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.]

Universal Pictures announced today that it will be releasing director Peter Berg’s (The Rundown) Navy SEAL film Lone Survivor on January 10, 2014.  Based on the bestselling non-fiction book of the same name, the film tells the story of four Navy SEALs on an ill-fated covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative who are ambushed by enemy forces in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan.  The film’s impressive cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, and Eric Bana.

Berg and Kitsch are coming off of last summer’s bomb Battleship, but both have proven themselves to be quite talented in the past, so hopefully Lone Survivor is a return to form.  The film will likely open in New York and Los Angeles at the end of December to qualify for awards season, and will face off against the Sylvester Stallone/Robert De Niro boxing film Grudge Match and the Lionsgate horror pic Jessabelle when it opens wide on January 10th.

While director Joe Carnahan’s 2011 film The Grey received some much-deserved praise from critics and a solid box office take, he’s had a bit of trouble getting his follow-up feature off the ground.  Carnahan was developing a remake of Death Wish at Paramount for the better part of a year, only to leave the project over a difference of opinion with the studio regarding the film’s casting.  Carnahan also flirted with possibly taking on a hard-boiled 1970s iteration of Daredevil at Fox, but the ticking clock due to the character rights proved to be an immovable stumbling block, and Marvel has now regained control of the superhero character.

However, Carnahan has now added a new project to his development slate, as he is currently in negotiations to write and direct an adaptation of the Chuck Hogan novel Devils in Exile for Universal called Sugar Bandits.  Hit the jump for more.

Sequels are already in the works for two upcoming cop comedies.  Buzz is strong for Bridesmaids director Paul Feig’s buddy cop comedy The Heat, and Deadline reports that screenwriter Katie Dippold has been tapped to start working on the script for a follow-up months before the first film even opens.  The pic stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as a by-the-books FBI agent and a rough-around-the-edges local Boston cop, respectively, who team up to take down a drug lord.  The film’s red-band trailer promises plenty of laughs and great chemistry between Bullock and McCarthy, and the pic’s June 28th release date shows big confidence from 20th Century Fox.  Hit the jump for news of a sequel to Ride Along.

Yet another remake is in the works, and this time it’s an update of a John Hughes classic.  Universal is planning a redo of Hughes’ 1985 sci-fi comedy Weird Science, and they’ve tapped 21 Jump Street, Project X, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World screenwriter Michael Bacall to write the screenplay. Joel Silver—who produced the original—is onboard to produce what is being planned as an edgier R-rated comedy akin to Jump Street and The Hangover.

The original stars Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith as two high school nerds who are inspired by Frankenstein to create the perfect woman using their computer.  Once they start interacting with the beautiful creation, played by Kelly LeBrock, they come to realize that she’s much more than a sex object.  Hit the jump for more.

Universal Pictures made its presentation to theater owners today at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and Steve was onhand to get a look at what Universal has planned in the near future.  While he’ll have his recap of the footage online a bit later, we wanted to share a couple of news tidbits that were announced during the panel which include updates on the Snow White and the Huntsman sequel and the next Bourne film.  Hit the jump for more.

While Rebel Wilson’s hosting gig at the MTV Movie Awards this past Sunday may not have been a hit with everyone, her performance with fellow Pitch Perfect cast members must have struck a chord.  Universal announced today during its presentation at CinemaCon that sequel to the 2012 sleeper hit is now in development for a planned 2015 release, and original writer Kay Cannon (30 Rock) is back on board as well.  Pitch Perfect focused on the world of collegiate a capella groups, detailing the struggles of an all-female group, the Barden Bellas, who desperately want to redeem themselves at the national championships.

The cast featured Wilson, Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Skylar Astin, Brittany Snow, Ester Dean, Alexis Knapp, Hanna Mae Lee, and Ben Platt.  No word on if the entire cast, director Jason Moore, or producer and cast member Elizabeth Banks are returning, but as development progresses, we can expect those announcements to be released.  Hit the jump for more.

While the highly anticipated sequel Fast & Furious 6 doesn’t hit theaters until next month, Universal has made no secret about the fact that they are already moving right along with plans for Fast & Furious 7.  Though director Justin Lin—who has altogether helmed four films in the series including Fast Five and 6—recently declined to return to helm the seventh installment, the studio quickly made other arrangements and entered negotiations with Saw and The Conjuring director James Wan to take the reigns of Fast 7 just last week.

With a 2014 release date planned, star Vin Diesel suggested that filming on Fast 7 would begin this summer.  Steve recently spoke with new franchise addition Dwayne Johnson in anticipation of Michael Bay’s upcoming black comedy Pain & Gain, and the actor raised some doubts about that potential summer start-date.  Hit the jump for more.

Though Fast & Furious 6 doesn’t come out until next month, we’ve known for some time that Universal plans on moving forward with a seventh installment in the franchise.  Fast Five director Justin Lin initially mulled over the idea of shooting Fast 6 and 7 back-to-back, but instead opted to shoot the Europe-set Fast & Furious 6 separately.  Last week franchise star Vin Diesel suggested that filming on Fast & Furious 7 was set to get underway as early as this summer, and since that kind of schedule would necessitate a very quick turnaround from the cast and crew, most surmised that Lin would be returning as the director.

However, today word comes that Lin has decided not to direct Fast & Furious 7 after all, which would have marked his fifth film in the series.  Hit the jump for much more.

The upcoming comedy sequel Horrible Bosses 2 won’t be the only Bosses reunion happening in the near future. Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis have signed on to star in the Universal Pictures thriller One Night on the Hudson, with Bosses director Seth Gordon attached to take the helm.  The story centers on a straight-laced rookie cop and his jaded veteran partner as they are tasked with transporting a federal witness from New Jersey to Manhattan, only to encounter a number of obstacles along the way.  Gordon will be working from a spec screenplay by T.J. Fixman  Hit the jump for more.

Some movement is finally taking place on Universal’s adaptation of author Laini Taylor’s popular YA fantasy novel Daughter of Smoke & Bone.  The studio bought the rights to the book back in December of 2011 after an intense bidding war, but we haven’t heard anything about the project since.  Now Heat Vision reports that Stuart Beattie (Collateral, 30 Days of Night) has been tapped to write the script for the feature film adaptation, with Joe Roth (Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Huntsman) onboard to produce.  The story centers on a 17-year-old art student whose father sends her all over the world collecting human teeth for a mysterious purpose.  The young woman realizes that she’s part of an ancient struggle between angels and demons, and finds herself in a love affair with a warrior angel (as one does).

The story is decidedly fantastical, and it’ll be interesting to see if audiences respond to the similarly fantasy-bent YA adaptations that hit theaters this year like The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and The Host (you can thank The Hunger Games for this YA fantasy boom).  As with nearly every YA book series, Smoke & Bone is the first in a trilogy of novels.  Hit the jump to read the full synopsis for Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke & Bone.

The official synopses for a couple of upcoming Universal Pictures films have been released.  Director Peter Cornwell’s (The Haunting in Connecticut) supernatural thriller Mercy is based on the short story of the same name by Stephen King and stars Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead) and Joel Courtney (Super 8) as two young boys who, after moving with their mother to take care of their dying grandmother at a decrepit farmhouse, encounter a dark spirit.  Shirley Knight, Frances O’Connor, Mark Duplass, and Dylan McDermott also star in this Jason Blum-produced (Paranormal Activity) thriller.

Additionally, we’ve got an official synopsis for the action-comedy Ride Along.  Directed by Tim Story (Fantastic Four), the film stars Kevin Hart as a fast-talking aspiring police officer who must team up with his girlfriend’s brother, a hot-tempered cop (Ice Cube), to prove that he’s worthy of being her husband.  The film also stars John Leguizamo, Jay Pharoah, and Laurence Fishbourne and opens on January 17, 2014.  Hit the jump to read the full synopses.

Universal Pictures had a pretty impressive 2012 despite the high-profile bomb Battleship.  The R-rated comedy Ted has now raked in over $500 million worldwide, and with a sequel already in development, Universal is looking to tee up a couple of other franchises in the near future.  Universal Pictures chairman Adam Fogelson recently sat down for an interview in which he revealed that the studio is actively developing a sequel to this year’s comedy hit Identity Thief, they’re working on a Snow White and the Huntsman sequel without director Rupert Sanders, they hope to make more Bourne movies, and they’re looking to get the anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation in theaters by Summer 2014.  He also talked a bit about their approach to the Van Helsing reboot.

Moreover, a separate report has surfaced claiming that Universal is also eyeing a potential franchise for last month’s horror film Mama, though the pic’s director isn’t exactly keen on expanding the premise into a sequel.  Hit the jump to read on.

Universal Pictures really, really wants to get their reboot of The Mummy going.  Last September the studio tapped Underworld and Total Recall helmer Len Wiseman to direct the redo of the classic monster movie for a possible 2014 release.  The film will be set in present day and is described as “epic,” and Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek, Transformers) are on board to produce the pic with Jon Spaihts (Prometheus) working on the screenplay.  However, Universal is now taking out a bit of an insurance policy by commissioning a separate, competing script for the film by The Hunger Games and State of Play scribe Billy Ray.  Hit the jump for more details on this atypical approach.

At this point in his career, Steve Carell will never go wanting for projects.  Not all of his movies are hits, but he’s a charming leading man who can do both comedy and drama.  Among his many projects is an untitled FBI Wedding comedy for Universal that is reportedly in the vein of “Stakeout and My Best Friend’s Wedding“.  According to Deadline, David Flebotte has been brought in to rewrite the Phil Alden Robinson‘s script.  Flebotte has been working in TV for years, and he currently serves as a consulting producer on Raising Hope.  Plenty of studios are vying for Carell’s attention, so I’m curious to see if Universal is trying to fast-track the project so they can get it on the actor’s busy schedule.

Carell currently has a big 2013 ahead of him with the upcoming releases of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Despicable Me 2, the Sundance hit The Way, Way Back, and (fingers crossed) Anchorman: The Legend Continues.