Though Jurassic Park IV was initially targeted for a very rushed release in 2014, Universal wisely decided not to rush production and recently announced that the production had been postponed in order to give director Colin Trevorrow enough time to adequately prep the shoot.  The franchise entry is a massive undertaking regardless, but it also marks Safety Not Guaranteed director Trevorrow’s first studio film and early word is that his rewrite of the script involves some pretty impressive (and time consuming) set pieces that need careful attention.

Following the postponement news, most assumed that we would likely see Jurassic Park IV hit theaters in 2015 instead.  A new banner for the film at the 2013 Licensing Expo suggests that the film will indeed hit theaters sometime in 2015, and we have also learned that the pic will be shot in 3D.  Hit the jump for more. [Update: Variety has confirmed that Jurassic Park IV will indeed be released in 2015, adding that Steven Spielberg is currently in town working with producers and Trevorrow on the JP4 script before he jumps into pre-production on American Sniper.]

With regard to the sequels to and remakes of your favorite properties from 1982-1993:

• Dan Aykroyd continues to promise Ghostbusters 3, revealing that the sequel plot centers on troubling research by Columbia University particle physicists.
• Director Gil Kenan (City of Ember) has begun to cast his remake of Poltergeist for a September shoot in Toronto.  Plot details have surfaced.
• Sam Neill says it is unlikely he will be a part of Jurassic Park 4, in part because he believes it is a reboot.

More on each project after the jump.

20 years after its release, it’s impossible to overestimate the impact of Jurassic Park.  It ushered in a new era of cinema technology that melded the greatest aspects of stop-motion and animatronics with CGI breakthroughs in their infant stages.  But more than that, it blew the pants off of audiences around the world.  It’s safe to bet that everyone who saw the film during its initial release remembers what it was like walking out of the theater.  It knocked us all on our asses while also spawning a 1,000 junior archaeologists.  Kids replaced their Bart Simpson posters with ones of T-rexes and raptors, everyday coming in filthy from digging in the backyard all day.

All these years later and Universal did the obvious: they released Jurassic Park 3D.  Shortly after it hit theaters, it was dropped on Blu-ray.  How does it fare in comparison to the mighty 2011 Blu-ray release?  Hit the jump for all of our details on the Jurassic Park 3D combo pack. 

The production delay for Jurassic Park 4 has scuttled Universal’s plans for a June 13, 2014 release date.  But you can’t let a good release day go to waste, and Sony has wasted no time in moving the 21 Jump Street sequel into that vacated spot.  This move makes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the only wide release on June 6, 2014.  Filming on TMNT is currently underway with Megan Fox on a trampoline.

As for the sequel to 21 Jump Street, filming is set to begin this fall.  Phil Lord and Chris Miller will return to direct; Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum will reprise their roles as Officers Schmidt and Jenko.  Korean Jesus be praised.

Just last week, Jurassic Park 4 director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) tweeted a picture of the first film’s setting, Isla Nublar.  However, the dinosaur embryos may be going into cold storage for a little bit.  AICN recently picked up some tweets from some members of the crew.  Concept Artist Dean Sherriff tweeted “JP4 on hold” while Digital Assets Manager Todd Smoyer was a bit more harsh by tweeting “Hollywood makes and crushes dreams.  Goodbye JP4″.  Despite Smoyer’s depressing tweet, Jurassic Park 4 is reportedly still underway, and the hold is to make the production even bigger.

Hit the jump for more. [Update: Universal Pictures has confirmed that JP4 has been put on hold indefinitely.  Read the studio's statement after the jump, along with news regarding which actors had met for the lead roles.]

Though it only recently landed a director and has yet to fill out its cast, Jurassic Park 4 is still planned to hit theaters next summer.  Safety Not Guaranteed helmer Colin Trevorrow was tapped to direct the sequel last month, and Steven Spielberg is onboard to produce alongside Frank Marshall.  We know that Trevorrow will shoot in 3D and the film has a script by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) that includes a new dinosaur, but other than that story details have been kept firmly under wraps.

Will we see the return of original characters?  Is there a new park?  Just how big can the dino droppings get?  These questions have yet to be answered, but it appears that Trevorrow has just offered a major hint regarding the pic’s story, as he shared an image today from a location scout with the caption “Nublar,” which as we all know is the name of the island from the first Jurassic Park.  Hit the jump for more.

I would argue that there is no limit to the mileage a film can get out of velociraptors, but the Jurassic Park franchise is feeling the need to expand.  This doesn’t always work.  Even though the raptors were a major part of Jurassic Park 3, the film was hyped on the Spinosaurus, and that didn’t turn out to be such a big deal in the end.  Now that Jurassic Park 4 is moving forward with Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) at the helm, the franchise apparently need a new terrifying dinosaur (because the ones that have razor sharp talons and can open doors are so passé), and paleontologist and “dinosaur advisor” Jack Horner says they’ve got just the thing for the new movie.

Speaking to USA Today, Horner says “I can’t actually tell you who that will be, but you’ll want to keep the lights on after you see this movie.”  Is the new dinosaur Truckasaurus?  Because you should keep the lights on for Truckasurus so you can see him devour cars.  Fingers crossed for Truckasaurus.

Here’s a brief look at this week’s new Blu-ray releases:

• The Borgias: The Second Season [Blu-ray] – $34.99 (47% off)
• The Collection [Blu-ray] – $16.99 (32% off)
• Jurassic Park (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) – $16.99 (51% off)
• Killing Them Softly [Blu-ray] – $19.96 (50% off)
• Lincoln (Two Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack) – $22.99 (41% off)
• Lincoln (Four Disc Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy) – $27.99 (39% off)
• Monsieur Verdoux (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] – $31.99 (20% off)
• Parental Guidance [Blu-ray] – $22.99 (43% off)
• A Royal Affair [Blu-ray] – $24.86 (17% off)
• The Sandlot: 20th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray]- $14.96 (25% off)
• Veep: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) – $19.99 (60% off)

Hit the jump for details on the extras included on the aforementioned Blu-rays.

I’ve patiently waited for the opportunity to include Veronica Mars in the Top 5. As one of my favorite pop culture artifacts, I’m thrilled that this past week has finally afforded me the chance. That said, I’ll reserve any and all debate regarding the impact and merit of its now famed Kickstarter campaign for after the jump. For now, I’ll just say that, as much as I loved the show, I didn’t feel shortchanged by its somewhat abrupt finale. Moreover, I never felt like I needed a movie to bring some sort of closure to that world and its characters. Don’t get me wrong, by series end I wanted more VM in my life. But maybe that’s a good thing. Looking back I’d much prefer a series leave me wanting more than continually ask me back every week when it can barely muster even a shadow of its former self (cough…The Office…cough).

In addition to more Mars talk, this week’s collection also includes our G.I. Joe: Retaliation set visit, the first red-band trailer for Kick-Ass 2, Jurassic Park 4 naming its director, and all of our SXSW 2013 coverage to date. Keep reading for a brief recap and link to each.

Late last year, director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) was a dark horse candidate in the running for the director’s chair of Star Wars: Episode VII; now it looks as if he’ll be helming the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park series.  Trevorrow had teased fans about directing a film with a significant fan base and the rumor mill quickly lumped him into the Star Wars discussion.  Not long after that, word came out that Trevorrow would be writing and possibly directing a remake of Flight of the Navigator; nothing to scoff at, but certainly not Star Wars.  With today’s news that he’ll be directing Jurassic Park 4, now we know the fan base he was hinting at all along.  Hit the jump for more.

It’s been twenty years since Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park stomped into theaters, but the 3D re-release is only a few weeks away.  In order to scare up some interest in seeing the remastered classic on the big screen, two new TV spots have been made available.  They’re quick montages of some of the scariest and most iconic scenes from the film, but are clearly aimed at drawing in audiences by nostalgia instead of pitching a film to a completely new viewers.

Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight and Richard Attenborough, Jurassic Park 3D opens April 5th.  Hit the jump to watch the new TV spots.

We’ve got some new posters from the following films:

• Jurassic Park 3D – The 3D re-release of the 1993 Steven Spielberg classic now has a new poster to mark the IMAX 3D debut on April 9th.
• The Host – From Twilight author Stephenie Meyer comes this sci-fi movie starring Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger, Jake Abel and Max Irons, featured in these new character posters.  The Host opens March 29th.
• The Numbers Station – The new thriller starring John Cusack and Malin Akerman opens April 26th.
• Dark Skies – A Russian poster for the sci-fi thriller starring Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo and J.K. Simmons.  Dark Skies opens stateside on February 22nd.
• Kiss of the Damned – Written and directed by Xan Cassavetes, starring Josephine de la Baume, Milo Ventimiglia, Roxane Mesquida, Anna Mouglalis, Michael Rapaport and Riley Keough, Kiss of the Damned will be available on iTunes/On Demand March 28, 2013, and in theaters May 3, 2013.

Hit the jump to check out the posters and synopses. 

We’ve got a host of new images from the following Universal Pictures films opening in 2013:

• About Time – A new image featuring Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson, who star in this time-traveling sci-fi dramedy from writer/director Richard Curtis.  About Time opens May 10th.
• Fast and Furious 6 – One new image of Paul Walker and Vin Diesel who return for the sixth installment of the streetcar franchise directed by Justin Lin.  Fast and Furious 6 opens May 24th.
• Identity Thief - 16 images from director Seth Gordon’s crime comedy starring Jason Bateman as a victim of Melissa McCarthy’s thieving.  Identity Thief opens February 8th.
• Jurassic Park 3D – A new image from the 3D re-release of the 1993 Steven Spielberg movie, roaring into theaters on April 5th.

Hit the jump to see the images.

Universal Pictures just announced that Jurassic Park IV will open in 3D on June 13, 2014.  While many are quick to speculate that Steven Spielberg will direct, having just shelved the  sci-fi adaptation Robopocalypse for an indefinite period of time, no director is attached as of yet.  Spielberg will return as a producer, however.  Screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, both of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, just turned in a fresh draft of the film earlier this week.  For those of you keeping score at home, that gives Universal less than 18 months to do all the pre-production, shooting and post-production visual effects (these are dinosaurs in 3D after all).  You can get a glimpse at what the original Jurassic Park looks like in 3D when it opens on April 5th, including a one-week IMAX run.  Hit the jump for more on Jurassic Park IV.

Jurassic Park recently received a 3D post-conversion for re-release even though the film is astounding without the 3D.  I don’t know if it will make the film any better (probably not), but now it will be getting the IMAX treatment as well.  I wish the movie would get the IMAX without the 3D like Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I can’t deny the temptation to see Jurassic Park on an IMAX screen.

Hit the jump for the press release.  Jurassic Park 3D opens April 5th.  The IMAX engagement is for one-week.