First off, Happy New years everyone! It’s been a long time coming since our last update… many ages ago. Today, I brings news from Boxoffice.com about Jurassic Park IV from the big man, Joe Johnston! He reports to Amy Nicholson of Boxoffice that Jurassic Park IV is not only happening, but a second trilogy may be in the works. Will our favorite characters (most notably: Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm and Ellie Sattler) be involved with the new trilogy or will this bring a whole new crew to the silver screen? More to follow!

Amy Nicholson (AN): You said that there was no way to get people back on the island for a fourth time and have it make sense, but that 2001 was the last installment and we’re due.

Joe Johnston (JJ): Well, there is going to be a Jurassic Park IV. And it’s going to be unlike anything you’ve seen. It 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. That’s pretty much all I can tell you.

AN: A second trilogy?

JJ: If you think of the first three as a trilogy, number four would be the beginning of a second trilogy.

AN: That’s big. So not to lock you in, but there’s a possibility there might be a total of six films?

JJ: Well, you never know. If they keep working—and if audiences keep going to them—there’s no reason why there wouldn’t be. We just want to make them justified in their own right. We don’t want to make sequel after sequel just because there’s a market for it. We want to tell different, interesting stories. You don’t want to just sell hamburger.

Sad news rolled in last night while I was at work. News that shook me to the bone (link). I couldn’t believe it to be true. Stan Winston, the father of Jurassic Park beautiful dinosaurs, Terminator, Aliens, Predator and many more has passed away at the age of 62. Stan Winston died of complications from multiple myeloma (MM) Sunday at his home in Malibu, said his son, Matt Winston. To us he will always be remembered as the one who created life-size dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, The Lost World and Jurassic Park III, blending them seamlessly with CG images, making us believe that dinosaurs roamed the earth once again. More recently, Winston and his team created the crystal skeletons for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the suits for the superhero Iron Man and the super-villain the Iron Monger in movie Iron Man. Stan Winston won 4 Oscars, another 17 wins and 31 nominations. He will be missed.

According to today’s Boston Globe, John Williams will be returning to contribute to the score for Jurassic Park IV.  Says the article:

Williams, now 76, was conductor of the Pops from 1980 to 1993. According to industry reports, he remains a busy man, with soundtracks for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” “Jurassic Park IV,” and “Superman: Man of Steel” all scheduled for his touch.

No word yet on whether the film maestro will be writing new music or merely contributing themes, as he did for Jurassic Park III.  This is an exciting piece of information, should it prove true.  Not only does it mean Jurassic Park IV is still on track, but those worried about production value should rest easier knowing Williams will be involved somehow.

Sideshow Collectibles, respected purveyor of movie paraphernalia, announced two days ago the acquisition of a new franchise.  Details are lacking, but soon you too can expect to be able to purchase quality figurines, busts, and replicas from the Jurassic Park films.  Good news for fans who are tired of pretending that their Barbasol cans have embryo storage capabilities.  Wait, am I the only one?

In a recent interview with Comingsoon.net, veteran producer Frank Marshall responded to a number of questions regarding fourth installments of his popular series, including Jason Bourne, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park. On the latest dinosaur adventure, Marshall said that while the current WGA strike is holding up script revisions, the film is still on track for a 2009 release. “There’s an idea and we just have to see if it shakes out,” he said. While it’s disappointing to hear that the script has yet to be finalized, the fact that Frank Marshall still considers the project to be greenlit should be somewhat reassuring to long-starved fans.