Why We Can't Wait to See It: Well, it's Indy. That alone is pretty much all you have to say, isn't it? Harrison Ford is back as Dr. Jones, and while some of the folks around for the ride are new (Cate Blanchett, Shia LeBouf and others), the return of Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood is reason enough for old-school fans to be excited.

Why It Might Do Well: Again, it's Indy -- and a long-anticipated return to the big screen for one of the most beloved movie franchises of modern times. Plus, the only big opener the week before is Prince Caspian -- which, while anticipated, probably won't pull people from the ticket lines opening week.

Why It Might Not Do Well: The question's less if it will do well than if it will be good; interviews have suggested that George Lucas has taken a heavy hand in the writing this time around -- which, frankly, hasn't been a good sign in recent years. Plus there's that disturbing gimmick in the trailer with Indy saying "I thought that was closer ..."; back in the day, Spielberg, Lucas and Ford would have let that go unsaid. ...

Fun Fact: Crystal Skull takes place 19 years after the events of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade -- the same amount of time it's been since we've seen Indy on-screen.

Trivia:


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As the release date for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull draws near, the worried rumblings begin. First, there's insider talk that Indiana Jones is only going to screen for the press a day or two before its premiere. To quote CHUD's Devin Faraci, "I was told a long time ago - when the movie was still filming - to not expect to see Crystal Skull until maybe a day or two before domestic release. According to some insiders, this policy was a smart one, as the movie may not have turned out to be what people in the industry call 'good.' I'm hoping for the best, of course." Aren't we all. This is being whispered elsewhere, so don't shoot this messenger or Faraci.

Second, Crystal Skull is going to have a run time of rather epic proportions. Jeff Wells reports that the final cut runs two hours and twenty odd minutes, longer than any previous Indy installment. There was a great deal of groaning last summer over needlessly long blockbusters -- I rather think Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was the most guilty. There are some movies that scream for 2+ hours, like anything with hobbits or scantily clad Spartans (ok, that one is just me) but there are others that are just fine clocking in at 90 minutes or so. That's where Indiana Jones belongs -- he's the man who never overstays his welcome and makes a graceful exit, leaving you wanting more. Don't read too much into that.

Is Paramount poised to have the best May imaginable at the box office between Mr. Stark and Dr. Jones? Can you take any movie with a monkey in it seriously? Will Pixar succeed again with WALL-E, or are robots the new Cars? Is a long-awaited sequel 'too little, too late' for X-Files fans? And will Hellboy 2 be the surprise smash of the season? Joining us this week on The Rocchi Review to talk summer's biggest movies is Scott Weinberg of Cinematical and FEARnet, and we try to answer all those questions and more. ... Cinematical's podcast content now has even better sound quality, and is now in iTunes; you can subscribe at this link. Also, you can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below:



As ever, you can download the entire podcast right here -- and those of you with RSS Podcast readers can find all of Cinematical's podcast content at this link.

I have a feeling the next several days will be full of posts regarding Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's clearly apparent these couple of weeks belong to Indy, as we've already been told the first trailer for the film will hit on February 14, and, now, another new photo as well as a brand new featurette on Indy's hat and jacket have arrived online. First off, the film's official website has up yet another nostalgic behind-the-scenes video which goes through the process of finding Indy's iconic hat and jacket for the new film.

Roughly 30 hats and jackets (all the same) were created for the shoot -- a tremendous amount of work, it seems. I especially like the part of the video where Harrison Ford is interviewed, and he talks about the hat. According to Ford, there needs to be a reason (story-wise) for the hat to leave his head. If, for some reason, it accidentally falls off during a shot, Spielberg will cut and re-do the scene. Either the hat falling off moves the story along or it serves as the punchline for a joke, and if you go through each Indiana Jones film, you'll notice this is most certainly the case. So head on over here to check out the new video.

Additionally, The Raider has uncovered a new spoiler-ish photo from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. All I'll say is that it features both Cate Blanchett's character and Shia LaBeouf's character -- and the actual photo was apparently featured in an Italian magazine. Should you be interested in seeing it, we've provided it for you after the jump. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull arrives in theaters on May 22.

Remember that Vanity Fair story from last week? The one with all the pics, and the quotes from Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford? Well the author of that story, Jim Windolf, is back now apologizing to his editors and the readers for not pressing Spielberg harder on the issue of whether he plans to continue the Indy franchise following this May's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Windolf isn't the first one to raise this question, as last year rumors began floating around with regards to the contracts Ford and co-star Shia LaBeouf signed for Indy 4. At the time, it was speculated that both Ford and LaBeouf agreed to appear in at least three more Indiana Jones films after Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Shortly after that rumor surfaced, Lucasfilm jumped to deny the whole thing, calling it "idle chatter."

But Windolf, in a follow-up story that's way longer than it needs to be, takes a nothing quote from Spielberg and spins it into something much larger. Whether Vanity Fair was saving this second article for another day (and more additional traffic) or if Windolf really did get hammered for not asking about sequels -- we do not know -- but we do know that nothing earth shattering is included here. In case you're interested, here's the key paragraph of Windolf's story:

"When I asked him why he hadn't gone forward with the "Indy IV" script written by writer-director Frank Darabont, he said, "In this case George [Lucas] was passionate that this was not the story he wanted to tell at this point in the Indiana Jones saga ..." Noting that he had used the magic phrase "at this point," I followed up by asking him, "Is that leaving room open for another one?" To which Spielberg replied, "Oh, I don't know. I haven't even thought about that. I'm still in the cutting room. I can't even think beyond the next cut."

Windolf goes on to talk about whether LaBeouf could successfully continue the franchise -- whether he's a big enough name right now -- and blah blah. Like I said, this has all been covered. And until we see the kid operate in that leather jacket and slicked back hair, there's no way we can really form an accurate opinion.

[Thanks Pat for the heads up]

The cover for the comic adaptation of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has been released online, courtesy of Dark Horse Comics. You can click on the image above or check after the jump for the full-sized version, which, I must warn you, might carry spoilers. I personally don't see what the spoilers could be, but it's always best to be safe and give a warning just in case. I've been spending the past 15 minutes trying to figure out what that thing is behind Indiana Jones. Is it a backpack? Some sort of rock structure? A creature? What do you think? Anyway, here's the non-spoilerish plot synopsis that came along with this cover art:

The most anticipated movie event of the summer comes to comics in this adaptation of the fourth Indiana Jones film! The intrepid Doctor Henry Jones Jr. is back in his biggest adventure yet! This time, the world-renowned archaeologist finds himself caught in a series of events that all point to a discovery unlike any other. But will his rivals in pursuit of this priceless treasure seize his quarry from right under his nose? Not if he, and a few unexpected companions, have anything to say about it! The thrill and the humor, the action and the romance, the hat and the whip--everything you love about Indy is here! This is a tale sure to please longtime fans as well as foster a whole generation of new ones!

The publication date is May 22, 2008, the comic runs 96 pages, and it will sell for $12.95.

Happy New Year everyone! Here's hoping you've survived whatever madness the holidays brought forth, and have welcomed 2008 into your home and your heart. I was telling a friend on New Years Eve that it already felt like 2008; how all I've been doing for the past several months is writing about films coming out in 2008, and so in a weird way I've been living in 2008 since -- I dunno -- last May. Anyway, obviously, the big news today came in the form of this Vanity Fair article on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. While I hate to kick off the new year on a negative note, I couldn't help but read some of George Lucas' comments and kind of get pissed off at the dude.

Ya know, God bless the guy for giving us Star Wars and the first three Indiana Jones films, but sometimes he just blurts out stupid stuff and comes off as such a d*ck. Take these quotes for example from the Vanity Fair article: "I know the critics are going to hate it [meaning the new Indy film]. They already hate it. So there's nothing we can do about that. They hate the idea that we're making another one. They've already made up their minds." Then, after pretending to know how all the critics feel about the film, he moves on to the fans: "The fans are all upset. They're always going to be upset. 'Why did he do it like this? And why didn't he do it like this?' They write their own movie, and then, if you don't do their movie, they get upset about it. So you just have to stand by for the bricks and the custard pies, because they're going to come flying your way."

First off, which critics already hate this movie? We've always supported it (though we've taken cracks at Harrison Ford and his age), and from what I can tell, all the other major movie sites support the film as well and cannot wait for it. The fans I'll cut him some slack for, seeing as we have received a bunch of comments from folks who don't think this film should've been made. But that being said, why does the guy have to be so negative? Why can't he have faith in his film -- why can't he be a little more convincing and -- I dunno -- give us a reason to support a fourth Indiana Jones film? Is it just me, or is Lucas unleashing his negative vibe a tad too early?

Vanity Fair has published a preview of their pretty massive Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls feature which, online, runs roughly five pages and includes photos from Annie Leibovitz and a video showing the behind the scenes of the photoshoot. As you can see above, we finally get our first look at Cate Blanchett as the villainous (but still extremely sexy) Agent Spalko. The Vanity Fair piece covers it all; from the first time we saw Indy on screen to this (final?) production to interviews with the cast.

When director Steven Spielberg is asked how far along he is in the editing process, he said, "I'm in my second cut, which means I've put the movie together and I've seen it," he says. "I usually do about five cuts as a director. The best news is that, when I saw the movie myself the first time, there was nothing I wanted to go back and shoot, nothing I wanted to reshoot, and nothing I wanted to add." George Lucas, on the other hand, talked a bit about how hard it was coming up with a good MacGuffin this time around: "I'm the one that has to come up with the story, and the MacGuffin, the supernatural object that everyone's going after ... The Ark of the Covenant was perfect. The Shankara Stones were way too esoteric. The Holy Grail was sort of feeble-but, at the same time, we put the father in there to cover for it. I mean, the whole reason it became a dad movie was because I was scared to hell that there wasn't enough power behind the Holy Grail to carry a movie."

We've included the rest of the photos after the jump, and be sure to head on over here to check out the full story.

P.S. In that second photo below of LaBeouf and Allen, check out the background. Look a little familiar?

[via Joblo]

A brand new poster for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has arrived online (click on the image for a larger version), and for the first time we catch a glimpse of a poster that definitely brings us back to the look and feel of the first three films. There's Indy (Harrison Ford) in his classic outfit with fedora hat and whip in hand, standing in front of a burning skull that looks pretty damn evil. Underneath you get the film's title in classic Indy font, as well as the release date: May 22. A little older, wiser, this time around Indiana Jones is on the hunt for a mysterious crystal skull, which, when in ones possession, creates great powers. He'll be reuniting with his old Raiders flame, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), as well as getting to know his son, as played by Shia LaBeouf. Ray Winstone and Jim Broadbent will show up playing a fellow archaeologist and fellow professor, respectively, while Cate Blanchett is said to be playing an evil Russian. Additionally, John Hurt will be playing the long-lost (and thought-to-be-dead) Abner Ravenwood. So, does this poster pump you up ... or not so much?

[via IndianaJones.com]

Three brand new images from the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull have arrived online, courtesy of AICN. There's no word on where they came from (hopefully it's not from that stolen batch), but the pics show us a nice image of Indiana Jones wearing his classic fedora hat and holding his trusty whip and gun. Another image shows Indy and son (played by Shia LaBeouf) in some sort of cave examining an object with a flashlight. Man, I am so iffy on LaBeouf -- I seriously hope he pulls this one off. Seeing him all crouched down in his greaser jacket next to the big-screen icon that is Indiana Jones sends mild shivers down my spine.

The plot of the film has been kept hidden from us for quite some time, though small nuggets of info have leaked out. We know that Karen Allen will reprise the role of Marion Ravenwood, and that LaBeouf is Indy's kid. Cate Blanchett reportedly plays a Russian bad girl, while Indy will be off in search of the elusive crystal skulls. Some folks claim the film will return to the warehouse seen at the end of Raiders -- the one that holds the Ark of the Covenant -- though we still don't know for sure. Either way, I must say old Harrison Ford looks pretty good for his age. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull arrives in theaters on May 22. Check out the other two images after the jump.

Updated to include new hi-res versions found on the IMDb message boards.

On October 11, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls officially wrapped production, and a new video has popped up on the official Indiana Jones website celebrating the occasion. Earlier this year, the first video revealed a toast from director Steven Spielberg to his crew on the first day of shooting. There wasn't much to see, except for George Lucas in a "Han Shot First' t-shirt, but in this latest video they actually go back to each Indiana Jones film and show footage from the last day of shooting. On both the first and the third film, we see Spielberg call it a wrap, but on the second -- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom -- I'm not quite sure if it is the last shot, but we see video of them shooting the final bridge sequence.

So basically, we go through each film before settling in on the fourth. We see shots of the entire cast (we get a brief look at Cate Blanchett and John Hurt for the first time) in what appears to be interview mode, leading me to believe that future videos will incorporate interviews with the cast. Finally, we see Spielberg, with a glass of champagne, toasting his crew once again ... however, unfortunately, we do not get to see the final shot. Additionally, it appears the website is gearing up for a big marketing run leading up to its May 22, 2008 release -- adding top bars for stuff like galleries, news, adventures, games, merch, community and one for Marshall College. The majority of them only show a "coming soon" at this point, but I expect the website to be hella active in the coming months. Next up: Our first trailer?

If you've never been on a movie set, they always hire a guy to stand around and snap endless amounts of still photos while the filming goes on. Those pics are then sorted through later, for publicity purposes. Well, it's now been confirmed that the still photographer on the Indy 4 set was totally robbed of 2,500 photos from the production and the thieves are still at large* with the loot. A publicist for Paramount confirmed to Jeff Wells of Hollywood-Elsewhere that the thievery took place, but contradicted an earlier rumor that there had been an actual break-in at the offices of Paramount Pictures. Apparently, the thieves took the photographer's hard-drive somewhere away from the set, and Paramount is claiming that they know the culprits have contacted online outlets trying to sell the photos. For their part, they've called in the FBI.

How hard could it possibly be to track down the thieves? I wasn't contacted by these guys, but anyone who was can and should give them up to the feds. I'm not going to name any names, but not long ago a certain outlet was specifically boasting of having seen "pictures" of Cate Blanchett in her Soviet villain garb, with black hair, boots and a sword tucked into her belt. This outlet didn't dare post those photos, choosing instead to just describe them and credit them to an anonymous person snapping pictures on set. And now Jeff Wells is confirming that the stolen haul of photos includes snaps of "Cate Blanchett in full villain mode." Hmmm ... I don't think the FBI will need to send in Mulder and Scully to get to the bottom of this one.

*See, I told you -- they caught the guy, according to IESB, before this story could even be published. The FBI put together a quick sting operation between some unnamed online journalist and the thief, and pounced on the guy at a seedy hotel in L.A. Apparently the theft was more extensive than originally thought -- the film's script was also possibly up for sale, it seems.

Though we haven't heard much about Steven Spielberg's Abraham Lincoln biopic, Lincoln, Newsweek seems to think Sally Field has been cast as Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. All we know so far is that Liam Neeson has signed to play Lincoln, and according to IMDb, Marcia Gay Harden was rumored to be up for the role of Mary Todd. But things seemed to be put on hold once Spielberg decided to direct Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls, and with a strike looming, we weren't sure whether the director would have time to helm another film -- let alone which film that would be.

But in a Newsweek article discussing a new exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, "Mary Todd Lincoln: First Lady of Controversy," they come right out and say that Liam Neeson and Sally Field will be playing Lincoln and Mary Todd respectively in the new Spielberg film. In her later years, Mary Todd was committed to an insane asylum, but only after three of her four kids had died and her husband was shot to death while she held his hand. But was she really insane? Spielberg will base his film on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. According to the Amazon description, "Team of Rivals doesn't just tell the story of Abraham Lincoln. It is a multiple biography of the entire team of personal and political competitors that he put together to lead the country through its greatest crisis. Here, Doris Kearns Goodwin profiles five of the key players in her book, four of whom contended for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination and all of whom later worked together in Lincoln's cabinet." Sally Field is currently starring on the TV show Brothers & Sisters (for which she just won an Emmy), and so for her to be able to take on the role, I assume she'll have to do so while the show is on hiatus. As of now, nothing is official.

After that big plot leak this morning from an extra, I didn't think I'd ever again see another spoiler about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. But then, thanks to Movieweb, I came across an interview with George Lucas, himself, at TV Guide.com. And guess what? The Indiana producer shares some new information about the seemingly secreted blockbuster. Mind you, he doesn't really technically share any plot points or spoilers, but he does confirm one major thing: Sean Connery will not be making a cameo. All our hopes that somehow Connery had taken the role without it getting out to the media are now over. Turns out that Connery would rather stay retired and "play golf." But that isn't all. It turns out Lucas actually replaced Connery with another actor.

Say what? Don't worry, Lucas assures us that not only was Connery substituted, but so was his character. So, the replacement isn't Henry Jones (aka Indy's dad), it is some other minor character who somehow fulfills the same narrative role. In the end, Lucas claims it was better this way, because fans would have seen Connery early on and then hoped he was going to appear throughout. The original script, though, had Henry Jones show up only for a short part. Could this substitute character be Jim Broadbent's academic colleague at Yale? Makes sense. Check out Lucas' exact reasoning for why the switch was better in TV Guide's interview.

In more tune with this morning's leak, MTV Movies Blog yesterday posted some words from Cate Blanchett regarding her character. Of course, the actress was more tight-lipped than Tyler Nelson, and only confirmed that regretfully she was not a romantic interest for Indy and nowhere in the script did it call for she and Harrison Ford to share a kiss. So, before today's spoilers, it was already speculated with strong evidence that Blanchett would be playing some sort of villain.