What happened between 1993 and 2000?

Finn

Moderator
Staff member
DarthLowBudget said:
I was going to suggest that the game may have been more Alien themed.
Well, IM's final chapter was very alien themed, and now when I'm looking at it from a certain angle, I can actually see some homages paid to Saucer Men even though IM's built more like a traditional adventure. Certain themes are there that could have made it into game straight from Stuart's scrapped script.

Who knows, possibly the game plays a bigger role in the events taking in place in the end of the 90s than we can guess. Barwood penned out a plot idea he meant for this new game, but Lucas got excited and thought that they could in fact use it for an actual movie. So they pen out a new story for the game (with some borrowed elements from Saucer Men)... yet for one reason or another, the movie never gets greenlit.
"Oh well, at least we gave them the game. Better than nothing."

Stretching it, I know... but speculation is always fun.
 

Dr.Sartorius

New member
I wonder if this "controversial" element Lucas was talking about was relating to the fans or to the world in general. If its the latter then I'd agree with the people who think it has to do with Islam.
 

JK_Antwon

New member
Thank you so much for every one that added such interesting stuff. This was a fun read to see the devolpment of indy 4. I had no idea all that was going on back then! Thanks again!(y)
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Here's Indy news from Corona, 1996-1998. I weeded out the fan script rumors, but some questionable elements (who the heck is Drew Babcock?) remain.
Indiana Jones 4
First Archive Scoops Pre-1999:
(February, 1996 - September 20, 1998)
February, 1996... The Lucasfilm club reports that screenwriter Jeffrey Boam has handed in a treatment that Lucas liked, and Spielberg and Ford are currently looking it over. The script may feature the return of some of the previous leading ladies of the trilogy: Kate Capshaw was interviewed by Parade magazine that all three actresses are lobbying to be in the show, and word is that Karen Allen's character of Marion figures in the Boam script. Boam is working on a second draft.
March, 1996... Boam's second draft is in Lucasfilm's hands, reports producer Rick McCallum.
July 18, 1996... A unconfirmed 'source' at Paramount tells us that the script leaked was indeed the real draft by Jeffrey Boam, and that Lucasfilm wants to 'test the waters'. However, new ideas such as the search for the Garden of Eden and a different rival college named 'Professor Conrad' are mentioned - which aren't in the Sons of Darkness Internet script.
July 22, 1996... Drew Babcock, a freelance writer for film and television at the Washington Post writes to us to tell of a recent interview with Steven Spielberg. One answer he could not be too specific about was the next Indiana Jones film. Spielberg may or may not direct it depending on his schedule at DreamWorks. However Speilberg said any ideas of the lost city of Atlantis have not been a part of the script process. He also did say that the movie may have an ancient biblical element. When asked what kind, Spielberg said something 'to do with Adam and Eve'. Babcock was interested, and decided to pursue it further - a source at Paramount told him the title 'Indiana Jones and the Garden of Life' is being tossed around.
September 3, 1996... On August 18th, Steve Sansweet (a Lucasfilm representative) said at a science fiction convention that Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford had recently agreed on a script. They are now just waiting to schedule filming. Sansweet said it would probably happen after 1999-2000. However, nothing's been released to the mainstream press yet.
January 28, 1997... At the Fangoria Weekend Of Horrors Convention (held in Chicago, August '96) Lucasfilm rep Steve Sansweet confirmed that Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford had all approved the latest (at that time) draft of the Indy IV script. "At this time [Indy 4 is] as close to being a reality as its ever been, and not just a rumor," Sansweet said. He then went on to drop a few hints as to the particulars of the plot. Sansweet hinted that Sean Connery was going to return, and that the film would "probably" be filmed in 1998 for a 1999 release date. Sansweet cited the busy schedule of all three Indy creators as being the key factor in the way of Indiana Jones' return.
July 6, 1997... According to this person's friend who's a computer animator working at ILM, the next Indy film won't feature an evil brother - just that it's got something to do with religion.
July 22, 1997... According to this fellow who heard it straight from the mouth of Steve Sansweet, Lucas, Spielberg and Ford have agreed upon the script. Now all that remains is scheduling the time for the three to collaborate on the film.
September 9, 1997... Here are a couple of new strong rumors to toss on the ol' Indy pile. If this keeps up the page'll begin to look like the present James Bond page...
"While I was managing a movie theater here in Moscow, Idaho, one of my employees told me about a local resident (a friend of her father's) who was approached by someone connected with Spielberg and the Indiana Jones IV development team.
"This resident (who I am acquainted with; a friend of my family as well) is a minister and theologist. He recently took a trip back east for biblical research, and became involved with a study of Genesis.
"So, somewhere along the line, someone connected with Indiana Jones IV heard about his studies and asked him to participate in fact-checking and historical accuracy with Indy Jones IV. He mentioned to my employee that they sent him a completed script to be checked for biblical truth and reverancy. He read the script and gave it his personal seal of approval.
"He mentioned that the script dealt with the Garden of Eden, and its discovery by Indiana Jones. He said that it was extremely religous in its tone, and that it played with some of the same elements as Raiders of the Lost Ark. He also said that the script was only a 'possibility,' one of several possible ideas for Indy IV. He said it was very exciting and would play well as a film.
"I would have to rate this scoop as extremely reliable; I know this minister and theologist personally. I have no doubts as to the accuracy of this story." We'd love to be able to confirm the existence of multiple Indy 4 scripts and/or proposals besides the older (and already passed-by) ones.
January 14, 1998... This scooper claims to have heard from an inside source in DreamWorks that there are some 'hard' facts established for what will become the nest Indy picture. The scooper claims that the next film will be set after World War Two, and that Indy will have a wife and a daughter and possibly other family members. Sean Connery is planned to return as Indy's Dad. The casting would be finished by March, and so the scooper is assuming something official will be heard around then.
May 5, 1998... "This movie won't be getting made anytime soon, if at all," our mysterious scoop informant whispers in our ear. "While one of Paramount's big-wish films, Harrison Ford nor Steven Spielberg like the scripts that have been turned in. Jeffrey Boam's latest surrounded the post-WWII recovery of a Nazi sub, the discovery of some Dead Sea Scrolls, a metatronic (meaning: the power of God appearing to take you away physically) device, and Indy's family. The evil brother storyline isn't anywhere to be found, as in Jeb Stuart's treatment. Indy's dad's involved, but not to the extent of INDY 3 -- he's more comic relief in the vein of Marcus Brody. Right now, with Harrison getting older, don't hold your breath for this one." And the Indy fans 'round the world let out a collective sigh...
September 20, 1998... Could this be the news we've all been waiting for? "I saw a Dreamwatch magazine, Sept. cover#48, that had a one page article on Jurassic Park 3 & Indy 4. It states that Jeffrey Boam script for Indy 4 has been shelved. And that Spielberg supposedly has approached Raiders co-writer Lawrence Kasdan to come up with a story.
"Whether this is true is speculative (this much is from the mag). It seems everywhere I've been on the web, knows that Jeffrey Boam has been the only writer ever approached to do Indy 4's story. He has stated that his initial treatment 4-5 yrs ago has never been acknowledged by Lucas etc. Spielberg from what I've read, has always stated that he has a general story idea for Indy 4 right now. Seems he has a heavy involvement with this one in terms of creativity. I personally don't know what to believe."
 

Salacious

New member
Looks like its just been about the McGuffin the whole time. Then Lucas focused on the prequels and now here we are.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
A little more good stuff from Corona circa 1999. The rest is on theRaider.
February 24, 1999... "A week ago from last Friday, Steven Spielberg was interviewed on the show Access Hollywood, where he was attending a critics ceremony. Spielberg was asked questions about the success of SPR, and then he was asked about his pal Lucas' upcoming Star Wars prequel. He mentioned that he has seen it (what there was of it) and that he couldn't wait until he can see it again, in full.
"The reporter also asked Steven Spielberg what his next film is, and Spielberg said that this coming fall season he hopes to start filming Minority Report with Tom Cruise.
"And, then, the reporter asked Spielberg if there is going to be another Indiana Jones film. Spielberg responded that there is going to be another film, and that he hopes to have it out in theaters at no later than the summer of 2001."
May 4, 1999... During last weekend's Star Wars Celebration, producer Rick McCallum answered a fan's question about the stuck-in-development-hell Indy 4 movie. McCallum said that there's a script that Lucas, Spielberg and Ford are all excited about but unfortunately McCallum can't see the start of the movie for at least another four to five years.
There was? Long before Darabont? By who and about what?
 

Avilos

Active member
Spielberg has been incredibly busy in the last decade. Heck, just in the last few years. Maybe I am wrong but I think he was never particularly focused on another Indy movie until the version that was really made.

He always has a number of potential films in development. Indy IV was always in the mix but if it was not ready, for whatever reasons, he just moved on to one of those other options. It was not until 2006 that he took a year off that I KNEW filming would start following that. It just seemed he finally focused on it over any other projects.
 

Rivers

Active member
I saved all the Indy news articals I came across from my local paper dating back to 1993. GAWWWD I cant believe I have been following and waiting for this movie for 15 years now!!!! Below is the earliest record of an Indy 4 movie report I have seen anywhere... I even remember Freaking out and being so excited when I saw this artical that day!!!! Didnt realize I would be waiting 15 years for this very first artical to come full cirlce...

The Calgary Sun Wednesday July 28, 1993
Movie Scoop!
Indiana Jones may be coming out of retirement.
Harrison Ford, who played the fearless adventurer in Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple Of Doom and The Last Crusade just told Sun movie critic Louis B Hobson that " Steven Spielberg and I have been talking. We have the nub of an idea for another Indiana Jones adventure. Nothing has been inked yet, but we are talking."
Spielberg wasn't able to talk Ford into playing the archeologist in Jurassic Park, so lets hope he has better luck with this new Indiana Jones project.
Ford turned down the role Sam Neil plays in Jurassic Park- as did William Hurt and Mel Gibson.
Instead, Ford chose to resurrect Dr Richard Kimble, the role David Jansen made famous in TV's The Fugitive. The feature film of that same name, starring Ford opens here Aug 6
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Rivers, that's excellent, thanks! It reinforces my suspicion that all through the 1990's when Lucas was saying "skull" the other two were saying more than "no," they were saying "do X instead." And if the beards are equal partners, Lucas should allow Spielberg to do his idea next. From Vanity Fair:
I quite liked Frank’s script, but George and I had a disagreement over it, and George and I have always agreed to agree. So when we take each other’s temperatures, if I really am passionate about something, George will give in to me, and if George is really passionate about something, I’ll pretty much go his way. And in this case George was passionate that this was not the story he wanted to tell at this point in the Indiana Jones saga.
 

Avilos

Active member
A lot of the pressure on the story for the 4th film has been on the wait since the last, which grew and as time went by. Also on the assumption that it would be the very last one. So the big 3 created high bench mark for themselves to meet. If this was just going to have been another one made in the 90s and a 5th a few years later they may have not been so picky.

But now that they actually made another, and everyone seems to enjoyed themselves, the pressure is gone. So maybe they will make another one. A lot of ideas were developed for this "last film". It would not take long for them to get ideas for the next.

The problem is still there though even if delayed. What is the last Indiana Jones movie going to be about. If not KotCS what? Does it really matter? Maybe the last one does not have to have an particular significance story wise. Just be of the usual quality. If that is the case, they should continue.
 

bergstrom

New member
Remember the deal with paramount? Raiders PLUS 4, yes 4 sequels.

Am I right thre? If so, shouldn't we be getting another one and if not, isn't that breach of contract, blah blah... (george, u listening???)

Berg
 

Avilos

Active member
bergstrom said:
Remember the deal with paramount? Raiders PLUS 4, yes 4 sequels.

Am I right thre? If so, shouldn't we be getting another one and if not, isn't that breach of contract, blah blah... (george, u listening???)

Berg

I highly doubt that old deal would still be in effect. A couple years ago there was questions whether Paramount would even distribute Indy IV at all.
 

No Ticket

New member
Avilos said:
But now that they actually made another, and everyone seems to enjoyed themselves, the pressure is gone. So maybe they will make another one. A lot of ideas were developed for this "last film". It would not take long for them to get ideas for the next.

The problem is still there though even if delayed. What is the last Indiana Jones movie going to be about. If not KotCS what? Does it really matter? Maybe the last one does not have to have an particular significance story wise. Just be of the usual quality. If that is the case, they should continue.

I think that there most likely won't be another. You never know, but I don't see it happening. Ford is 65 now, by the time they got around to filming it, he'd probably be 67.

And that's not the biggest problem. The biggest problem has to do with finding another interesting MacGuffin. Lucas said himself that at first he couldn't think of anything worth doing.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Hmm, look what happens when I shuffle verifiable quotes chronologically with Corona news, in blue:
1993
Ford: “Steven Spielberg and I have been talking. We have the nub of an idea for another Indiana Jones adventure.”
1995*
Lucas: ''Harrison said, 'No way am I being in a Steve Spielberg movie like [Saucer Men].' And Steven said, 'I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.'''
1996
Boam has handed in a treatment that Lucas liked, and Spielberg and Ford are currently looking it over.
The search for the Garden of Eden and a different rival college named 'Professor Conrad' are mentioned.
The movie may have an ancient biblical element. When asked what kind, Spielberg said something 'to do with Adam and Eve'.
Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford had recently agreed on a script.

1997*
Lucas: "We ended up putting the atom bomb scene that Jeff Boam and I had in the middle at the head of the movie."
Lucas: "Once we put Marion in the movie and knew they were going to be reunited, we first thought there should be a daughter Indy didn't know about. She was going to be 13, a little spitfire."
1998
The next film will be set after World War Two, and that Indy will have a wife and a daughter and possibly other family members.
Harrison Ford nor Steven Spielberg like the scripts that have been turned in. Jeffrey Boam's latest surrounded the post-WWII recovery of a Nazi sub, the discovery of some Dead Sea Scrolls, a metatronic (meaning: the power of God appearing to take you away physically) device, and Indy's family.
Spielberg from what I've read, has always stated that he has a general story idea for Indy 4.

1999
McCallum said that there's a script that Lucas, Spielberg and Ford are all excited about.
2000*
Spielberg: "George and I had put a couple of ideas into the works, we had toyed around with a couple of conceptual notions, but we really hadn't thrown ourselves body and soul into the process."
Ford: "The three of us never agreed on one of the notions that were advanced over the years."
Lucas: "They said, can't we do it with Nazis hiding in Argentina?"
Lucas: "They said, can't we do it with a different McGuffin? Can't we do this?" and I said "No". So we pottered around with that for a couple of years.”
2002*
Lucas: "Then Harrison really wanted to do it and Steve said, "Okay". I said, "We'll have to go back to that original MacGuffin and take out the offending parts of it and we'll still use that area of the supernatural to deal with it."
2005
Lucas: “We've been through a number of scripts--six or eight scripts. Six scripts, two rewrites.”
2007
Lucas: “We’ve been through lots of different versions in the last 14 years that I’ve been working on the script, with five different writers.”
2008
Lucas: "There were six scripts written for that film and [Darabont's] was number four.”
Lucas: "In the beginning it was a daughter he didn't know about... David revisited the idea as a son."
 
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Dene

New member
Lucas: "There were six scripts written for that film and [Darabont's] was number four.?
Jeb Stuart; Jeffrey Boam; Frank Darabont; Jeff Nathanson; David Koepp. Who's the other?
 

The Man

Well-known member
TheMutt92 said:
M. Night Shymalan I believe.

There's some confusion as to whether Night actually wrote anything, though he was certainly approached. He may have merely pitched...
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Dene said:
Jeb Stuart; Jeffrey Boam; Frank Darabont; Jeff Nathanson; David Koepp. Who's the other?
Lucas said six scripts, not six people. Before Nathanson and Koepp, he said "six scripts, two rewrites." This could mean "six scripts plus two rewrites" or "six scripts, two of which were rewrites." The latter is consistent with his other quotes. What defines a rewrite I'm not sure. Koepp alone wrote thirty drafts. There is no record of other writers. Shyamalan was never hired and doesn't work for free. So I suspect one of the five (probably Boam) turned in two competely different scripts, maybe even with different MacGuffins.
 
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