Caffeinated Clint
I know, I know, after “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull”, most would probably prefer the beards shipped old Indy off in one of those Area 51 crates to some non-specific non-nuke fridge country where he could live out the rest of his days in peace. And without his vine-swinging son. Or computer-generated backdrop.
But Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford are determined to give us one more “Indiana Jones” movie; let’s just hope this will be the film “Crystal Skull” wasn’t, and that Spielberg will be able to overpower Lucas when it comes to the intricate plot details and other factors that could derail the movie.
Spielberg offered an “Indy 5” update to EW (via/Film) this week, reiterating again that he didn’t want Indiana Jones to discover aliens in the controversial “Crystal Skull”. What he did like about it – and this suggests Karen Allen and Shia LaBeouf may be back for the next – was the family introduced in the movie.
“I’m really proud of the movie. I loved bringing Marion back. I love the fact that Indy now has a son. It’s a family action film, and I love that whole conceit. It’s public that George and I and Harrison all had a clash about genre and concept. But I’ve always told George’s stories. My biggest contribution was adding the father to the third movie. That was my idea, to cast Sean Connery as Harrison’s father. I am best friends with George and I’m very obedient to the stories that he writes. I’ll fight things I don’t believe in but ultimately if George wants to bring interdimensional beings into Crystal Skull, I will do the best job I possible can to acquit George’s idea and make him proud.”
Spielberg says that Lucas, Ford and himself have already settled on a “concept” for the fifth “Indiana Jones” movie. But Lucas hasn’t moved from his reclining leather chair yet to press a green button.
“It’s up to George. We have already agreed on the genre of the fifth movie, we already have a concept in mind. I don’t know where George is with the story. There is no Indy 5 until George says there is.”
So what do we know about “Indy 5″…
The Maguffin probably won’t be extra terrestrials : Well, if Spielberg’s comments about “Crystal Skull” are anything to go by, it won’t be as far-fetched as the last film. Said the filmmaker, “I sympathize with people who didn’t like the Maguffin because I never liked the Maguffin. George and I had big arguments about the Maguffin. I didn’t want these things to be either aliens or inter-dimensional beings. But I am loyal to my best friend. When he writes a story he believes in – even if I don’t believe in it – I’m going to shoot the movie the way George envisaged it. I’ll add my own touches, I’ll bring my own cast in, I’ll shoot the way I want to shoot it, but I will always defer to George as the storyteller of the Indy series. I will never fight him on that.” Still, it’s Lucas who is in charge of the story, so we may end up with something just as hokey. Spielberg said recently, “George is in charge of breaking the stories. He’s done it on all four movies. Whether I like the stories or not, George has broken all the stories. He is working on Indy V. We haven’t gone to screenplay yet, but he’s working on the story. I’ll leave it to George to come up with a good story.”
Indy won’t be going to the Bermuda Triangle : Producer Frank Marshall has debunked those rumours about “Indy 5” revolving around the mystery of that water-whirring legend, The Bermuda Triangle.
Indy won’t be going to Mars : Harrison Ford is insistent. “Maybe a fifth, but I ain’t going to Mars. Next time we get a script for Indiana Jones, I’d be delighted to play the character. Each time we meet him, we wanted to advance the audience’s understanding of the character, not just by putting him in adventures, but by learning something about him…that’s what led to the meeting of his father [in The Last Crusade], played by Sean Connery, and his son [in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull], played by Shia, and bringing Marion back.”
Spielberg may have some say in the “idea” this time : If Harrison Ford’s comments are anything to go by. “Steven [Spielberg] and George [Lucas] and I are sort of agreed on a germ of an idea and we’re seeing what comes of it,” the star had said. “The process works like this,” Ford continued. “We come to some basic agreement and then George goes away for a long time and works on it. Then Steven and I get it in some form, some embryonic form. Then if we like it, we start working with George on it and at some point down the line it’s ready and we do it.”
Spielberg is fighting to have it set in the past : Which, if CGI allows, could be fun. Lucas, of course, wants it in the future. “…we still have the issues about the direction we’d like to take. I’m in the future; Steven’s in the past. He’s trying to drag it back to the way they were, I’m trying to push it to a whole different place. So, still we have a sort of tension. This recent one came out of that. It’s kind of a hybrid of our own two ideas, so we’ll see where we are able to take the next one.” So, er, time-travel maybe? That way both win? (I hate myself for suggesting that).
Rumours suggest that Spielberg may have gotten his way since then, and that the new film may be a prequel to “Crystall Skull”. But we will see.
Same producers : Well, that’s a Given. Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy have been there since the beginning. Of course they’ll be back.
Shia may be back… : Despite saying something rather unsavory though appropriate things about “Crystal Skull”, Shia LaBeouf seems to be up to date with progress on “Indiana Jones 5”, suggesting Spielberg’s been in his ear and therefore indicating that ‘Mutt’ will be back in the next movie. In a recent interview, LaBeouf suggested he will be back for another “Indy” but not “Transformers”, even going so far as to suggest it isn’t far away because Ford is already in the gym getting in shape for the film and Lucas is tinkering with story ideas.
No word on Marion returning, but it’s likely : Since she’s now married to Indiana Jones, of course.
John Williams will do the music : Come on! Why wouldn’t he be!?
Indy WON’T die at the end of the film : Those comments purportedly from Harrison Ford regarding Indy’s impending death in the new film? BS. Ford never said he wanted Indy to die. Indy won’t die. Indy lives.
So what say you all? What would you like “Indiana Jones 5” to be?
