Crichton's eminently readable novels tend to be plot-driven rather than character studies and make excellent fodder for screenplays. Surprisingly pessimistic for best-sellers, they are meticulously researched and well constructed arguments supporting the author's various pet peeves -- e.g., the meaning of theme parks, the arrogance of scientists, and the manifold abuses of political and economic power.

Crichton graduated to mega-budget filmmaking in 1993 with two high-profile adaptations slotted for major releases. Steven Spielberg helmed the $70 million special-effects laden version of Crichton's 1990 novel "Jurassic Park", about the biogenetically engineered return of dinosaurs to a theme park. This commingles two of Crichton's recurring themes: arrogance and greed, in the face of true power, nature. And writer-director Philip Kaufman supervised Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes in a $35 million adaptation of the 1992 novel "Rising Sun", which examined the darker side of Japanese investment in the USA. Crichton co-wrote (with David Koepp) the screenplay for "Jurassic Park" while he and Michael Backes co-wrote the screenplay for "Rising Sun". Barry Levinson directed "Disclosure" (1994) based on yet another Crichton novel, this time dealing with sexual harassment in the work place, the plot twist hinging on a male employee (Michael Douglas) suing his newly appointed female superior (Demi Moore) for improper behavior. This time, Crichton co-produced, leaving the screen adaptation to Paul Attanasio. The film opened to much controversy and healthy box-office returns.

A film adaptation of Crichton's "Congo" was produced in 1995 while 1997 saw "The Lost World: Jurassic Park", a sequel to the 1993 blockbuster. Crichton and his wife Anne-Marie Martin collaborated on the script for "Twister" (1996), about scientists who study tornadoes. While the special effects overwhelmed the rather trite story, the film went on to become a blockbuster. Crichton and Martin were sued by another screenwriter who claimed they had plagiarized his work but a jury dismissed the other writer's claims. Crichton went on to co-produce a film version of his novel "Eaters of the Dead" but reportedly clashed with director John McTiernan's vision and the resulting struggles kept the film from receiving distribution for two years. When it was released in 1999 as "The 13th Warrior", the film was roundly dismissed by critics and audiences. In the interim, Crichton has also served as a producer on the screen adaptation of his undersea novel "Sphere" (1998).

While he certainly knew his way around a film set, TV was largely an unexplored medium for Crichton until the fall of 1994. He had previously made his directing debut on "Pursuit", a 1972 made-for-TV political thriller which he adapted from his novel "Binary" (written under the pseudonym John Lange). After conquering the movies, Crichton returned to the small screen to create, co-write the pilot and executive produce the acclaimed medical drama "ER" (NBC, 1994- ). One of the five top-rated shows of its first season, "ER" racked up the kind of numbers that no new hour-long drama had won in decades. Boasting a talented ensemble, gritty stories and buckets of blood, this became THE hot show to watch and another triumph for the former M.D. who dreamed it up. After busying himself with big screen fare, Crichton entered into an agreement to create a new hour-long TV drama for Fox to debut in early 2001.