The Frank Darabont Script

agentsands77

New member
protocida said:
Kevin Costner as Indiana Jones Brother showed up in ''Indiana Jones and the sons of Darkness'', a scrip apparentelly wrote by Jeffrey Boam.
It's an infamous fake script that caused an internet stir way back when. Boam had nothing to do with it. It was written by a screenwriter looking for a little fun publicity.

Ah, I remember those days...
 

Way of the dodo

New member
I think Nathanson's script was the first one to incorporate the Mutt character, presumably at Lucas' desire to have more spin-off material.
 

StoneTriple

New member
Agent Z said:
Darabont had mentioned taking possible legal action if the final film is too close to his script. I would be interested in seeing how that turns out

We'll be able to say... "he chose poorly". ;)
 

Dr. Gonzo

New member
agentsands77 said:
Jeb Stuart's INDIANA JONES AND THE SAUCER MEN FROM MARS, Frank Darabont's INDIANA JONES AND THE CITY OF THE GODS, and Jeff Nathanson's draft (whatever title it went under - probably just INDY IV at that point).

I believe Nathansons draft when finished was called "Indiana Jones and the Destroyer of Worlds". I believe that is stated in the "complete making of" book.
 

Dr. Gonzo

New member
Dr. Gonzo said:
I believe Nathansons draft when finished was called "Indiana Jones and the Destroyer of Worlds". I believe that is stated in the "complete making of" book.

You know... I believe I am mistaken. I do not own the "complete making of" book, but I did read the whole Crystal skull section at borders. If I recall (probably not correctlly in terms of writers and titles) there was a draft called (gulp)" Indiana Jones and the Atomic Ants"?! Yea that surprised me. I dont know who penned that draft but I do know the next draft was "Indiana Jones and the Destroyer of Worlds".

Does anyone own that "complete making of" book?
 

eshine

Guest
Indy don't need no mist!!

I love Frank - I love his films and I really appreciate his brilliant decision to bring Marion back to the franchise.

Karen Allen is the best thing about Indy 4.

However, his awfully executed, nonsensical ending to anotherwise GREAT film in "The Mist" prove that even the best directors can faulter under the wheight of their own egos.
 

indytim

Member
eshine said:
However, his awfully executed, nonsensical ending to anotherwise GREAT film in "The Mist" prove that even the best directors can faulter under the wheight of their own egos.

I agree about the ending. I much prefer the 'open ending' of the orginal story.
 

eshine

Guest
indytim said:
I agree about the ending. I much prefer the 'open ending' of the orginal story.
Totally.

He runed his own movie, IMO.

this type of thinking maay have led to his script being passed over for Indy.

Glad he thought to bring Karen back, though...
 

MolaRam2

New member
eshine said:
Totally.

He runed his own movie, IMO.

this type of thinking maay have led to his script being passed over for Indy.

Glad he thought to bring Karen back, though...

His ending had to be better than Koepp's lame ending. It couldn't be any worse.
 

torao

Moderator Emeritus
Darabont had Indy swinging on vines?
Found over here Yeah, I know what you're thinking. But even if it's made up, it sounds pretty plausible.
Koepp wasn't the only guy who "nuked the fridge"... or had a triple waterfall drop and a Tarzan homage (Darabont, who doesn’t have the Shia character, has Indy pursuing Oxley across vines).

My first thought was that at least Indy, in that version, was doing something else besides manoeuvring that fracking car through the jungle. I also wonder if the vine-swinging has some of the same context and plays a similar role as in the accordant Crystal Skull scene. Maybe Darabont had the monkey raise his arm while letting out a familiar shriek in order to welcome Indy and identify himself as his old rival from the 30s.
 

Agent Z

Active member
torao said:
Darabont had Indy swinging on vines?
Found over here Yeah, I know what you're thinking. But even if it's made up, it sounds pretty plausible.


My first thought was that at least Indy, in that version, was doing something else besides manoeuvring that fracking car through the jungle. I also wonder if the vine-swinging has some of the same context and plays a similar role as in the accordant Crystal Skull scene. Maybe Darabont had the monkey raise his arm while letting out a familiar shriek in order to welcome Indy and identify himself as his old rival from the 30s.

The fridge scene and the vineplay....you know, they seem so forced. So, these were scenarios common in multiple screenplays? I wonder if Lucas "insisted" that these elements be worked in somehow?
 

Kingsley

Member
While I can digest the fridge scene with no problems (because it's just an over the top climax in a pretty good opening action scene), the vines are bad!
You can have vines in the script, but make them work with some grade of realism. Even in Raiders we have a vine, and Indy jumps to the river in a very unarmonic way... great!

About Darabonts script, what Spielberg said gives me hope that they are still holding something better for the character, and maybe Indy 5 is Spielbergs movie (more than Kotcs)...
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.

Anyway, I blame Spielberg for the bad treatment he did in a lot of stuff that was maybe not so bad written but poorly executed.
 
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Agent Z

Active member
Kingsley said:
Anyway, I blame Spielberg for the bad treatment he did in a lot of stuff that was maybe not so bad written but poorly executated.

Perhaps Mac's final moments, where it looks like Winstone is more lazy than in peril?

"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."

Which begs the question, when else would you tell it? Kingdom pretty much retired the character to domesticated status and ended the Indy timeline. (n)
 

agentsands77

New member
Agent Z said:
Kingdom pretty much retired the character to domesticated status and ended the Indy timeline. (n)
Not really. Only if you figure Indy's truly settling down in addition to getting married, but I figured that when he took the hat back at the end, it was as if to suggest he's not giving up just yet.
 

Agent Z

Active member
agentsands77 said:
Not really. Only if you figure Indy's truly settling down in addition to getting married, but I figured that when he took the hat back at the end, it was as if to suggest he's not giving up just yet.

Either way, it seems they pinned him down though to having him involved in a group dynamic.

Maybe, Indy takes Marion on adventures with him?

Maybe Marion becomes Mary Jane and is kidnapped each adventure and used as bait to lure Indy out?

Mutt....maybe he is also used in the same fashion?

Or...

And I don't see this happening, especially from the beards....

Maybe, just maybe, Indy says goodbye to his family at the beginning of his adventure and doesn't see them until the very end of the film, when he has a laugh with them about another "hard day at the office".

I don't think Spucas would ever go that route. I would like to be surprised though....

At any rate, I think introducing Mutt as Indy's son and having Indy married off at the end of the film brought in a new dynamic that causes major considerations for future adventures.
 

James

Well-known member
Agent Z said:
Either way, it seems they pinned him down though to having him involved in a group dynamic.

It does create a new dynamic and I think any of those suggestions could be valid options.

They could go the "Tarzan" route, and have the entire family involved in an adventure. Or just Indy and Mutt.

They could go the "Thin Man" route, and have Indy and Marion heading off on an adventure. Marriage didn't exactly stop Nick and Nora Charles from getting into trouble. And Mutt's absence could be explained as easily as Henry Sr.'s was- by just having him be away at school.

They could even combine the two approaches and have Mutt accompany Indy on an adventure during the prologue.

Personally, I'd go the "Thin Man" route and have Indy and Marion going after something like the Garden of Eden or Shangri La. The entire quest could have Indy threatening to meet the same fate as Abner.
 

blueseattle

New member
To be honest, as much as I want Indy 5, I don't see it happening anymore. On my third viewing, it just seemed to have too much closure.
 
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