John Rhys-Davies (aka Sallah) Written Out of 'Indy 4,' Source Says
Filed under: Action, Casting, RumorMonger, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
According to a recent report that surfaced over at Dark Horizons, stalwart Indiana Jones sidekick Sallah, played by John Rhys-Davies in both Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade will not be appearing in the fourth installment of the franchise. I'm not sure if this exactly qualifies as a "travesty" or not, but it is a little disappointing, especially as Sallah was a very important part of Raiders and provided the film with some of its best lines, like: "Snakes, you go first" and the classic "Bad dates." So, why is he reportedly not being included in Indy 4? According to the site, Rhys-Davies was asked about his appearance in the film at a recent Sci-Fi convention in New Zealand. He answered that, through a third party, he was told his character was written out of the script in favor of "a younger cast." If that's really the reason he was given for not being in the film, I have to wonder a little about it. And, if his character was "written out," could it be that at one point it was "written in?" Not to be a nit-picker but according to IMDB, Rhys-Davies is actually two years younger than Harrison Ford. Although, I guess you can't really have an Indiana Jones movie without Indiana Jones. Plus, Lucas and Spielberg probably decided that one old guy running around getting into fights, swinging from a bullwhip, shooting bad guys and protecting antiquities was enough for one movie. Thinking about it like that I guess I can't really blame them. Still, what's next, no Short Round either?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-16-2007 @ 7:51PM
Cloudrunner said...
It's "Asps. Very dangerous. You go first."
Too bad about Sallah in Indy IV. John Rhys-Davies really needs to be in more films.
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4-16-2007 @ 8:22PM
The Addict said...
This is a load of crap. Look at how well he held his own as Gimli in the LOTR trilogy as well. There's no reason for Rhys-Davies to not be back, as I'd been hoping he would be.
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4-16-2007 @ 8:44PM
mike said...
I agree that this is kind of lame, but the point about Rhys-Davies being younger than Ford is a weak one. I think the bigger problem with this is that by younger cast, they mean they want the sidekick to appeal to teens. It's kind of lame that there's this feeling that for a movie to be viable it must have a hot young cast, and if you're gonna have a movie about a more mature character, he better have a son, a mentee, or a creepy relationship with a girl young enough to be his (grand)daughter.
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4-16-2007 @ 10:44PM
K said...
Written out? Written in? I don't think it has anything to do with the character -
it's probably more to do with WHERE the film story takes us this time.
I mean Indy cannot be dropping by Sallah's house EVERYTIME, can he? He certainly didn't in Temple of Doom, so may be it has to do with the locations that the film is going to take us?
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4-17-2007 @ 3:58AM
armen said...
My favorite Indy-Sallah moment:
"Sallah, I said NO camels. That's FIVE camels! Can't you count!"
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4-17-2007 @ 6:10AM
Timothy said...
I kind of agree with Apr, it could just be he didn't fit the story yet again.
Maybe they're afraid too many old people will prevent a wide audience, or he'd be seen as a stereotype. But really, two years younger doesn't qualify for "younger audience" so that wouldn't be a reason to bring him back. You'd have to argue his character is needed for entertainment.
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4-17-2007 @ 1:00PM
Cath said...
Sounds like Spielberg is going back to his goofier roots on this one. Rather than prep this thing for a continuing franchise, I'd like to see it retired with some dignity. I guess we'll always have The Last Crusade for that. One doesn't always have to condescend to a younger audience to sell tickets.
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4-18-2007 @ 4:45AM
Matthew Kieren said...
I agree with most of the previous statements. John Rhys-Davies deserves to be in more movies. He's a great actor, and it's a shame he's not going to be in this one.
I also agree with Cath that "one doesn't always have to condescend to a younger audience to sell tickets." I hope this doesn't turn out to be another Jar Jar Binks movie. We all love the first three episodes, please don't ruin my childhood memories like the Star Wars Prequels did..
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4-18-2007 @ 6:11AM
Jason said...
JRD predicated a few years back that he was "burying his career"
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/beard200312170849.asp
I am sure Spielbert/Ford do not share his political views.
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4-18-2007 @ 10:37AM
Pepe7 said...
Jason-
His comments on that National Review site need to placed into perspective, that's for certain. Especially concerning his support of 'dead white male' (=western) culture. I don't think his politics would be that different than Ford or Spielberg if you read his comments regarding modern slavery. This is someone who'd relatively educated, and has lived in some parts of the world where I don't think many Americans would set foot.
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