Crichton started his writing career as a way to pay his way through medical school, crafting tight, reality-based cautionary thrillers that would become his style throughout his career. He was never afraid to tackle popular controversies, and in fact reveled in turning them on their head, plowing into tricky subjects such as sexual harassment ("Disclosure"), global warming ("State of Fear"), or, my (obvious) personal favorite, what he saw as the dangerous game of genetic manipulation ("Jurassic Park"). Popular not only for his novels but television and movie work as well, he is to this day the only person to have the #1 movie (JP), the #1 TV show (ER), and the #1 book (Disclosure), all at the same time. (Thanks Phil)
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July 31, 2008
Several JP Dino Props up for Auction
JP fans with deep, deep pocketbooks will be most interested to learn about this group of 16 Ebay items, all featuring maquettes, props, and actual real life animatronics from the JP films. Ranging in price from the understandable ($400 for Grant's Raptor nasal cavity) to the obscene ($60k for a full size JP3 raptor), these would certainly be fine gifts for a JP fanatic or, hey, a webmaster of a long-running JP website! The auction takes place tomorrow, August 1st. (Thanks Nate and Charlie)
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June 16, 2008
Stan Winston, Dead at 62
A sad day for all JP fans today, as word comes via AICN that the father of Jurassic Park's dinosaurs, proponent and champion of live-action special effects, and "dino consultant" on all 3 Jurassic films, Stan Winston, has died. He was 62. Winston was always a firebrand in the JP community, with some accusing him of bullying directors to get his robot dinos screentime over the fancier (yet far more expensive) computer generated imagery. In JP3, he worked with director Joe Johnston to pioneer camerawork that seamlessly blended CG with his robotic creations in the same scene, often within the same shot. Winston loved to talk, especially to the press, and could always be counted on for an amusing quote or ancedote, often supplying us with juicy plot tidbits he probably shouldn't have revealed so early. Stan loved his work, and it was obvious he loved JP as much as we all do. He certainly will be missed. (Thanks Ian)
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[JP3 News from 9/9/05 - 5/19/08]