"Jurassic Park 4" Director Named, Colin Trevorrow: Steven Spielberg Excutive Producer, Hollywood Newcomer Directs 3-D Addition to Billion-Dollar Franchise

The 4th addition to the billion-dollar "Jurassic Park" movie franchise has named its new director! Universal Pictures announced Thursday that Hollywood newcomer Colin Trevorrow will direct the 3-D dinosaur film "Jurassic Park 4," while Steven Spielberg will be the executive producer.

The first two successful movies in the $1.9 billion worldwide franchise were directed by Spielberg, who announced back in 2011 that a fourth film was in development, according to Reuters. There has been much speculation about whether he would direct "Jurassic Park 4" himself ever since the announcement, but Universal put the rumors to rest by bringing Trevorrow on board.

Jurassic Park IV will be the 36-year-old filmmaker's first mega-budget movie for a major studio, let alone his first venture into 3-D, E! News notes. Trevorrow directed the independent film "Safety Not Guaranteed," shown at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and won a Spirit Award for his work.

The Hollywood newcomer may be a little in-over-his-head considering he's got a whole franchise to revive! However, Spielberg will get the "first stab at that" when the original Jurassic Park is rereleased in IMAX 3-D (and 3-D and RealD!) on April 5. 

E! News states that the long-awaited fourth Jurassic Park movie is due in theaters June 13, 2014. Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) penned the script.

2001's Jurassic Park III, helmed by Joe Johnston, was the least lucrative installment of the series to date. Its $369 million global box office didn't compare to the Spielberg-helmed The Lost World: Jurassic Park's $619 million and the original's $915 million in 1993.

Hopefully Trevorrow can direct the dinosaurs back to the top of the box office and make Spielberg proud or else "safety may not be guaranteed" for the new director. 

With the executive producer and director nestled safely in their seats, the "Jurassic Park 4" production phase can finally commence! Now if only they'd fill us in on the plot and the cast...