It's been a long time between drinks for the popular Jurassic Park franchise. The third film, which was not based on one of Michael Crichton's books, came out in 2001 and while it was not as successful as the other two in terms of critic, fan and most importantly financial response there has always been enough interest around the franchise to warrant the discussion of a fourth film. In fact as early as 2002 Steven Spielberg, director of the first two films, told magazine Starlog he would produce a fourth film that would see Joe Johnston, director of the third film, return. Since then the production has been hit with a mirade of issues, primarily over the script. One idea this writer remembered hearing involved the US Military capturing the dinosaurs from the island and turning them into beasts of war, ala Dino Riders. These script issues have seen a film that was supposed to be released in 2005 not even begin production. It appeared these issues were so great that back in 2008 series producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy apparently put the movie to bed when asked about whether production had begun : "No... I don't know. You know, when Michael Crichton passed away, I sorta felt maybe that's it. Maybe that's a sign that we don't mess with it."

Now loyal fans, like myself, have had their spirits raised due to an interview with Joe Johnston conducted by Ain't It Cool News. They were speaking to Johnston about his upcoming film The Wolfman, starring Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro, when the discussion moved to Jurassic Park and whether the fourth film was Johnston's next job.

Harry: Speaking of JURASSIC PARK, are you thinking of heading into that fourth one after this?
Joe Johnston: Well, there is a great story for the fourth one that I would be interested in getting involved with and it’s nothing like the first three. It sort of takes the franchise off in a completely different direction, which is the only way I would want to get involved.
Harry: Another movie about a group of people struggling to survive a dinosaur attack is…
Joe Johnston: We’ve done that and it’s been done three times and I figure it’s…
Harry: Stay away from that island. Don’t go there!
Joe Johnston: Why would anybody go back to that island? It was hard enough to figure out the second and third reason for them to go, but it would take it off in a whole other trilogy basically, but when it gets to that level it’s sort of about studios and Steven’s thing and who knows. I think we are at that point where we are due for another one if we are going to do it. They had what four years between them? 1992… 1996 or 1997, and then 2001, so we are past due. I don’t know, but we will see.

So apparently there is a great story out there for Jurassic Park IV that is potentially going to take the series in another direction, if it gets made. I for one think it would be good if they made a fourth and stayed away from the island. Like he said it's ridiculous trying to find reasons why these people would keep going to an island where they know their chances of survival are very slim. Maybe to bring it off the island InGen's, the people who created the dinosaurs, main rival could have finally gotten their hands on an embryo and undertaken the reverse engineering process they are so good at. Okay that's probably a terrible idea but frankly I am very interested in a fourth film. While Crichton unfortunately passed away and only wrote two books in the Jurassic Park world his books were full of enough depth, history and side story that the world he created could support a fourth film. Anyway in this age of reinventions, reboots and franchises why the hell not make another Jurassic Park movie, at least it might give me another chance to see Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough in a movie.