Spielberg Confirms 'Jurassic Park 4' at Comic-Con

"Jurassic Park" was released in 1993 and went on to become not only a beloved film but also the highest grossing film of all time up to that point. Directed by living legend Steven Spielberg, the film spawned two sequels, though the third film was not directed by Spielberg himself. It's been a decade since "Jurassic Park III" and fans were starting to wonder if they'd ever see their favorite prehistoric beasts on the big screen again. Now Deadline.com has received information from both Spielberg and Universal Pictures confirming a fourth entry in the franchise.

Spielberg appeared at the San Diego Comic-Con on a panel which was discussing the upcoming release of "The Adventures of Tintin." Someone brought up the subject of "Jurassic Park" and Spielberg said that there was a writer working on it. It turns out that's not entirely accurate, for while writer Mark Protosevich has been meeting with Spielberg he has yet to be officially hired on for the project. Protosevich is credited with the story for the recent blockbuster "Thor." He's currently working on the script for Spike Lee's remake of "Oldboy," which coincidentally Spielberg had previously been attached to as director and it's expected this would be his next assignment.

The big question is of course what kind of story is going to be told. The first rumors of "Jurassic Park 4" date back to 2002 when it was anticipated that Joe Johnston, director of "Jurassic Park III" and the recent "Captain America: The First Avenger," would return to direct with Spielberg producing. However details about the project emerged sporadically and very few things could be confirmed. Both Spielberg and Johnston at various points have said this would be a new direction for the franchise but what exactly this means has never been clear. One of the more persistent rumors was that the dinosaurs would be somehow weaponized and outfitted with modern equipment for battle purposes. While this would certainly be a new direction it was never fully confirmed. It's also unclear at this point if Protosevich is coming on board to fine tune an existing story idea or to start over from scratch.

What cast and crew will return is another big question mark. At various points over the life of this frequently stalled project there has been word that Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and even Richard Attenborough may return to the franchise. Johnston may still be on board to direct, as he's mentioned "Jurassic Park 4" at various points throughout the years and always indicated that he was still involved. Spielberg is almost definitely going to remain on as a producer.

It's also unclear as to when fans can expect a new "Jurassic Park" film. Spielberg gave a rough estimate of "two or three years." However Universal Pictures seems to be a bit more eager to get going and has stated that they would really like to have something in the theaters for 2013. Given that Universal is lacking in a strong summer franchise at the moment. They do have "Bourne Legacy" next year but without series star Matt Damon, so it's understandable that they'd want to get this moving as quickly as possible.

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