Many fans of Steven Spielberg’s seminal dinosaur theme park adventure series, myself included, never dreamed that a fourth installment would ever see the light of day. However, after more than a decade in development hell (where it’s languished since 2001’s Jurassic Park III), work on the project finally got underway last year, with the news that Rise of the Planet of the Apes screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver would be penning the film’s script. Now, we’ve got confirmation from Universal of both a final title and updated release date for the film – Jurassic World is set for release on June 12, 2015.
The film, to be directed by Colin Trevorrow, was originally set for release in 2014, but re-writes by the director and his Safety Not Guaranteed writer Derek Connolly apparently made the film more “epic” and “ambitious” than Universal had expected, leaving an earlier release date impossible.
The new title certainly lends some heft to recent plot rumors, which have predicted that the film will take place on present-day Isla Nublar, where Jurassic Park has finally become a theme park, as its founder had originally planned. Though presumed safe by both staff and visitors, the park becomes the site of some dino-related carnage when a previously-unknown species shows up and breaks through the park’s safeguards.
Creating an entire theme park filled with prehistoric creatures would take some serious special-effects wizardry, so the delayed release date makes a lot of sense if those plot rumors are at all accurate.
It was previously reported that series star Sam Neill would not be appearing in Jurassic World; instead, the script will focus on a new generation of characters dealing with the modern-day dinosaurs of Isla Nublar. Bryce Dallas Howard and David Oyelowo were both thought to have roles in the films, but all news on the casting front has gone dark, and at this point, their involvement is still just speculation.
With Steven Spielberg returning in a producing capacity and a talented young director behind the camera, I’m excited for Jurassic World and look forward to hearing more.
What do you think about the sequel? Should Universal have just let sleeping dinos lie, or is it about time for a new instalment in the series? And who would you cast to headline the new film, which Neill previously referred to as a “re-jig”? Let us know in the comments section!
Jurassic World opens June 12, 2015.