January 22, 2002

6:38 AM

Indiana Jones and the Geriatric Star Spielberg and Ford confirm it to Fox News -- Indy will don his fedora again after Spielberg's next project. The film has a title and a script (they're mum on both). Can Harrison Ford be a believable hero at his age? He looked winded in Air Force One a few years ago...
posted by krewson (42 comments total)

Why chance screwing up a film series that has ended on a high note? Oh yeah, money.
posted by fleener at 6:45 AM on January 22, 2002

So long as the character has also aged, I don't see this as a problem. Except that this series is essentially a pastiche of 1930s-era adventure serials; to what extent would setting it in, say, the 1950s betray that spirit? I wonder.

It all depends on the script.
posted by mcwetboy at 6:47 AM on January 22, 2002

Just as long as they don't have a female lead that screams throughout the film (IJATTOD), i don't mind.
posted by Spoon at 6:48 AM on January 22, 2002

Spoon: according to the article, Kate Capshaw (IJATTOD) will be in this one. "Willie Scott" returns!
posted by mcwetboy at 6:54 AM on January 22, 2002

Indiana Jones and the Geriatric Star.

What, are we doing fark shots now? I saw him in person some months back (he crashed his plane nearby) -- he looked okay to me. If they can make a horse-face like Nicholas Cage into a romantic lead, cast Matt Damon as a genius, or make Keanau Reeves an action hero, they'll have no problem with Harrison Ford reprising Indy. Frankly, the best news is that Spielberg is getting "deep" preachy stuff out of his system and going back to his roots. (And "no", I'm not dissing his "serious" movies -- I just miss the ol' popcorn chompers he used to make. As long as he stays away from lame attempts at screwball comedy).
posted by RavinDave at 6:59 AM on January 22, 2002

RavinDave -- my point is he's getting a bit long in the tooth to be hunting treasures whilst nimbly evading Nazis. I like Spielberg fine as well, and if Lucas has someone to rein the story in, it should be great... or at least better than 'The Mummy Returns,' 'The Scorpion King,' etc.
posted by krewson at 7:04 AM on January 22, 2002

Matt Damon actually did go to Harvard. He may not be a genius, but he is smarter than he looks. I think what needs to be addressed here is the tendency of Hollywood to use the same handful of stars in every movie.
posted by banished at 7:12 AM on January 22, 2002

Yeah Indy's supposed to look haggard and weathered. If anything, Ford's aging into the role. So long as they keep the same tongue in cheek attitude they had in the third one, all the adventurous spirit in the first one, and avoid pretty much anything but Kate Capshaw from the second one, I think it'll be... uhm, entertaining?

Coincidently, The Hollywood Stock Exchange is reporting that INDY4's stock just shot up over 7 points. Shame I didn't buy any..
posted by ZachsMind at 7:16 AM on January 22, 2002

OK, here's my bet. Ford plays the wise veteran; Matt Damon plays the pupil who learns from the master. Most of the humor relates to how the two take different approaches in sticky situations. Har. Har. No thanks.
posted by fleener at 7:21 AM on January 22, 2002

i thought the last movie was called indiana jones and the last crusade
posted by chrisroberts at 7:21 AM on January 22, 2002

They have the opportunity to move beyond the tribute to the 1940s serials and play with the conventions of the 1950s Cold War sci-fi thrillers and/or the big-screen blockbuster, so this could actually turn out to be pretty cool. They do need to acknowledge that Indy is getting to be a geezer, but even that has potential.
posted by briank at 7:22 AM on January 22, 2002

Nooooo! I can almost hear the "Not you again.." and "Does this kind of thing always happen to you?" lines already...
posted by Spoon at 7:24 AM on January 22, 2002

I've heard that after making Schindler's List, Spielberg couldn't bear to make "comical villain" style Nazis anymore. So, an older, post-war, Indy is also a good excuse to get away from that.
posted by jozxyqk at 7:25 AM on January 22, 2002

I hear Indy will be fighting Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) in postwar Soviet Union. Indy: "I guess what I'm trying to say is, if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change." Soviet Union crowd: "Indy, Indy, Indy . . ."
posted by jacknose at 7:29 AM on January 22, 2002

i thought the last movie was called indiana jones and the last crusade

Nope, that was Indiana Jones and the Second-to-Last Crusade
posted by billder at 7:32 AM on January 22, 2002

I agree that it can work, as long as they let the character age. As an analogy, think back to Star Trek I, where everyone blithely pretended there was no age difference, and Star Trek II, where they addressed the aging of the characters and had fun with it.

Let's hope they get a good writer. These guys have the talent to do it if they get a good script.
posted by pmurray63 at 7:39 AM on January 22, 2002

Come to think of it, when you look at the "Young Indiana Chronicles" and how they'd present the Old Indy in the present day as some smelly geezer rambling on to anyone who'd stay still long enough to listen.. I'm not sure if there's any room left for a middle aged Indy.

We've seen him as a toddler. We've seen him as a teenager in way too many over-budgeted, trite tv movies... We've seen Indy at his prime and we've seen him in his post-Geritol stage (no offense to anyone reading who might happen to be taking Geritol right now. I'm sure time has been better to you than it had been to Old Indy). We've even seen digitally enhanced Indy in computer games for what turned out to be a laughable takeoff on the Tomb Raider series, which incidentally was a laughable takeoff on Indy movies, only with boobs.

Maybe this is a franchise that thankfully has run its course? Maybe they should let it go now while they're still more or less ahead?

Or they could just use CGI effects to erase all the wrinkles off Harrison Ford and pretend he's 24 years old again.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:42 AM on January 22, 2002

Am I the only one who thought Harrison Ford seemed kind of, well, sickly during his Golden Globes acceptance speech? He was shaky and seemed to be grasping for words. It looked like a Michael J. Fox moment to me, but I guess he could have just been nervous. Not that being nervous in that situation is unheard of, but I wouldn't really expect it from him, especially since he knew in advance about the award. I was fully expecting to read in the paper the next day that he had Parkinson's Disease or something.... I'd much rather be reading that he's gonna do another Indy flick.
posted by spilon at 7:44 AM on January 22, 2002

Harrison Ford? Still too young. Spielberg should get Sean Connery for the lead. With Gene Hackman as the long lost uncle. And Angelica Huston as Afghanistan.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:06 AM on January 22, 2002

I remember an interview that Ford did years ago (probably 20/20 or some crap show like that). He was asked what roles he would considering reprising. He was first asked about Han Solo. Without hesitation he said no. When asked why he said that there's nowhere left for the character to go. He was then asked about Indiana Jones. Again without hesitation he replied "In a New York minute." When asked why, he stated there's so much more you can do with that character. I would have to concur on all of Ford's points.

If you keep thinking of Indiana Jones as an eccentric professor in his late 30s then you will almost certainly be let down by an new Indiana Jones movie.

I think both Spielberg and Ford love the character too much and will be carefull enough to not screw this one up, especially after seeing fan fallout over Episode I (which I liked btw). That is, of course, despite the fact that Kate "Mrs. Spieilberg" Capshaw may be in it.
posted by rathikd at 8:16 AM on January 22, 2002

Indiana Jones and the Geriatric Star
Yeah Indy's supposed to look haggard and weathered.

Remember? "It's not the years, it's the miles." Also, "The Last Crusdae" referred to finally capturing the Holy Grail, not that it would be the last Indy movie. I'm holding out hope for "The Fate of Atlantis."
posted by yerfatma at 8:17 AM on January 22, 2002

As for his appearance at the Golden Globes, I think Ford was just uncomfortable receiving that type of award. I'd compare it to Dean Smith having the arena named after him while he was still coaching at UNC. It's an honor for lifetime achievement, but they're not done with their achievements.

Our youth-obsessed society can benefit from images of older people acting heroically, even if it is just a movie. Maybe Indy loses a step or two, but that doesn't mean he has to hang it up. Is it realistic to show an older man pulling off crazy physical stunts? I know of at least one 49 year-old who thinks so.
posted by gimli at 8:23 AM on January 22, 2002

Glad someone remembered Fate of Atlantis. the PC-based game was tremendous at the time, and is even quite good by today's standards.

i think the story line could easily be adapted to a movie (or maybe they got the storyline for the game from a movie script?!)

anyway, being a huge fan of the Indy movies, I can't wait.
posted by presto at 8:51 AM on January 22, 2002

Indiana Jones and the One Ring.
posted by NortonDC at 8:58 AM on January 22, 2002

i thought the last movie was called indiana jones and the last crusade

Nah, it was the last crusade...'member, there was an actual Crusader.

there's so much more you can do with that character

What character? I love Indiana Jones, but he's not a well-developed character. At least in the movies, all he is is brave and smart.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:05 AM on January 22, 2002

Well, it strikes me that the old 'Star Trek' series did it's best work when they faced the aging aspects of the characters head on.

Maybe the trick is showing that Jones is smart enough to find a way of doing things in a different way - that when the extreme physical runs short, the brains kick in.

His dad did it - "I suddenly remembered charlemagne. 'Let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky.'

That could work
posted by Perigee at 9:06 AM on January 22, 2002

Where does the phrase "in a new york minute" come from - and how long is it?
posted by Spoon at 9:11 AM on January 22, 2002

Fate of Atlantis was supposed to be a movie. Corona's Coming Attractions used to have a lot of speculation about it but apparently they've recently updated and edited most references to Fate of Atlantis out. Upcoming Movies also no longer mentions it. Maybe there's something here about it. Fate of Atlantis was one of the many scripts that Spielberg, Ford and Lucas were looking over. I don't think they'll use that script. If they'd liked it they would have started production on it by now.

This talk has me blowing off the dust on my old VHS copies of the trilogy on this lazy rainy day. If they could get ahold of Paul Freeman, they could finish up the plot they left open at the very beginning of the first film. Oh wait.. no they can't do that cuz Beloq's dead. Maybe his brother? LOL!
posted by ZachsMind at 9:37 AM on January 22, 2002

How about "Indiana Jones and the Fight for Tenure"? When was the last time this guy published?
posted by Ty Webb at 9:44 AM on January 22, 2002

i thought the last movie was called indiana jones and the last crusade

Hey, if they can make ten "Final Fantasy" games...
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:58 AM on January 22, 2002

Dude. An old Harrison Ford as Indy Jones is still better than 99.999% of the other "action heroes" out there. Sign me up, Prof. Jones!
posted by owillis at 10:19 AM on January 22, 2002

Spoon:

"It appears to have originated in Texas around 1967..."

(scroll down a bit)
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:24 AM on January 22, 2002

Our youth-obsessed society can benefit from images of older people acting heroically

Oh, God. Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Indy's son. Eeuuuggghh.

I don't doubt that Harrison Ford is up to it. He'll just have to take time off from his busy schedule of helicopter rescues to do it.
posted by MonkeyMeat at 10:31 AM on January 22, 2002

Ford plays the wise veteran; Matt Damon plays the pupil who learns from the master.

But what about the Minnie Drivers?!
posted by y2karl at 10:44 AM on January 22, 2002

I envision a scene where Indy is surrounded by kids, similar to "Temple of Doom", except that, instead of little slave children, they will be the army of bastards he has left in his wake, trotting the globe, as he did, in search of treasure and trim.
posted by Ty Webb at 10:44 AM on January 22, 2002

Am I the only one here who doubts the veracity of Fox News, particularly in the form of a gossip column? First off, until an official announcement is made, this is purely rumor. Keep in mind that the decision to make another Indy film also rests with Lucas (one of the reasons the Indy films aren't available on DVD), who's been absolutely silent on the manner.
posted by ed at 10:50 AM on January 22, 2002

I think what needs to be addressed here is the tendency of Hollywood to use the same handful of stars in every movie.

Soon to be cured by CGI actors (see Final Fantasy for an early taste of things to come)
posted by BentPenguin at 11:04 AM on January 22, 2002

What character? I love Indiana Jones, but he's not a well-developed character. At least in the movies, all he is is brave and smart.

Not many generic brave/smart movie heroes would be caught dead passionately screaming "That belongs in a museum!" He is brave for specific reasons and smart in specific ways. He has a phobia that we eventually found the cause of, an elaborate backstory involving a father and at least two other mentors, a dry sense of humor, and a reverence for ancient religions that doesn't prevent him from exploiting them for his own ends, which involve both a desire for adventure and an altruistic motivation to bring the treasures of the past into the present. If only most action heroes could be so shallow.
posted by bingo at 11:33 AM on January 22, 2002

After IJATL(?)C, wasn't Indy supposed to be, like, immortal?
posted by gsteff at 8:47 PM on January 22, 2002

At first I dreaded this, thinking Ford's age would be a problem (not to mention the fact that they've not only have they been to this well 3 times but it's been HOW many years since the last one?!). But now I'm up for it. And I agree with the above poster: it would be cool to see Indy post-war, in the 1950s, battling somebody besides Nazis or heart-stealing tribes.

It's all in the script, because I'll trust Spielberg's directorial decisions. I think an older Indy could be quite interesting and fun.
posted by braun_richard at 9:33 PM on January 22, 2002

For those of you think Ford is old:

"New lovers Harrison Ford and Minnie Driver are struggling to keep their blossoming romance under wraps. Recent reports suggest the British actress has been dating Ford, despite him - at 59 - being 28 years her senior. And the couple have now been spotted in public together for the first time, acting like "lovesick teenagers" during a night out at the trendy Divino restaurant in Los Angeles." [via imdb]

posted by gluechunk at 10:41 PM on January 22, 2002

Mr. Simpson, this is the most blatant case of fraudulent advertising since my suit against the film The Neverending Story.
posted by lotsofno at 1:09 PM on January 23, 2002