Indiana Jones and the Long Delay
Indiana Jones has found the lost ark and the holy grail. Now he just needs a rewrite.
That’s the word from Paramount regarding the hugely anticipated fourth Indiana Jones movie.
The studio has confirmed that the trifecta of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford have put the project on hold after Lucas decided he wasn’t happy with the screenplay penned by filmmaker Frank Darabont (The Green Mile,Shawshank Redemption).
“They’ll be some more script work,” says Spielberg rep Marv Levy, who could not say exactly how long production would be delayed or how it would affect Paramount’s targeted July 4, 2005 release date.
Fans wanting to keep up with the Jones will have to keep waiting. The film now might not even begin filming until 2005. That would put Ford closer to archeological relic status–he could be 63 by the time Indy swings onto the big screen again.
(Not there’s anything wrong with that–Ford has repeatedly stated in interviews that he looks forward to portraying an older, creakier, Dr. Jones.)
The movie fan Website ComingSoon.net reported that producers had already scouted locations for the sequel in Hawaii and that the fourth installment was slated to shoot there for two months next summer. A Paramount rep, however, says the film will now continue in development as long as necessary, with an as-yet unidentified new writer coming aboard to polish Darabont’s script.
Aside from a decent screenplay, the studio also needs to synch the schedules of Ford, Spielberg and Lucas–a seemingly daunting task these days.
Spielberg, who’s currently wrapping up the immigrant drama Terminal with Tom Hanks, will segue into work on another project until he Indy script is honed and ready.
One potential flick might be The Rivals, a DreamWorks drama about the legendary rivalry between 19th century stage divas Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse. Spielberg has personally been overseeing the project’s development at the studio. Another film also on the drawing board is a remake of the hit 1947 comedy The Secret Life of Walter Mitty starring Jim Carrey.
Tthere’s also Nine Lives, a new miniseries about “love and death” he’s executive producing for the Sci-Fi Channel, as well as a new untitled longform series for HBO along the lines of his Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Band of Brothers, this one focusing on the Pacific theater of World War II.
Ford, whose divorce from screenwriter Melissa Mathison became official last month, is reportedly considering other films to fill the void in the meantime, but hasn’t made any deals yet.
As for Lucas, the mastermind behind the Indiana Jones trilogy is busy finishing up his other baby–Star Wars: Episode III–slated for release in May 2005.
Categories