2009...The Resurgance of the Indy franchise?

2008 saw the release of Crystal Skull and a slew of Indy related merchandie (comics, toys, etc).

But 2009 seems to be a promising year as well for Indy related media, maybe even moreso than 2008.

The Big Gun is the upcoming video game, Staff of Kings.

Then there's the new Rob MacGregor novel (which I assume is the rumored "Army of the Dead").

And there's the Dark Horse reprinting of the Further Adventures tales.

There's another book called Indiana Jones and the Pyramid of the Sorcerer - The Untold Adventures, Vol. 1, but that seems to be available only in the UK (though that might change the closer to release it gets).

And last but certainly not least, there are rumors of a possible Indy animated series (I'd love that).

And this is only the stuff scheduled for the first four or five months of 2009 (except for the series, which is only rumored now). I've read several reports/rumors that Lucas is planning on reviving the Indy franchise, beyond even whatever revival Crystal Skull gave the character (which was fairly large whatever your opinion of the movie). Obviously a lot of stuff is being released in the early part of the year to coincide with the release of the game, but I honestly wonder if Lucas isn't intending the Indy franchise to become the little brother of the licensing juggernaut that Star Wars is. I doubt Indy will ever have the widespread appeal that SW does, but Crystal Skulls box office and the sales of the Indy Omnibus and Tomb of the Gods comic proves there's a market for new Indy material out there. And quite a profitable one at that (unless you're Hasbro ).

I personally would love to see that happen. Each year I'd like to see a new Indy novel or two (one by MacGregor, one by McCoy), a new Indy mini or two (or 5 or 6 if its like Tomb of Gods has been...AWESOME) by Dark Horse, and maybe a new Indy video game every 2-4 years. Nothing like the insane scale of franchised material that Star Wars has, but a smaller, more conservative approach. I've been a big fan of the EU material, and would love to see it continue.

Anyone heard anything interesting concerning Lucasfilm's plans regarding the Indy franchise? I know I'm looking forward to 2009.

DIrishB said:

Anyone heard anything interesting concerning Lucasfilm's plans regarding the Indy franchise? I know I'm looking forward to 2009.

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The most interesting things to me personally about the Indy franchise in 2009 and beyond that I know for certain are coming are the game Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings and the continuation of the LEGO line.

Stuff I think is reasonably likely:

• Additional Indy videogames. I think the most likely is another LEGO game that covers Crystal Skull - either as its own full game, or alongside a re-treatment of the first three movies, Young Indy, or perhaps even some EU stuff, perhaps even other videogames (LEGO Fate of Atlantis would be a hoot, no?). Also possible: more action/adventure games in the vein of Infernal Machine, Emperor's Tomb and Staff of Kings. I think a game emphasizing logic and puzzle solving (that is, a modern presentation of the classic graphic adventure form) over action is less likely these days, but I do think that if LucasArts ever does decide to return to this one game genre in which they historically excelled, a new Indy adventure will be the way they go about it.
• Additional comics tales. Dark Horse is currrently doing an ongoing digest series, a limited-series story and a slew of anthology reprint omnibuses; they must see a little fortune and glory in the license...
• Additional novels.

Stuff I think a bit less likely, though of course still within the realm of possibility (to varying degrees):

• Indiana Jones: The Animated Series (or whatever it would be called).
• More notable non-videogame games (a third RPG [or the resurrection of the second], or other "significant" games, i.e. not stuff like the Akator kids' race game, but games that expand upon or strengthen the Indy mythos in some notable way - an Indy CCG, say.
• More Disney theme park attractions.
• Indiana Jones V.

As far as the Animated Series, it might be a bit premature to discuss it, but I think Lucas fully intends to go through with it. I've heard a few reports/rumors (reliable at that) about early test footage for it seen at Skywalker Ranch. I honestly think Lucas prefers the Indy franchise over the Star Wars franchise (I think Indy is closer to his heart), and is trying to step it up. An Animated Series would not only attract a lot of the adult Indy fans, but introduce a lot of kids to Indy as well. Hopefully a prospective Animated Series will successfully toe the line between being kid-friendly and still interesting and exciting for the older Indy fans. Basically, follow the tone of Last Crusade (action and comedy). The tone of Raiders and ToD are probably a bit too dark and violent for young kids, and Crystal Skull...well, you know...it wasn't that good.

I'm hopeful for a series not only for the series itself, but what its success will mean to the rest of the Indy franchise...basically, more of it (more novels, comics, video games, etc starring Indy). I think the obvious approach is that Lucasfilm want to keep Indy in the public eye (and more importantly in the hearts of the public). I'm hoping to see a continued healthy expansion of the Indy mythos in the years to come.

Wow, so there's allegedly been test footage for an Indy animated series? I'd love to see a well done Indy series after they work the kinks out on the SW show. Harrison Ford is in amazing shape and looks fantastic, but an animated series allows them to be freed from the ravages of time. lol

George is a very shrewd business man. He isn't going to let this beloved franchise fade away (same thing he corrected with Star Wars starting in the mid to late 90's), and I certainly don't want it to.

Bring on more Indy, I say! I can't wait to get the new Tomb of the Gods in and I really think the best is yet to come.

Dewy9 said:

Wow, so there's allegedly been test footage for an Indy animated series? I'd love to see a well done Indy series after they work the kinks out on the SW show. Harrison Ford is in amazing shape and looks fantastic, but an animated series allows them to be freed from the ravages of time. lol

George is a very shrewd business man. He isn't going to let this beloved franchise fade away (same thing he corrected with Star Wars starting in the mid to late 90's), and I certainly don't want it to.

Bring on more Indy, I say! I can't wait to get the new Tomb of the Gods in and I really think the best is yet to come.

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Fully agree. Here, here!

DIrishB said:

Then there's the new Rob MacGregor novel (which I assume is the rumored "Army of the Dead").

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That sounds like a great title. Hope it's true. I also hope for a LEGO Indy 2 and a Indy V (prequel, dark. Do you hear me Lucas!? Liked Indy 4 though ). Yeah Indy is getting a lot more figures and LEGO sets and I hope it stays that way.

I'd love to see some new Indiana Jones novels from MacGregor and McCoy. They would be great to fill in the gap between LC and KotCS, and to tell us what our favorite professor was doing for 20 years.

I'm a little uneasy about the animated series decision. For some reason that I can't put in words, I just don't want it to happen. Indy should stay on the silver screen.

An exciting time indeed - which throws my fan-works into chaos, but exciting nonetheless.

I hope Staff of Kings is in the same vein as Infernal Machine while keeping the action of Emperor's Tomb.

Additional games would be great.

Another novel by MacGregor? AWESOME! McCoy? Also very cool.

Indiana Jones and the Spin-Off Cartoon - intriguing, though I'd almost prefer that it be deliberately non-canonical and just be a light-hearted barrel of fun while still being thrilling. ((EDIT: Either that or a serious look at his WWII years as a spy. That would be kinda neat too.))

Indy V? With the giggles out of the way in the cartoon, maybe Lucas could settle down and create another serious work with just a touch of the right kind of humor.

I think saving certain things for 2009 was the plan all along. Too much Indy stuff this year could have lead to overexposure. Plus with plans for a 5th film up in the air right now licensed materials will have to sustain interest for the next few years.

I really hope we see some diversity in these various projects. Every Indiana Jones story does not need to follow the films' formula of recovering a mystical object before enemy agents do. Which is what the old Dark Horse miniseries seemed to do almost every time.

Indeed; in fact, one of the things I love about The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was how it really expanded the idea of what an Indiana Jones story can be. Frankly, I don't think I want an animated series, since I think it would adhere more to the pulp adventure style with constant heroic quests for mythical, mystical relics of unearthly powers that characterize the movies (and most of the EU), which is fun and fine and all - it's what "Indiana Jones" meant when I first became a fan back in the '80s, after all - but doing it with the frequency and regularity of episodes of a regular TV series would be a bit too much for me.

These days I'm more interested in following the adventures and experiences of the Indiana Jones character as a person, and I like how the movies and the TV episodes fit into a nicely slotted, interwoven personal history / mythos tracing the character's growth and experiences from childhood to late middle age and beyond, with even a glimpse of old age. If there's to be a new TV show I'd like it to be something that not only dovetails perfectly with the already-established character history (something that's difficult though not impossible to begin with, given the variant Young Indy timelines and so on), but also fits in with the character growth we see (i.e., with adventures that reflect what he is at that stage in his life), and also that preserve the special, chills-inducing quality of the already-explored otherworldly quests. If there's a new TV series with 13 to 26 episodes a year and every one of these is just another "typical" outlandish adventure involving the supernatural and set at some point in the '30s but without a lot of relation to what's already gone on or will go on with the character, I think it would tend to undermine rather than enhance the continuity and cohesiveness of the biography / timeline, diminish the impact of each of the mystical quest stories already told, and waste the opportunity to really explore the character further in favor of settling for a more modest accomplishment (presenting "more of the same" popcorn thrills that would undoubtedly entertain but not really add substantively to the mythos beyond that).

Instead, what I'd like (and hope, though not expect) to see in a new animated TV series would be something that fills in the gaps a bit more, in some ways perhaps being sort of a continuation of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, doing more to show how Indy transitioned from the person he was in the '10s and '20s into the person he was in the '30s, '40s and '50s. Perhaps it could even resurrect some of the written but unproduced YIJC scripts, and give us that blend of the different flavors of Indy narrative that the planned third season of Young Indy would've given us. I even think a few mythic adventures revolving around supernatural relics would fit in just beautifully; I just wouldn't want them overdone by having another artifact of such a profoundly world-changing nature turn up every week. Perhaps having one such adventure every season or so would do (and it could be played out over the course of multiple episodes). I think there's a way such a show could be done that would present plenty of action and adventure and romance (and just a smidge of the fantastic) that people want from and expect of Indiana Jones, while also retaining the grounding and character development and drama that makes the other, existing Indiana Jones TV show such a rich, rewarding experience (and one with its own fair share of action and adventure, albeit perhaps not as much as people had hoped, or in the style they expected; an animated series done the way I'm thinking of would hopefully bridge the stylistic gap between the approaches of Young Indy and those of most other Indy stories).

I think it could work really well if enough effort were put into its planning and development and execution, but I don't think they'd do all that for a new animated series. I fear instead that it'd just be another TV series with individual scripts for hire each telling perfectly decent adventure stories with action and laughs and maybe the occasional passing love interest. I even think that could be perfectly fine and a lot of fun, and I'd certainly watch and enjoy it, but at the same time I'd be disappointed that they weren't going for something more ambitious.

But hey, maybe they'll surprise me (assuming they do in fact even make a new TV series at all)...

Um, yeah, what Crack that Whip said.
Also, I wonder if it would be the same sort of artistic style as the Clone Wars (old ones) and Indiana Jones Adventures. I think that would work well.

I so agree with you dudes. Bring on more Indy stuff!

Animated series? I'M THERE!

New books and comics? COWABUNGA!

Indiana Jones 5? DOUBLE-DAMNED AWESOME!

Indy Theme Parks? WISH I COULD ATTEND!

More Indy toys? ME WANTS SOME MOOLA!!!!!

Mutt Williams movie? COUNT ME IN!

Indy video games? SUPER-DUPER COOL!



As you can probably tell, I am absolutely dying to see the franchise reach the level of the Star Wars or POTC series' merchandise. I'm begging you, begging you, BEGGING YOU Lucas, PLEEEEEASE MAKE MORE INDIANA JONES THINGS!

I certainly understand where Crack that Whip is coming from. I think I can speak for most of us in favor of an animated series when I say that we'd only want it if it was of very high quality. I wouldn't want some ho-hum generic story where every episode involves Indy fighting Nazis to get some artifact.

I think the best approach for an Indy series would be to approach it with one MAJOR artifact/macguffin per season, which an over-arching plot can touch upon through the various episodes. Each episode can still stand on its own, but when watched chronologically and together that running plot makes sense.

Basically, I'd approach it the exact same way (or almost) that McCoy approached the Crystal Skull in his four novels. Maybe have each episode open with an action and suspense filled prologue/opening (like the films) that could (but doesn't necessarily HAVE to) concern that artifact. The episodes story and theme could sprout from that prologue, and be its own independant story, but which builds upon a mythos for that certain Macguffin. This helps avoid the "treasure of the week" thing Crack that Whip was referring to (and which I agree on...a new Macguffin every week would lessen the power and appeal). One big, epic quest throughout a season to obtain that artifact (with maybe some smaller, less important ones along the way, which could possibly be required to obtain the "big one") would make the most sense.

So basically, I agree with Crack that Whip.

Crack that whip said:

[...]adventure games [...] emphasizing logic and puzzle solving [...] action is less likely these days, but I do think that if LucasArts ever does decide to return to this one game genre in which they historically excelled, a new Indy adventure will be the way they go about it.

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Grrreat idea!

A couple of weeks ago I finished the demo to Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth:

http://www.barnettcollege.com/screenshots.htm

Very good stuff.

LucasArts could finish their unfinished/unpublished sequels to Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis retro style:

The first sequel allegedly had been like 15 months into production!!

Hurray,
Martin

I hope there's more of a resurgance to the Dark Horse Indy comic line next year. I think they are being waaaaay too slow with the releases this year and not capitalizing enough with the movie being out and the DVD release next month.

Although the announcement of the Marvel Omnibus collection is a good start for next year, hopefully they'll boost the line more with newer material.

The Indy franchise definitely needs more new comics and graphic novels.

Stuff like:

- a steady regular 12 issue monthly/ongoing series
- a year's worth of rotating 4-issue mini-series to cover different eras of the Indy timeline
- MORE "Indiana Jones Adventures" digests (volume 2 still hasn't been announced...)
- Giant sized Indy Annual comics or Double-sized special books
- A secondary "Indiana Jones Tales" monthly - by big name comic teams with an outlet to provide stories that don't necessarily have to fit within the "Indy" canon (like the Indy/Han Solo crossover from a few years ago for example..)
- New spin-off books based on the other cast of characters in the Indy-verse (and villains spotlight issues too...)
- 6-issue comic Adaptations of classic Indy novels (they've done it with great success with several of the Star Wars novels...)

Basically, they gotta pump out more stuff than just bi-monthly releases they're doing now! Sales are good....just put out more Indy!

The Indy franchise can handle multple books if they just put more product out there!

And green light that long awaited & hidden Adam Hughes/Indiana Jones mini series again!

One more thing to add:

Rob MacGregor confirmed he's (already) written a new Indy novel based on the upcoming video game Staff of Kings. He said it is scheduled for release in Fall 2009 (which I assume means the game is likely not to be released until Fall of '09 as well, since the novel ties into and i based off the game). We'll have to wait and see if the listings of March, 2009/Spring, 2009 for the game will hold up, or if it'll be delayed further (which I assume it will).