Thoughts on Darabont's script
Just finished reading Darabont's Indy 4 script.
Well, as is always the case with these things, it's fascinating to compare and contrast this version to the one which ended up on the screen.
However, anyone out there hoping for a truly wildly different take on Indy 4 to the one we ended up with may be disappointed. The general structure of this script is pretty similar to that which Koepp ultimately hammered out and assembled from the various previous drafts. Indy's destinations are familiar, but the catalysts leading him there vary drastically. The overall tone is somewhat more serious however, with a reasonably strong streak of darkness present throughout.
For the most part, Indy is more proactive in this version, and gets to participate in more of the action, resulting in the script having a flavour more immediately akin to the previous 3 Indy films, at least in that respect.
Ultimately, whether you prefer this version to the film itself will depend largely on whether you liked or hated the Indy/Mutt father-son dynamic, and the ramifications which Mutt's presence had to the film overall. The other differences are, by and large, fairly minimal.
Does this version suggest that it would have made a better movie in any way had it been the one that was filmed? Not really.
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