George Lucas on a Fifth Indiana Jones

[davejames]

In a nutshell, Lucas wanted to do the Crystal Skulls for the 4th movie since the early 90s, but Spielberg was keen on that idea. After numerous adjustments, revisions, and discussions over the years, Spielberg started to like the story that was developing around the skulls and fully embraced it and really began to enjoy where the 4th film was going.

I don't know, I read pretty much every interview out there, and most of Spielberg's enthusiasm for the movie seemed to be about the actors, and how much fun he had working with Harrison again.

I can't remember hearing him ever rave about the story they were telling-- something which really stuck out to me, because usually he loves talking about the stories of his movies, and the meaning behind them.

 

[Superman]

^^^I've read about the video game. I think the fact of its popularity would've helped this movie get better fan cred.

As for Excalibur, they only touched on the Grail in LC...to find the sword itself would've been something.

As a matter of fact, if you hunt on Google, you'll find that one of the rejected Indy 4 was in fact Indiana Jones and The Sword of Arthur. I've read parts of the script and it had some of the stuff KotCS had, like the library chase and the marriage.

I'd have preferred that to the skulls and aliens.

As for Bigfoot, I was joking, but that could've been fun, taking the series in a more folkloristic route.

\S/

 

[Lapis Exilis]

I just don't see why they didn't:

1-send Indy after Excalibur

2-have Indy find Atlantis

3-have Indy find Bigfoot

\S/

Because apparently no matter what Indy does, a zillion people will go see it.

You know I have about as high an opinion of Lucas' work as everybody else in this thread. That's why I don't go see it any more.

Sorry to sound like a pompous ass (hey, at least I'm apologizing this time...), but really, when is everyone going to stop giving their money to this guy?

 

[DWF]

I'd certainly go to see another Indiana Jones movie if they make another one.

 

[Galactus]

Sorry to sound like a pompous ass (hey, at least I'm apologizing this time...), but really, when is everyone going to stop giving their money to this guy?

When he stops making things that they like. I mean give the guy some credit. He knows how to make a money that almost everyone wants to see. In fact the only people that dislike his work are the diehard, which would explain why he keeps making so much money. I mean when he starts making movies like "Starship Dave" then you can tell him to stop. Until then he is doing exactly what he is suppose to do, from a business stand point.

 

[Lapis Exilis]

Sorry to sound like a pompous ass (hey, at least I'm apologizing this time...), but really, when is everyone going to stop giving their money to this guy?

When he stops making things that they like. I mean give the guy some credit. He knows how to make a money that almost everyone wants to see. In fact the only people that dislike his work are the diehard, which would explain why he keeps making so much money. I mean when he starts making movies like "Starship Dave" then you can tell him to stop. Until then he is doing exactly what he is suppose to do, from a business stand point.

I'm not telling him to stop at all. The dude's got a billion dollars and he likes to make movies - have at and more power to him.

I was talking to the people in the thread, and vicariously to all the SF fans out there who are agreed that Lucas lost his chops a long time ago (or at least constantly say that they think Lucas has lost his chops), and yet still go see his work. 'Tis confusing. Is there something so marvelous about the concept of Star Wars or Indiana Jones that I'm missing that even if people know they're going to be disappointed, they still want to see it? Do people go see it because they love to hate it (a perfectly respectable reason, IMHO, I love to hate a lot of stuff. I know liberals who watch Bill O'Reilly just to get pissed off - it's all good.)? Is it merely that hope springs eternal and there's still a chance that maybe someday he'll produce something that gives a thrill like back in the good old days and it's worth spending the money on the crap on that off-chance?

I'm truly not trying to be an asshole. I'm fascinated by pop phenomenon and Lucas has turned into a truly interesting case where he manages to continue to make commercially successful material even though a huge part of the fan base thinks his stuff of the last ten years sucks. People who like his work go see it. People who hate his work go see it. I guess that's the true definition of success. Truly. ( Man, I am likin' that word today apparently...)

 

[Meredith]

Any Ancient African Legends (Besides Egypt) we could see Indy take on, any Aboriginal ones???

 

[archeryguy1701]

Lucas just needs to shut the hell up

Speaking of hell and Lucas, wasn't Lucas' other big idea, besides Roswell Aliens, "Indiana Jones goes to Hell"?

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Lucas is the least of our problems here. It only seems like he's the problem because he has such radical before (the original Star Wars trilogy) and after (the prequels) pictures. OTOH, Harrison Ford & Steven Spielberg have suffered a long, slow decline that can only be seen in retrospect. Spielberg now is a shell of the vivacious director that gave us the original Indiana Jones trilogy, E.T., Jurassic Park, and even Hook & The Lost World. Ford now sleepwalks through all his roles. He's way past his prime from the 1980s (The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner) and hasn't made a truly decent movie since Air Force One back in 1997. Hell, I'll easily watch the Star Wars prequels before I'd watch anything that Ford or Spielberg has done in the last decade.

I just don't see why they didn't:

1-send Indy after Excalibur

2-have Indy find Atlantis

3-have Indy find Bigfoot

\S/

How about this: Marion is starting to feel that their relationship is losing its zip. Indy is in the last death throes of his midlife crisis. (And this was 40 years before viagra.) Indy decides that the only way he can get his mojo back is to learn to play the guitar, become a rock god, and find... the Pick of Destiny!

 

[DWF]

Lucas just needs to shut the hell up

Speaking of hell and Lucas, wasn't Lucas' other big idea, besides Roswell Aliens, "Indiana Jones goes to Hell"?

No I don't believe so.

http://www.theraider.net/features/articles/lost_drafts_05.php

 

[Galactus]

Do you truly think they hate his work? I just have a hard time being that people would continue to spend money on something they hate. Watching O'Reily is one thing cause it doesn't cost you anything more to watch him, but it take a effort to go to the movies, and the prices just keep going up and up, which is why a lot of people stay home now and wait for the DVD. I think more people just want to feel the wonder like they did when they saw his past works through in most cases more criticizing eyes.

 

[Samurai8472]

Spielberg now is a shell of the vivacious director that gave us the original Indiana Jones trilogy, E.T., Jurassic Park, and even Hook & The Lost World.

There's a few ways to interpret this

1. He's grown up

2. Schindler's List changed him

3. He's lost that sense of wonder since Lost World

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.

Wow. Lucas has a whole new franchise to frak up.

Nice to see he's keeping busy.

I'm looking forward to the day that we find out the sword-wielding Arab in the marketplace actually shot at Indy first.

Even if the Arab and Indy were sitting at a table the Arab would still miss I can't wait for the next Indy movie to be like Attack of the Clones

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Spielberg now is a shell of the vivacious director that gave us the original Indiana Jones trilogy, E.T., Jurassic Park, and even Hook & The Lost World.

There's a few ways to interpret this

1. He's grown up

2. Schindler's List changed him

3. He's lost that sense of wonder since Lost World

All 3 I think, although claiming that Schindler's List was the catalyst is only speculation on our part. But I do think that there is a rather striking shift in the tone of his movies between Jurassic Park & Schindler's List. And since they were less than a year apart... I would say that there's even a lot of that sadness & disappointment in The Lost World. It's just less noticeable since its couched in all those exciting chase scenes. Plus, I'd say that the closest Spielberg ever gets to recapturing his old self is when he's doing sequels to movies that his old self made, like The Lost World and Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Actually, he literally said in an interview in Time magazine back in 2005 that his inner child had died.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I don't know if you're being facetious or not, but Indy went after Atlantis in a popular and successful video game already. Bigfoot isn’t an artifact in the way that the previous McGuffins have been. Excalibur is a possibility, although Last Crusade already delved into Arthurian mythology already, and Stargate SG-1 has lately done the subject to death.

Video game =/= film, so Atlantis could still be on the books. And Last Crusade focused mostly on the Grail itself, not Arthurianism. It would be a hell of a story climax for him to actually set foot on Avalon and see Aruthur on his bier, waiting for Britain's darkest hour.

 

[Kryton]

I, for one, can not wait for "Indiana Jones and the Adult Diaper of Doom".

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Any Ancient African Legends (Besides Egypt) we could see Indy take on, any Aboriginal ones???

King Solomon's Mines comes to mind...or finding the relic population of dinsaurs that supposedly inhabits part of africa.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I, for one, can not wait for "Indiana Jones and the Adult Diaper of Doom".

It STINKS! ... Literally.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I, for one, can not wait for "Indiana Jones and the Adult Diaper of Doom".

I, for one, can not wait for people to stop making Harrison Ford is old jokes.

 

[Kryton]

I promise to do so the second he stops being, you know...old.

 

[Gaith]

Hell, I'll easily watch the Star Wars prequels before I'd watch anything that Ford or Spielberg has done in the last decade.

Er... Munich was a good movie, and Minority Report, anyone? His best since Raiders.

I don't give two bits about Stargate, so I think Excalibur'd be fine... and as awful as it could easily be, Indy with dinosaurs sounds awesome. Atlantis could definitely work also.