SHORT TAKES : $2 Million Paid for Novel Rights

Universal Pictures has paid $2 million for screen rights to Michael Crichton’s new science-fiction novel “Jurassic,” which will not be published until the fall.

The record-setting price for the novel will be more than matched by the studio’s estimated $40-$50 million budget for the movie, which will be directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by his Amblin Entertainment.

Three other studios, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and Columbia, were in the chase for “Jurassic” with bidding opening at $1.5 million. Crichton will write his own screenplay.