Kathleen Kennedy

[Rocket Surgeon]

Kathleen Kennedy was Spielberg's secretary, then assistant and ultimately credited as Executive Producer for Raiders, where she met Frank Marshall becoming a co-founded Amblin Entertainment.

She became a partner in The Kennedy/Marshall Company and is also a Governor on the Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Kathleen Kennedy

Spielberg and his business partner and now regular producer Kathleen Kennedy were poring over reviews for his global smash Raiders Of The Lost Ark. It was 1983 and they were struck by glowing comparisons by French critics to an unfamiliar but ? it turned out ? beloved Belgian comic-book character named Tintin.

?Steven had no idea what that was and neither did I,? says Kennedy, who produced the film with both Spielberg and Jackson. ?We got hold of the books and we were as delighted as many of the fans had been. We were able to get hold of [Tintin creator] Hergé and we all spoke on the phone. Steven and I were planning to travel to Brussels to meet him but he passed away before we made the trip.?

During their short-lived correspondence, Kennedy says Hergé (whose real name was Georges Remi) and Spielberg developed a mutual appreciation. Hergé came to believe his new friend would be the ideal person to film his adventure stories. But even though the man whose books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide had given his unofficial endorsement, it would be many years before Spielberg felt the time was right to introduce the fearless young reporter Tintin to the big screen.

 

[Montana Smith]

During their short-lived correspondence, Kennedy says Hergé (whose real name was Georges Remi) and Spielberg developed a mutual appreciation. Hergé came to believe his new friend would be the ideal person to film his adventure stories.

Didn't that turn out to be bullsh!t? Read somewhere (here?) that it was a Spielbergian fabrication.

 

[Pale Horse]

She's the one that also said "Indiana Jones 5 will not happen"...

 

[Rocket Surgeon]

Didn't that turn out to be bullsh!t? Read somewhere (here?) that it was a Spielbergian fabrication.

I was interested enough in the qualifications and the way she "couched" the words.

I think they differ somewhat from Spielbergs recollection.

She's the one that also said "Indiana Jones 5 will not happen"...

Is she wrong? What did she say?

 

[Indy's brother]

Is she wrong? What did she say?

Kathleen Kennedy [translated]: "I think we're done with the adventures of Indiana forever. I know there has been talk of locations up and even writing a script for a new Indiana. But there is nothing of that. We are busy with other projects. Also, I have the feeling that Indiana has passed, now is the time of Tintin. Tintin will be the new Indiana."

link

And of course, the ramblings of late, where Lucas says he has the basic plot figured out, and Spielberg saying that if George wants to do another one he will direct it pretty much proves her to be either full of crap, or the only one telling the truth. History will be her judge on this one.

 

[Attila the Professor]

link

And of course, the ramblings of late, where Lucas says he has the basic plot figured out, and Spielberg saying that if George wants to do another one he will direct it pretty much proves her to be either full of crap, or the only one telling the truth. History will be her judge on this one.

It's likely enough that Indy V may not happen, but it's more likely to happen in a scenario in which Lucas's and Spielberg's recent commentary will come to naught despite work being done, than one in which they were lying and Kennedy's "I think we're done" and "there is nothing of that" were pure fact rather than hyperbole.

 

[Rocket Surgeon]

She's the one that also said "Indiana Jones 5 will not happen"...

And the date of this report. 12-21-2011. As in Today...as in...THERE'S NO INDY V, folks.

link

And of course, the ramblings of late, where Lucas says he has the basic plot figured out, and Spielberg saying that if George wants to do another one he will direct it pretty much proves her to be either full of crap, or the only one telling the truth. History will be her judge on this one.

What did she say?

Kathleen Kennedy [translated]: "I think..." and "I have the feeling that..."

Doesn't sound full of crap to me.

 

[Indy's brother]

What did she say?



Doesn't sound full of crap to me.

Most recently:

Kathleen Kennedy:"We're not writing 'Indiana Jones' right now, and we don't have a writer on 'Jurassic' yet," she said. "We're talking about those, but we don't have writers on those. These projects, we've been talking about them for years and years and years, and something that stands the test of time, that speaks to you, you go, 'Okay. If we keep coming back to this, there must be something there that's worth making.' "

Kinda sounds like a little bit of back-tracking to me. So ist it "Indiana has passed" or "there must be something there that's worth making"? Wishy-washy media tapdancing, imho. She's a (*gasp*) flip-flopper!

 

[Rocket Surgeon]

Kinda sounds like a little bit of back-tracking to me. So ist it "Indiana has passed" or "there must be something there that's worth making"? Wishy-washy media tapdancing, imho. She's a (*gasp*) flip-flopper!

Considering she's, (Spielberg too), pushing her new film, I give much more weight to:

"I have the feeling that Indiana has passed, now is the time of Tintin."

...than I do: "Indiana has passed."

I think Spielberg is well aware of his own flip flopping, (given interviews going all the way back to his future participation in Raiders II among many others) and consciously keeps things more open ended.

He's not opposed to milking the cash cow to showcase his prized pumpkins.

Something both Kennedy and Marshall are less inclined to do...string people along that is.

 

[Montana Smith]

Considering she's, (Spielberg too), pushing her new film, I give much more weight to:

"I have the feeling that Indiana has passed, now is the time of Tintin."

She makes it sound like a new age has dawned and he's passing over into the Undying Lands. That sounds about right.

 

[Indy's brother]

Something both Kennedy and Marshall are less inclined to do...string people along that is.

Well that's certainly true.

 

[Rocket Surgeon]

Well that's certainly true.

I certainly see Spielberg as an indulgent parent who cannot say no...

...and he paints himself into corners requiring elaborate explanations.

He doesn't want to be "the bad guy".

 

[Rocket Surgeon]

Steven Spielberg?s producer Kathleen Kennedy talks War Horse and reveals Indiana Jones 5 doubts

...what she could tell us about IndianaJones 5 and JurassicPark4, both of which have been rumoured to be in development. Laughing, Kathleen said: ?Nothing.

?Not because I don?t want to tell you, but we genuinely do not have a script on either one, so we?re not close.?

She added: ?We definitely want to do Jurassic 4, I don?t know where we stand with Indy to be honest. Our feeling is that when a good story comes along we?re always game.?

As a producer she?s been working on every one of Steven Spielberg?s movies since Jaws. So who is this woman behind some of cinema?s greatest hits? Kathleen told Grant of her role: ?I?m hands on, I?m in the mud.

?That?s what I personally enjoy about it, I get very involved from the beginning to the end. So everything to do with finding the locations, often finding the material, casting, getting the script written, getting the budget, handling the money, but also being able to be as creative as possible, it makes it extremely worthwhile.?

I'd have posted this in the news thread, but there's nothing really here but insight into Kennedy, her role in making films with Steven and context to her statements in which well all tend to see what we want.

 

[Montana Smith]

George was supposed to be writing a story. So it's funny if he showed what he had so far, and all the main parties took one look and said, "Better try harder...when a good story comes along we?re always game."

Forget I5 and press on with J4. It's a safer bet.

 

[moon_tan]

Kennedy saying again "Nothing" done on Indiana Jones 5 script.

Okay fine. Kennedy wants everyone to know that "Nothing" is happening with Indiana Jones 5 as far as script being written and as far as her job goes.
But I say, who says that George Lucas can't start hiring screenwriters, in 2012, to pen Indiana Jones 5 this year?
I am sure Paramount would not turn down a new Indiana Jones project.

 

[Rocket Surgeon]

Okay fine. Kennedy wants everyone to know that "Nothing" is happening with Indiana Jones 5 as far as script being written and as far as her job goes.

One small but significant point, I think she's tired of answering the same questions while pushing something entirely different.

It strikes me that she doesn't want to think the only reason people are interested in War Horse, or any of her other projects is because of Indiana Jones.

I'd say Skull was weak because they weren't fully invested in it.

But I say, who says that George Lucas can't start hiring screenwriters, in 2012, to pen Indiana Jones 5 this year?

No one. George can do what he likes, and think about the return on investment...!

Does George seem like the kind of person to do what other people expect of him?

How do you act when your mother pesters you to do something?

 

[Moedred]

It's worth watching the end of the clip. Her complete statement:

I don?t know where we stand with Indy to be honest. I mean if, [inhales] our feeling is when a good story comes along we?re always game. So we'll see.

"We'll see" is delivered like a middle school teacher with diminished expectations. She stopped herself from saying "if George..." on record. That's why we collect these statements, so we can read between the lines.

 

[Rocket Surgeon]

For someone who is "involved from the beginning to the end. So everything to do with finding the locations, often finding the material, casting, getting the script written, getting the budget, handling the money, but also being able to be as creative..." I tend to lend her more creedence than others from what I read.

She certainly doesn't strike me as someone who cares to exploit past projects to promote new ones.

 

[Mephisto]

She makes it sound like a new age has dawned and he's passing over into the Undying Lands. That sounds about right.

As I expected TinTin has not really been accepted by the American public. He is much bigger over seas. When you are working out of the US that is the gross that counts. It is pretty poor after a month. At this point Ford really is probably too old and they need a much better script or at least be careful what scenes they actually use. Plus they need a much better supporting characters (not even actors just characters. I found Ox and Mac to be too similar, extremely annoying and irritating throughout the film. Having one is bad enough but 2 just is not fun).

I also remember watching the TinTin cartoon on HBO in the early 90's. I watched it as there was nothing else on but didn't particularly like it. I found it boring.

 

[Moedred]

In an old Lost World featurette, she says "you don't want the audience to already be ahead of where you are in terms of character development." So true.