Colin Trevorrow impressed Universal Studios and executive producer Steven Spielberg enough to land the directing gig for the studio’s 2014 summer tentpole sequel Jurassic Park IV (Jurassic Park 4).
Before J.J. Abrams was hired by Lucasfilm and Disney to direct Star Wars Episode VII, Trevorrow was one of many names that popped up in the Internet rumor mill for that coveted gig. He openly denied being a frontrunner on Twitter by tweeting, “Odds I will direct Episode VII: 3720 to 1” back in mid-November.
Same same tweet also mentioned “another film we all love” that he’s “currently trying not to mess up.” It turns out that film is Jurassic Park 4, and it looks like he’s been involved or in negotiations/running for the director’s chair job for upward of four months.
Trevorrow’s lone big-screen directing experience came in the form of last year’s Safety Not Guaranteed starring Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass and Jake Johnson. The film was shot on an estimated micro budget of $750,000, which probably is around how much Universal will spend on the catering for Jurassic Park 4.
Though it’s easy for us to have concern over Trevorrow’s lack of experience with a big budget, much less a heavy visual effects film that will be shot in 3D, producer Frank Marshall is sure they’ve got the right guy for the job. Marshall tweeted the following shortly after the news broke this afternoon, “Thrilled to have director on JP4, Colin Trevorrow, an exciting young filmmaker who understands and respects the world that is Jurassic Park.”
Jurassic Park 4 is written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and is set for a June 13, 2014 release.
