Love or hate the idea your favorite globe-trotting, whip cracking, adventurerer Indiana Jones will be manbagging (I'm sorry I mean satcheling) his way into theaters before too long.
After months of speculation whether or not a fifth installment would happen, Harrison Ford, who first portrayed the titular hero in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, revealed to Entertainment Tonight that Indy 5 is going forward and plans to start shooting late next year. Steven Spielberg also confirmed that George Lucas is currently writing the story though the screenplay is still in the early stages.
For those of you who can't count, this means that Mr. Ford will in fact be 70 when principal photography begins late next year. Many people think that at this point in his life Ford is way too old to play the role of Indiana Jones. What's the movie going to be titled, Indiana Jones and the Colostemy Bag of Doom? But I say that those nay saying ageists can suck it. Look at the facts: Indy's character in the last movie was 58 and my thinking is that the film will probably be set in 1959 making Jones's character 60. Somehow I think a man who looks like he could pass for 50 can play a character who is 60 even at the age of 70. Secondly, Ford did most of his own stunts in the last film and by all accounts is a fitness nut. Lastly, if Sly Stallone can still be an action film star and be ripped besides at the age of 65, I think Ford can still don the Fedora for one last go around.
Many people unfortunately are going to see this film as completely unnecessary. After Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was lampooned by many Indy fans who felt that George Lucas once again raped their childhoods (although to be fair Rotten Tomatoes has the approval rating at 77%) most would probably prefer the series just die. I'll admit that when I first saw Skull I was so upset that I gave it a 1. However, my friend Andy said to take another look. I did and I changed my mind. There are lot of things wrong with Skull but there are a lot of good things too. I'm planning on doing a followup review on Skull soon.
But I digress.
The truth is I feel the complete opposite. As much as I've come around on the last film, I'd like it if my memory of Indy's last adventure wasn't about inter-dimensional space beings. So I am fully on board with this even if George Lucas is writing the script. Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford have already said that the next film will not involve aliens. (To quote Ford, "I ain't goin' to Mars!") Furthermore, Spielberg freely admitted that he and Lucas butted heads and did not want to go with an alien angle. CGI is also rumored to be less of a factor in the fifth installment as well. For these reasons I fully believe that Indy 5 is going to be a return to form for our snake phobic hero.
The real question on everyone's mind is what will be the plot for Indy 5? A little over a year ago a rumor leaked out of New Zealand that the next edition would involve The Bermuda Triangle. Others have suggested the so-called "Spear of Destiny," the spear that pierced Jesus Christ while he was on the cross. Speaking of Jesus, another website suggests the story will revolve around Dr. Jones searching for the actual cross Christ was crucified on. Legend has it that soldiers used to carry the cross into battle during the Crusades and it was lost during that time frame. The same website maps out a story where Indy begins the movie looking for the tomb of Genghis Kahn and then winds up in Jerusalem and eventually Eastern Europe. This premise sounds amazing only because with China and the Middle East involved fan favorite characters Short Round and Salah could come back.
My guess however is that the plot will involve none of these MacGuffins (i.e the requisite artifact that Dr. Jones always goes looking for) but involve something entirely different. I would suggest to Mr. Lucas that the item should be a religious in the Judeo-Christian sense. Not because I'm a Christian but because out of the four films the two most popular involved the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail. Just sayin'.
Either way my guess is that since filming won't begin until late 2012, I highly doubt that we will see Ford flicking his whip until late 2013 at the earliest and more than likely it will be summer 2014. Fans of the archaeologist will just have to content themselves with the original trilogy due out on Blu-Ray next year. Here's hoping the next movie dodges the giant boulder and is a return to form for Indy fans everywhere.
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