The Jeffrey Boam 1995 script

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
June 1995 interview:
JB: “I’ve been working on a fourth installment of ‘Indiana Jones.’ I’m just about done with the first draft. Somebody else had also tried their hand at it, and it didn’t work out too well.”

DP: THEY ALWAYS KEEP COMING BACK TO YOU, JEFFREY.
JB: “It’s nice, you know. Actually, George Lucas came to me to do this first, and I was busy writing a movie called ‘The Phantom.’ So I couldn’t do ‘Indy,’ because I had to do that, and when I finished that, George came back to me and said, ‘It didn’t really work out with the other writer, are you available?’
“And, it turned out, I was. Now I’m working on that, and it looks like ‘The Phantom’ might get made also, because Paramount just hired a new director on that project: Simon Wincer. He’s a good director, and he has a long history with ‘The Phantom’ -- he tried to get a movie made about 10 years ago in Australia. It’s very big in Australia; this character’s kind of a cult hero in Australia. Nobody can understand why, but that’s how it is.”

DP: WHEN WILL THEY START SHOOTING THE “INDY” MOVIE?
JB: “Well, it’s conceivable that it could be the movie that Steven (Spielberg) does next. It could go very quickly. George has seen most of the first draft; we put off the first 15 pages because we weren’t really sure what we wanted to do there. So I gave him everything but the first 15 pages, and he’s very happy with that. So I know we’re well on the road to having the script that he likes. And generally when he likes it, Steven’s not far behind. And once Steven’s on board, Harrison (Ford) is much easier to snag, as well.
“But with these people it’s always a big problem getting all these big paydays dealt with. But I find that on both the ‘Lethal’ and ‘Indy’ films there’s a tremendous amount of team spirit and loyalty amongst the principals. They don’t like the idea of anybody else doing it but them. So if it looks like ‘Indy’ is going to get made -- of course you could cast somebody else besides Harrison Ford, if you HAD to -- but Harrison wouldn’t dream of that. ... So these guys play hard-to-get, but then if it looks like the thing’s going to on without them, they go nuts.”

DP: ANY HINTS AS TO WHAT THE “INDY” THING’S ABOUT?
JB: “It’s set in the ’50s, I’ll tell you that. And Harrison will play his own age. A considerable amount of action. We have him (Sean Connery character) back, for kind of a cameo. I’d love to tell you more, but George is secretive about these things.
“Whatever the ’50s conjur up, that’s probably what this is about. That’s all I’ll say. I think you’ll kind of automatically grasp what the story is if you just think about what the ’50s is about and how it might relate to Indy.
“It’s not about Elvis, though.”
 
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James

Well-known member
Another good find, Moedred.

It sounds like Boam's script was also written around the same concept as Saucermen From Mars.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
It's clear that Boam and Lucas thought Stuart's script sucked. Boam probably made significant improvements. He comes close to mentioning saucers, and there's that Elvis joke again.

He also says he was in line to polish Phantom Menace before he died.
 

torao

Moderator Emeritus
What a great find, Moedred!


In retrospect it seems so excessive and absurd that there were all these different (ultimately failed) attempts at scripts for Indy IV over such a long period of time. (The whole situation seems even weirder if you consider all the talented people who once worked on an Indy IV script and think about what we ended up with. It's almost funny to think about now.)

As far as Jeffrey Boam is concerned.
Here's some interesting bit from Carlton Cuse's imdb page: "He started his career in feature films working first as a development executive then formed a partnership with feature writer, Jeffrey Boam. Working with Boam, Cuse helped develop the films Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."
I love this. I can only imagine, though, that "helped develop" means Cuse was working as Boam's assistant or in a similar capacity. (Who knows if it's even true. There's nothing resembling a source on the imdb page after all. But the sheer thought that one of the minds behind Lost AND Tom Stoppard are both connected to Last Crusade fills me with joy...)
 
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tambourineman

New member
One year after Boam wrote his Indy script, he wrote the script for 'The Phantom', a very Indy-esque sort of film which also happened to involve crystal skulls... Wonder if anything carried over?
 

Violet

Moderator Emeritus
Hey guys, I've found something looking through some of my old movie magazines with Indy articles.

This tidbit is from Empire, February 2006 issue, page 83:

In the Spring of 1995, LC screenwriter Jeffrey Boam privately admitted to having been asked to write a script, with subseqeunt rumours suggesting that the story concerned an attempt to foil a Soviet plot to establish a missile base on the moon, or had something to do with the UFO crash at Roswell, New Mexico - or both.

Unfortunately, no certainty's here, though the rumour about the missile base is interesting. It's not something that was in Saucermen, however perhaps an alien Macguffin of some kind may have been used to help establish a missile base, alien technology (perhaps something like the thing in Saucermen).
 

Raiders90

Well-known member
I still don't get George's obsession with pushing Indy into the '50s and aliens as early as 1993-1995. We had the 30s Adventure Pulp Serial feel for the original 3, maybe the 4th should've been set perhaps in like 1941, just before the war, or 1946, just after the war and had a Noir-ish feel, perhaps with a story about Atlantis or Shang-gri-La and then a 5th movie could've been finally in the 50s with the Sci-Fi B Movie feel with Aliens. Maybe we could have several 40s movies--Like three 40s Noir-ish movies focusing on Indy's activities in the '40s as a spy, which play as background or a launching point for his ''missions'' to capture certain objects for government--similar to what was alluded to in KOTCS. Harrison could've easily played an Indy in his 40s in the '90s.

Like we could've had

Indiana Jones IV (1995) set 1944--Objective, The Spear of Destiny. Noir, with the Nazis last desperate grasp at supernatural power.

Indiana Jones V (1996): Set 1946--Atlantis or Shang-Ri-la.

Indiana Jones VI, (1998) set 1949--Objective, the Philosopher's Stone--Same storyline with some tweaking as Iron Phoenix. Noir, maybe even some horror ala TOD, perhaps in the Lovecraftian vein. Following the format of TOD--Non Judeo-Christian supernatural force at work.

Indiana Jones VII (2008), set 1957--Objective, Aliens. Same as what we got in KOTCS.

Indiana Jones VIII (201X)-Set 1959--Objective, the Garden of Eden. The same tone as ROTLA, but not a 30s pulpy feel. Maybe even a bleak Western (think the Misfits starring Gable) sort of feel or Noir, but ultimately completing the circle--Indiana discovers God's covenant with man in the first film, and the last film brings us to God's first home for humanity. It'd be serious like ROTLA but with the depth of LC--Perhaps Indy loses his family but finds the birth of humanity and the beauty of God's plan, maybe ending with Indy joining his family there--to live on eternally in the realm of Eden.
 
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seasider

Active member
I think a major factor that pushed Lucas to move Indy into the 50's was Harrison Ford's advancing age. Even back in 1998, he was approaching senior citizen status and I think Ford had no interest playing younger characters. Spielberg had little to no desire to deal with Nazis again after doing Schindler's List so that pretty much excluded the WWII era for Indy. Both Spielberg and Lucas have a great admiration for the 1950's so it seemed logical to focus on that era for an Indiana Jones adventure.
 

Ajax the Great

New member
Raiders112390 said:
I still don't get George's obsession with pushing Indy into the '50s and aliens as early as 1993-1995. We had the 30s Adventure Pulp Serial feel for the original 3, maybe the 4th should've been set perhaps in like 1941, just before the war, or 1946, just after the war and had a Noir-ish feel, perhaps with a story about Atlantis or Shang-gri-La and then a 5th movie could've been finally in the 50s with the Sci-Fi B Movie feel with Aliens. Maybe we could have several 40s movies--Like three 40s Noir-ish movies focusing on Indy's activities in the '40s as a spy, which play as background or a launching point for his ''missions'' to capture certain objects for government--similar to what was alluded to in KOTCS. Harrison could've easily played an Indy in his 40s in the '90s.

Like we could've had

Indiana Jones IV (1995) set 1944--Objective, The Spear of Destiny. Noir, with the Nazis last desperate grasp at supernatural power.

Indiana Jones V (1996): Set 1946--Atlantis or Shang-Ri-la.

Indiana Jones VI, (1998) set 1949--Objective, the Philosopher's Stone--Same storyline with some tweaking as Iron Phoenix. Noir, maybe even some horror ala TOD, perhaps in the Lovecraftian vein. Following the format of TOD--Non Judeo-Christian supernatural force at work.

Indiana Jones VII (2008), set 1957--Objective, Aliens. Same as what we got in KOTCS.

Indiana Jones VIII (201X)-Set 1959--Objective, the Garden of Eden. The same tone as ROTLA, but not a 30s pulpy feel. Maybe even a bleak Western (think the Misfits starring Gable) sort of feel or Noir, but ultimately completing the circle--Indiana discovers God's covenant with man in the first film, and the last film brings us to God's first home for humanity. It'd be serious like ROTLA but with the depth of LC--Perhaps Indy loses his family but finds the birth of humanity and the beauty of God's plan, maybe ending with Indy joining his family there--to live on eternally in the realm of Eden.

These are some pretty great ideas. An Indy in noir gives me chills (I've become a bit of a noir junkie).
 

Raiders90

Well-known member
Ajax the Great said:
These are some pretty great ideas. An Indy in noir gives me chills (I've become a bit of a noir junkie).

Well I mean they aren't the most original--some are from the comics, like the Spear of Destiny or the games like FOA. They could've taken for example the idea of a group of Nazis down in Brazil who have a cult worshiping Hitler with the idea of resurrecting him--the basic plot of Iron Phoenix-- and made it in a dark, TOD style film, and since it's the '40s when H.P. Lovecraft was a huge Pulp-ish writer at the time, that influence that could've been used to make a dark, even terrifying film.

I mean if Indy in the '30s is a Pulp Serial, and Indy in the '50s is a B Movie, it only makes sense that Indy in the '40s be very noir-ish, as Noir is to the 40s what Aliens are to the 50s. And he always did have a tinge of that Bogart cynicism to his character.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Raiders112390 said:
Well I mean they aren't the most original--some are from the comics, like the Spear of Destiny or the games like FOA. They could've taken for example the idea of a group of Nazis down in Brazil who have a cult worshiping Hitler with the idea of resurrecting him--the basic plot of Iron Phoenix-- and made it in a dark, TOD style film, and since it's the '40s when H.P. Lovecraft was a huge Pulp-ish writer at the time, that influence that could've been used to make a dark, even terrifying film.

I mean if Indy in the '30s is a Pulp Serial, and Indy in the '50s is a B Movie, it only makes sense that Indy in the '40s be very noir-ish, as Noir is to the 40s what Aliens are to the 50s. And he always did have a tinge of that Bogart cynicism to his character.

In all the years of Indy movie drought between The Last Crusade and KOTCS we really did miss out of the important war years, which could have given us stories such as the Spear of Destiny.

A darker H.P. Lovecraft Cthulhu style is the idea that I've been thinking a lot about recently.

If Boam was asked to write a Roswell storyline around 1995, then it implies that KOTCS was a story that Lucas had in mind for many years. The long delay in bringing Indy IV to film served him well in extending the timeline by 10 years, getting Indy into the 1950s which Lucas is so enamoured with.
 

Dr. Gonzo

New member
Montana Smith said:
In all the years of Indy movie drought between The Last Crusade and KOTCS we really did miss out of the important war years, which could have given us stories such as the Spear of Destiny.

A darker H.P. Lovecraft Cthulhu style is the idea that I've been thinking a lot about recently.

If Boam was asked to write a Roswell storyline around 1995, then it implies that KOTCS was a story that Lucas had in mind for many years. The long delay in bringing Indy IV to film served him well in extending the timeline by 10 years, getting Indy into the 1950s which Lucas is so enamoured with.

You must be unfamiliar with the jeb stuart saucer men from mars script... its before boam's but roswell... aliens... still all there.... its the reason why the big three could not agree. Uncle George is relentless.
 

Raiders90

Well-known member
Montana Smith said:
In all the years of Indy movie drought between The Last Crusade and KOTCS we really did miss out of the important war years, which could have given us stories such as the Spear of Destiny.

A darker H.P. Lovecraft Cthulhu style is the idea that I've been thinking a lot about recently.

If Boam was asked to write a Roswell storyline around 1995, then it implies that KOTCS was a story that Lucas had in mind for many years. The long delay in bringing Indy IV to film served him well in extending the timeline by 10 years, getting Indy into the 1950s which Lucas is so enamoured with.

Kind of selfish on his part, uncompromisingly waiting over ten years just so he got could get the one storyline he wanted, knowing all the while that it wasn't something most fans wanted (Aliens) and thus wasting so many prime years where tons of great storylines could've been made into films. We could've had like 7 or 8 Indys by now.

I mean I've read he had the Aliens/Crystal Skull storyline in mind as early as 1992 and Jeb Stuart wrote the Saucermen from Mars script in 1994-1995. Had he compromised and worked on some other, more Indy-esque stories (for example, having FOA be a movie instead of a game), we could've had a bunch of great, more Indy-ish stories and then also had the aliens story. But instead he had to have it completely his way and waste over a decade with Harrison getting older by the day, all for a storyline which in the end displeased most fans.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Dr. Gonzo said:
You must be unfamiliar with the jeb stuart saucer men from mars script... its before boam's but roswell... aliens... still all there.... its the reason why the big three could not agree. Uncle George is relentless.

I read the Saucermen script recently. It was the Revised Draft from February 1995, which implies that George was heavily into this idea, and as you say, was "relentless" in getting his own way. Though Saucermen mentions White Sands and a "recent discovery" it doesn't reference Roswell by name.

I think that the long delay suited George, since the 1950s period is such a big love for him. On the face of it KOTCS was preferable to Indy being chased by flying saucers and aliens!
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Raiders112390 said:
Kind of selfish on his part, uncompromisingly waiting over ten years just so he got could get the one storyline he wanted, knowing all the while that it wasn't something most fans wanted (Aliens) and thus wasting so many prime years where tons of great storylines could've been made into films. We could've had like 7 or 8 Indys by now.

I mean I've read he had the Aliens/Crystal Skull storyline in mind as early as 1992 and Jeb Stuart wrote the Saucermen from Mars script in 1994-1995. Had he compromised and worked on some other, more Indy-esque stories (for example, having FOA be a movie instead of a game), we could've had a bunch of great, more Indy-ish stories and then also had the aliens story. But instead he had to have it completely his way and waste over a decade with Harrison getting older by the day, all for a storyline which in the end displeased most fans.

I missed your post while I was replying to Dr. Gonzo.

I'm not sure George was actually waiting a decade for Harrison to age into '1950s Indy', but I do think that he was too focussed on the alien idea, blinding him to some great 1940s stories.

Yet George is a possessive kind of guy. Star Wars is often referred to as "the universe that George built", and Indy was very much his own original idea (before Harrison stamped his unique mark on the character).

George is in the privileged position of being able to create the films he wants to see. He's also in a position to tinker with them to his heart's content, which isn't always good from a fan's point of view.
 

Raiders90

Well-known member
Montana Smith said:
I missed your post while I was replying to Dr. Gonzo.

I'm not sure George was actually waiting a decade for Harrison to age into '1950s Indy', but I do think that he was too focussed on the alien idea, blinding him to some great 1940s stories.

Yet George is a possessive kind of guy. Star Wars is often referred to as "the universe that George built", and Indy was very much his own original idea (before Harrison stamped his unique mark on the character).

George is in the privileged position of being able to create the films he wants to see. He's also in a position to tinker with them to his heart's content, which isn't always good from a fan's point of view.

Well it's not only that, but he doesn't seem very open minded to anyone else's ideas anymore--whereas I've read during the creation of Star Wars, ESB and perhaps even Raiders to an extent he was more open minded because he was in a position where he had to be more open minded. It has to be his way or no way, and he's said as much in interviews--I think Steven and even Harrison made it clear they didn't want Aliens in an Indiana Jones movie and his response for almost ten years was essentially, ''too bad.''

He also doesn't seem to really care what fans want, and in the case of Indy, doesn't seem to put a lot of effort in maintaining the ''Indyverse''--It takes a backseat to Star Wars for him, which for us as Indy fans, is unfortunate.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Raiders112390 said:
Well it's not only that, but he doesn't seem very open minded to anyone else's ideas anymore--whereas I've read during the creation of Star Wars, ESB and perhaps even Raiders to an extent he was more open minded because he was in a position where he had to be more open minded. It has to be his way or no way, and he's said as much in interviews--I think Steven and even Harrison made it clear they didn't want Aliens in an Indiana Jones movie and his response for almost ten years was essentially, ''too bad.''

He also doesn't seem to really care what fans want, and in the case of Indy, doesn't seem to put a lot of effort in maintaining the ''Indyverse''--It takes a backseat to Star Wars for him, which for us as Indy fans, is unfortunate.

Not to got too far off topic from the Boam script, I want to add that while I'm not a huge fan of the Star Wars prequels (Episodes I-III), listening to George's audio commentary on the DVDs helps to understand the choices he made in those films. Star Wars was a very personal journey that he'd had broadly mapped out from early on.

I get that impression from Indy as well. George has a vision that is hard to shift, even when he's in conversation with a great director such as Spielberg. There are points where George will give ground, but the overall vision is his. From the mid-1990s it seemed inevitable that "there will be aliens in Indy". The idea was also present in the 1978 Raiders Story Conference Transcript, so it could be said that KOTCS was something that was thirty years in the making.
 

seasider

Active member
Montana Smith said:
I get that impression from Indy as well. George has a vision that is hard to shift, even when he's in conversation with a great director such as Spielberg. There are points where George will give ground, but the overall vision is his. From the mid-1990s it seemed inevitable that "there will be aliens in Indy". The idea was also present in the 1978 Raiders Story Conference Transcript, so it could be said that KOTCS was something that was thirty years in the making.

That reminds me of something Spielberg said in his interview with Vanity Fair back in 2008. He was asked about the rejection of Frank Darabont's script. He mentioned that whenever he and Lucas have a disagreement about something they will check their blood pressure and whoever is the more passionate on their stance usually gets their way. I think Lucas was very passionate about the alien/interdimensional being idea and neither Spielberg or Ford had a counter offer that equaled that passion.
 
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