A few weeks ago we wrote about Jurassic Park 4, a project that's seemingly been off and on for many years. At the time, director Joe Johnston, currently focused on the upcoming release of Captain America: The First Avenger, was rather confident the project would be moving forward. Franchise star Sam Neill however, wasn't as optimistic.

As it turns out, Johnston must be in the know since the project is back in the early stages of development as key figureheads meet to discuss the film's story...

Heat Vision has the exclusive report that should have Jurassic Park fans excited: Steven Spielberg has been meeting with writer Mark Protosevich to go over ideas for the fourth installment in the dinosaur franchise based on the novel by Michael Crichton. Spielberg of course, directed Jurassic Park 1 & 2 and served as an executive producer on the third.

Joe Johnston instead helmed the third film and has long been in line to helm the fourth as well. Protosevich was involved with the story of this summer's Marvel Studios hit, Thor (see the Marvel connection here?) and served as a screenplay writer for I Am Legend.

The plan is to use Jurassic Park 4 as a means to relaunch the franchise so Universal can have another series of tentpoles to guarantee box office revenue for years to come (think Fast & Furious). It's nearly been ten years since Jurassic Park III hit theaters and in today's day and age, that's a long time in between sequels and reboots. Spielberg is certainly in the dino mood however, with his television series Terra Nova also debuting this fall.

The most notable difference in the industry from then till now is the incredible advancement in animation technology and this can only benefit the franchise which relies heavily on CGI to bring many of the creatures and visuals to life. Whether or not such a film would see franchise regulars Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum or Laura Dern return in some capacity is still up in the air, but don't be surprised if they are worked into the plot somehow as a marketing tool.

When are we getting a Dino-Riders movie? The only thing cooler than dinosaurs are dinosaurs with lasers. Click the following image and thank me later.

Dino-Riders Movie

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Source: THR