The Indiana Jones Franchise (Steven Spielberg/James Mangold, 1981-2023)

[Mr Sausage]

Plus Raiders has all the best (and iconic) images.

And surely the single best action sequence (the truck chase)! Say what you will about Spielberg's body of work, but that's got to rank among the all-time best action sequences ever filmed.

That is indeed one of the film's highlights, and probably the best action sequence Spielberg ever did (and I mean that as high praise for Raiders).

Odd how two of the best examples of a "truck siege" chase sequence--Raiders and the Road Warrior--were released in the same year.

[Antoine Doinel]

Or the fact that Lucas publicly admiited that "this will be another Phantom Menace" and both Ford and Spielberg disapporved of his core concept for the film until he just waited them out (and until their career success dropped)?

Spielberg's career is nowhere close to being in a dovetail coming off both a box office smash (War Of The Worlds) and a critical favorite (Munich). He certainly doesn't need to be riding Lucas' coattails' for anything. Ford perhaps needs a career boost as he's coming off some fairly forgettable movies right now.

I'm not paying to see Shia Lebouf, I am paying to see Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.

LeBeouf has so far not been contacted to take part in the film which is supposed to start shooting in a few months. One would think if he's going to be integral role he would need to be involved in pre-production on some level.

[DrewReiber]

Spielberg's career is nowhere close to being in a dovetail coming off both a box office smash (War Of The Worlds) and a critical favorite (Munich). He certainly doesn't need to be riding Lucas' coattails' for anything.

War of the Worlds wasn't as big as they had hoped, which didn't offset the vast debts that destroyed Dreamworks' independence. Not only did Spielberg lose the ownership of a major studio he built from the ground up, but for all of Munich's critical praise it was still one of the biggest bombs he's made in years. He mentioned during an interview about a year ago that it would take at least two years for the film to break even. Munich also served as a diversionary tactic when he threw himself into the film's production to excuse himself from having to attend the buyout negotations for his studio, leaving Steve Geffen to fend for himself. If I remember correctly, his partners and investors were understandably infuriated by his absence during this period.

Regardless of the succcess of Worlds, Spielberg is at one of the lowest points of his career. He no longer has the power to greenlight what productions he embarks on and Paramount holds the right to pull the plug on any Dreamworks project. He also took a lot of the blame in the industry for what happened to his company, especially towards the end when he went MIA. It's pretty obvious to me that Paramount has treated Bay's Transformers with the commitment it received to ensure their professional relationship with Spielberg, despite the absolutely destructive failure (for both Dreamworks and Warner) of The Island. And why? What was the very next film he embarked on after two of the biggest blows of his career?

LeBeouf has so far not been contacted to take part in the film which is supposed to start shooting in a few months. One would think if he's going to be integral role he would need to be involved in pre-production on some level.

I would love to believe that story, which I've also read. Unfortunately you have an actor being coy during an interview and a major trade magazine saying otherwise. I remember that Pierce Brosnan flat out denied that he was in negotiations to play Bond back in the 80's, only to find out years later he had to turn it down and denied the story to save face. When I see George Lucas or Steven Spielberg deny the existence of this character, or casting finishes up without an actor playing Indiana Jones' son... I'll breath a sigh of relief. Until then, I am going to expect that so many official sources wouldn't run this piece unless it had at least a semblance of truth to it.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

I think much of the success of the movie lies in the backstory and the history that it suggests (but leaves for the most part unexplained). For example, unlike Doom's cartoon maniac and the forgettable Nazi in Crusade (who I have literally forgotten), Belloc was Indy's long-standing nemesis. Even though we only meet him in this one movie, we sense every past encounter and every frustrated moment in he and Indy's relationship; you sense the extent of the rivalry. It gives you so much extra reason to root against him. The actual treasure is another great example, since it too represented a past which Indy must confront, and has already exerted an influence upon his life.

Part of the reason I'm not a large fan of Crusade is because it commits an unpardonable cinematic sin: the tendency to explain every chief characteristic of a character by having them all occur at roughly the same moment. So Indy, in the prologue, gets his hat, his penchant for using a whip, the scar on his cheek, and his lust for adventure, all in one moment--and all of the mystery and allure of the character which was so key to Raiders is explained away. Raiders had a much smarter script; it left in the mystery and relied on the suggestion rather than the explanation of the past.

Yep, you just nailed it right on the head why I like Raiders over the other films because it doesn't spell everything out like the other movies do. As you point out, the backstories to the relationships between Indy and Belloq and Indy and Marion are implied. We are given just enough details to imagine what might have gone on between these people and yet there is no mistake that all of these people have a past with each other.

The same is true for the Karen Allen role: the movie implies a considerable past between the characters and all the conflicting emotions of said past. Of course we have no doubt they will end up back in each other's arms by the end, but such a resolution seems more natural than the usual "meet new girl, fall ecstatically in love with new girl despite your limited encounters" method. Temple falls into the juvenile cliche of making both characters hate each other only to find in the end they are actually in love (sounds like a low budget romantic comedy); and Last Crusade uses the rather out of place Femme Fatale motif, and does so in a manipulative manner. Marion is less of a type than the other two. Anyway, any movie that introduces the heroine out drinking a large sherpa gets my admiration.

Hah, I agree. And I think that Karen Allen is also a much stronger actress than Capshaw and Doody -- simple as that. So, coupled with a top notch screenplay, no wonder she is the strongest and best of the love interests that Indy has over the series.

Altho, I found it particularly interesting that on the Making Of featurettes on the box set, Lucas explains that the darkness of Temple (and the hateful attitude towards women it seems) came out of a messy divorce that he was embroiled in.

[Antoine Doinel]

War of the Worlds wasn't as big as they had hoped, which didn't offset the vast debts that destroyed Dreamworks' independence. Not only did Spielberg lose the ownership of a major studio he built from the ground up, but for all of Munich's critical praise it was still one of the biggest bombs he's made in years. He mentioned during an interview about a year ago that it would take at least two years for the film to break even. Munich also served as a diversionary tactic when he threw himself into the film's production to excuse himself from having to attend the buyout negotations for his studio, leaving Steve Geffen to fend for himself.

How much bigger were they expecting War Of The Worlds to be? It took in $234 million in the US alone and $591 million worldwide.

As for Munich I don't believe Spielberg would take on a project so politically close to his heart to avoid a few meetings in a boardroom. In fact production of this film was pushed back, because Cruise's schedule opened up and they decided to do War Of The Worlds first.

The bottom line is, Spielberg doesn't need career help from Lucas and despite perhaps upsetting a few suits, he has enough goodwill among various producers and actors and name recognition among audiences that I'm fairly certain he can still shepherd his pet projects and get them made. Perhaps, not as easily as he did during Dreamworks' heyday but I don't think he needs to latch on to another Lucas franchise sequel to gain credibility.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

How much bigger were they expecting War Of The Worlds to be? It took in $234 million in the US alone and $591 million worldwide.

Believe it or not with Spielberg and Cruise attached, they were expecting much bigger box office grosses. I think that what hurt Spielberg on that one was all the negative publicity that Cruise garnered during the press junkets and what not. Studio execs felt that Cruise's behavior hurt the film's box office results.

[Highway 61]

Indy IV's been rumored for twenty years; it's not like Spielberg suddenly conceived the project after the Dreamworks debacle. Besides, as Fletch points out, Spielberg can easily skirt blame for the box office disappointment of Worlds, and no one's going to hold Munich's failure against him, seeing as the public isn't going to go crazy over a film about Israel and Palestine, especially while we're caught in a senseless war in the Middle East.

Really, I would say Spielberg's at the most interesting point in his career since 1982. AI and Munich and the upcoming Lincoln biopic indicate that he's interested in making smaller films. If anything Indy IV is finally happening because Lucas is done with the prequels and Ford has reached the age where it's now or never.

[exte]

Critically at least, both films were very well regarded when they came out in 2005. I remember a lot of praise and comparisons to 1993, how he was able to craft a blockbuster and an artistic masterpiece that dealt with difficult history. I cannot ever believe he's at the lowest point of his career, because his lowest point had to be with Twilight Zone the Movie, or maybe when he was 15 yrs old. Spielberg is a billionaire God in Hollywood. What about having produced Eastwood's movies? On the lot? Transformers? I can't really say I know enough about the Dreamworks sale, but from what I gather, all three are much richer because of it...

[Highway 61]

Yeah, Twilight Zone was pretty low, but even then, Spielberg was an innocent bystander. I would say his lowest period was the Always/Hook years.

[DrewReiber]

How much bigger were they expecting War Of The Worlds to be?

I think something closer to $800 million worldwide, closer to an Independence Day-sized film anyway. Just to be clear, I am *not* saying that Worlds didn't do very well, I am simply saying that they had hoped for a higher number to balance out the internal damage at Dreamworks.

As for Munich I don't believe Spielberg would take on a project so politically close to his heart to avoid a few meetings in a boardroom. In fact production of this film was pushed back, because Cruise's schedule opened up and they decided to do War Of The Worlds first.

I never said it had to do with him choosing to make Munich. The simple fact is that during pre-production he refused to show up to sale meetings where he was expected, as a professional, to represent his company. He could have flown out for the meetings, but he decided against taking part in the proceedings. This isn't an argument, I'm just pointing out what happened and why there was a lot of finger pointing in his direction to explain the failure of the studio. He had a choice and he choose to stay away and use Munich's setup period as his excuse.

The bottom line is, Spielberg doesn't need career help from Lucas and despite perhaps upsetting a few suits, he has enough goodwill among various producers and actors and name recognition among audiences that I'm fairly certain he can still shepherd his pet projects and get them made.

No offense, but that's just your own projected assumptions regardless of what has actually transpired. The deal during the purchase specifically cited that Dreamworks no longer had greenlight ability and serves solely as another department of Paramount. I am not challenging Spielberg's friends and supporters in the industry, nor his ability to continue making films. I am saying that Spielberg no longer holds the power he did over the last 10 years, which was to produce and control his films outside the influence and decision-making of the major studios. Simply put, he can no longer do whatever he wants without the support of someone more powerful, and he is now once again bound by the choices and resources of others.

Perhaps, not as easily as he did during Dreamworks' heyday but I don't think he needs to latch on to another Lucas franchise sequel to gain credibility.

It's not about Lucas, it's about Spielberg's dealings with Paramount. They now own his baby and their treatment of that division has everything to do with his relationship with them.

[Antoine Doinel]

According to Moviehole the official title is Indiana Jones and the City Of Gods, and Gong Li is supposedly being offered a role.

[Jeff]

According to Moviehole the official title is Indiana Jones and the City Of Gods, and Gong Li is supposedly being offered a role.

I like my title better.

[rs98762001]

According to Moviehole the official title is Indiana Jones and the City Of Gods, and Gong Li is supposedly being offered a role.

Indy battles the gangsters of the Rio favelas?

[Jeff]

Indy battles the gangsters of the Rio favelas?

Indiana Jones and the Slum of Naked Samba Chicks

[exte]

According to Moviehole the official title is Indiana Jones and the City Of Gods, and Gong Li is supposedly being offered a role.

But at AICN, they confirmed that was the title of Darabont's script, which was rejected.

[The Invunche]

Indy battles the gangsters of the Rio favelas?

Indiana Jones and the Slum of Naked Samba Chicks

I'm going to sue.

[Cinesimilitude]

Indiana Jones and the Slum of Naked Samba Chicks

I'm going to sue.

You'd have no claim if they don't visit Sao Paolo.

[flyonthewall2983]

Indiana Jones and the Kids on His Goddamned Lawn

[Antoine Doinel]

According to Moviehole the official title is Indiana Jones and the City Of Gods, and Gong Li is supposedly being offered a role.

But at AICN, they confirmed that was the title of Darabont's script, which was rejected.

Yes, that was the title of Darabont's rejected script but they are keeping the title and using it in place of the title of the new script. I guess both versions of the screenplay are drawing upon the same basic mythology.

[rs98762001]

Sounds very STAR TREK 5. Can't wait.

[Jeff]

The Hollywood Reporter (via Coming Soon) says Ray Winstone has joined the cast:

Ray Winstone Joins Indiana Jones 4
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
March 28, 2007

Ray Winstone (The Departed, upcoming Beowulf) has signed on for a major role in Paramount Pictures' Indiana Jones 4, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Although the film's plot is being closely guarded, the trade says Winstone will play star Harrison Ford's sidekick.

Cate Blanchett already has boarded the project, to be produced by Lucasfilm and directed by Steven Spielberg.

David Koepp wrote the screenplay for "Indy 4," which is scheduled to begin filming in June in Los Angeles and at top-secret locations around the world.

Paramount Pictures will release the film day-and-date worldwide May 22, 2008, with a handful of territories opening the following day.

Frank Marshall is producing, with George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy executive producing.

[Antoine Doinel]

George Lucas has announced that the teaser trailer will debut in November.

Hmm....according to IMDB Connery still isn't confirmed for the sequel:

Lucas Still Trying To Sign Connery for Jones Movie

Movie mogul George Lucas refuses to give up on recruiting Sean Connery for the fourth Indiana Jones movie, despite the Scottish star's reluctance to sign on as the adventurer's father. Connery has been linked to the upcoming fourth Indiana Jones movie, but insists he's not that interested in reprising his role as Henry Jones from Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade. That hasn't stopped persistent Lucas, who says, "We're still trying." In other Indiana Jones casting news, Lucas admits he was stunned when director Steven Spielberg told him he wanted to sign Cate Blanchett as Jones' love interest in the new film. He tells newspaper USA Today, "That's who my director wanted and I always bow to the wishes of my director. I approved it because she seemed like a good idea. When I met her at the Academy Awards, I told her, 'Hey, you work for me now!'"

[davebert]

Indiana Jones and the Kids on His Goddamned Lawn

I just wanted to let you know that as a fan of all things old people stereotype, that's the first thing I've laughed at all day.

[domino harvey]

No longer a rumor

[rs98762001]

Well, that ends any slim hope I had of this recapturing past glories.