Archived News Stories from 2005: December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005

Will Redtails Be Lucas' Next Film?
February 28th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

JoBlo.com posted a report on George Lucas at American Film Institute.  After Lucas was presented with his award, John Avnet moderated a special question and answer session where he was asked what his next project was.  Lucas responded, "...a film called Redtails, about black pilots during World War II."  Lucas has been working on this project for around 15 years and has mentioned it several time in past interviews.

Sounds like a wonderful film and it will be one to keep an eye on that's for sure.  I'm pretty sure this won't have any affect what-so-ever on Indiana Jones 4 so rest easy.  It will be interesting to see Lucas take on a different kind of genre for a change.

The award ceremony this year will be held on June 9th, when Lucas will receive his Lifetime Achievement Award.  Past recipients include Steven Spielberg, David Lean and John Ford.

Thanks to Bill for the link!

 

UPDATED: New Indy Games On the Horizon!
February 25th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

Grayson sent me another update on the story we posted last night:

In the March issue of Game Informer Magazine (issue #143), they featured an interview with Jim Ward, president of LucasArts and Lucasfilm advertising.  During the interview, Mr. Ward spoke about the Indiana Jones video game series basically stating that there will be more Indiana Jones games in the future!  Here's an excerpt of the interview: 

Game Informer: How involved is George Lucas with the game side of your business?

Jim Ward: "...I can tell you that, as we're coming up to the end of STAR WARS movie making activity, he has become more and more involved in the game business..."

Game Informer: What were the changes he [George Lucas] pushed for? Was it a reorganization or just a change of priorities?

Jim Ward: "...We clearly had gotten to a point at LucasArts where, very honestly, the quality of our product was not at the level it should have been. We were managing too many STAR WARS games. Too many mediocre STAR WARS games. We weren't having as much luck with the new IP (Intellectual Properties) and we certainly weren't doing anything new with the Indiana Jones IP..."

Game Informer: LucasArts used to be known for making really unique original properties like "Day of the Tentacle," then feel back primarily on STAR WARS products exclusively. Are original games going to be a bigger focus for the company?

Jim Ward: "We have three main goals. One is to re-stimulate the STAR WARS IP with high quality games. Secondly we're going to reinvigorate the Indiana Jones IP, which basically has been stagnant for years. There's no reason that Indiana Jones can't be a James Bond and have a year-in, year-out great representation of that brand, and take the advantage of the fact that in the next couple of years, there will be a new Indiana Jones movie..."

Wow, very good news!  LucasArts is finally getting on board and taking advantage of the popularity of the Indiana Jones series.  Looks like Indy will live on, not just on screen, but in the 3D gaming world as well!  And it's interesting how Ward noted Indy 4 as well.  Could he be hinting at the fact that the next Indy game will be based on the fourth installment?  We'll just have to wait and see...

You can check out the full interview with Jim Ward in the March issue of Game Informer Magazine.  Stay tuned to TIE.c for the latest!

Another big thanks to Grayson for the information and quotes!

 

David Koepp the Cause for the Indy 4 Delays?
February 24th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

MTV.com posted some quotes from Steven Spielberg where he stated that if it weren't for David Koepp, War of the Worlds may never have happened.  This may lead some to think that if it weren't for Koepp, Indiana Jones 4 might have gone into production over a year ago.  Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Ever since "Last Crusade" thrilled us in 1989, we've been wondering which bad guy would try to take down Indiana Jones next. Now, we may finally have the name of our villain: veteran screenwriter David Koepp. "This wouldn't have happened so fast if it had not been for David Koepp," said Steven Spielberg about "War of the Worlds," the Koepp-penned script whose production took Spielberg's attention away from a fourth Indiana Jones adventure. "We go through the whole development process all the time, making movies, and sometimes you're really intent to make a picture, like I was with Indy 4. [But] my producer didn't like the script as much as I did. My intention was to make Indy 4 a year and a half ago, but it didn't work out. Now I'm hoping to make it a year and a half from now.""

It's a little early to go putting all (even just some) of the blame on one person.  David Koepp is certainly not the only reason Indy 4 was delayed (most people would say George Lucas is to blame, but I won't get into that).  The reason it has taken so long to get Indy 4 going was lack of a good script that The Big Three could agree on, but hopefully that will be put to an end by Jeff Nathanson if all goes to plan.

So according to Mr. Spielberg, it's just a matter of 18 months until Indy 4 kicks into production.  Let's just pray that nothing delays the project any further.  Stay tuned to TIE.c for the latest on Indiana Jones IV!

Thanks to Eddie for the link.

 

New Indiana Jones Fan Film Trailers!
February 21th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

Just got done updating the Indiana Jones Fan Film section with three new trailers for Tony Garmon's Indiana Jones and the Staff of Ra!  The story, set in 1926, follows Indiana Jones and Abner Ravenwood on their quest for the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra:

	Watch Film:	Run Time:
	Marion Trailer	38 sec (4.16 MB)
	Staff of Ra Trailer	36 sec (4.22MB)
	Staff of Ra Teaser	34 sec (4.85MB)

Go here to learn more about the fan film and be sure to check out the films' official site: www.design-projects.net.  For this and more Indy fan films, check out TIE.c's Indiana Jones Fan Film section.

 

Spielberg Spokesman Comments on Indy
February 17th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

Fox411 on FOXNews.com posted an article about Steven Spielberg and his next project, Vengeance.  During the interview, columnist Roger Friedman asked Spielberg spokesman, Marvin Levy, about Indiana Jones 4 and here's what he had to say:

And what about "Indiana Jones 4?"

"I just hope it gets made before Harrison Ford is on a walker,"

My thoughts exactly.  Not exactly encouraging words but at least he isn't condemning the project and saying it will never happen.  Visit FOXNews.com for the full interview and stay tuned to The Indy Experience.com for the latest on Indy IV!

Thanks to Eddie and IGN FilmForce for the news!

 

New Indiana Jones Fan Art!
February 17th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

We've updated the Indiana Jones Fan Art section with two new pieces.  A cliffhanger sketch by Chris West and a breathtaking digital jungle scene by Mark Jernstorm.

	by Chris West	by Mark Jernstorm

Be sure to check out these and more pieces in TIE.c's Indy Fan Art Gallery. 

If you'd like to submit your own Indiana Jones fan art, send me an email at: aaron@theindyexperience.com.

 

Indy 4 Coverage Listed in Hyperspace Survey
February 16th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

Star Wars.com has a new survey online about their website and Hyperspace seeking feedback from fans.  A couple of their survey questions have a very intriguing option listed.  They've included "Indiana Jones IV insider information" as a choice in two of their questions about new features for Hyperspace:

16. Please rate your interest in the following potential new subscription feature additions to Hyperspace.

17. Would any of the following potential new subscription features / services convince you to sign up?

Quite interesting that they should choose Indy 4 coverage as a choice.  Of course it would seem to be a logical option, there's no doubt that they have received quite a few request from fans wanting to hear more official information about the fourth Indiana Jones installment.

So if you choose to take the survey, send Lucasfilm a hint and tell them you want more Indiana Jones IV coverage!

Thanks to Eddie for the pointing this out.

 

Jay Leno Reveals Title for Indy 4...
February 16th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

Jay Leno, host of NBC's The Tonight Show revealed the title for Indiana Jones 4 in his monologue tonight.  Indiana Jones and the Soft Boiled Egg!  Wow, do the old age jokes ever get old?  Apparently not, but hey, at least Jay is keeping Indy in the news.

Thanks to Eddie for the news!

 

Vengeance Next on Spielberg's List?
February 16th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

Dark Horizons reported that Universal is supposedly planning a December 23rd release date for Steven Spielberg's Vengeance, a film about the 1972 Munich Olympics.  Filming was to begin last year, but Spielberg decided to have Tony Kushner (Angels in America) rewrite the script.  Now Spielberg is planning to begin filming Vengeance this summer.

So what affect will this have on Indiana Jones 4?  Based on what Spielberg has just recently said it may not affected it at all.  As you have probably heard, Spielberg stated in a recent on-set interview of War of the Worlds that he hopes to begin production on Indy 4 within a year to a year and a half.  This would give him plenty of time to film Vengeance and still do Indy IV in mid 2006.

There is, however, no clear answer as to whether or not Spielberg will do Indy 4 right after the Munich Olympics project.  Hopefully the script will be ready to go next month according to Kathleen Kennedy's recent comments.  Once the script is ready, it's just a matter of waiting for right time, and as of now that right time seems to be some point in the summer of 2006 but as always, only time will tell.

We'll keep you updated, stay tuned!

Thanks to Eddie and Dark Horizons for the news!

 

Connery Wishes to Return for Indy 4!
February 11th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

It looks as though Sean Connery may return for a fourth Indiana Jones film after all.  Contact Music.com posted an article about Sean Connery where they featured a few quotes from Sean Connery's publicist, Nancy Seltzer where she revealed that Connery is still very much interested in reviving his role as Professor Jones:

"When I asked him if he'd play Indiana Jones' father again in another sequel, he said, 'Of course I would. Don't be ridiculous.'"

Seems like the very logical response!  Let's just hope that Lucas and Spielberg have left room in the Indy 4 script for Connery's return.

Thanks to Eddie for the tip!

 

Indy 4 to Begin Production in a Year and a Half?
February 11th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

In another on-set interview Dark Horizons, talked with Steven Spielberg about his latest film, War of the Worlds and also spoke about Indiana Jones 4.  Turns out, Spielberg is hoping to start production on the fourth Indy film in a year and a half from now.  Here's the full quote from Spielberg:

"You know, we go through the whole development process all the time in making movies, and sometimes you really are intent on making a picture, you know, like I was with Indy 4, in which case my producer didn't like the script as much as I did, but in the sense of, you know, my intention was to make Indy 4 ago and it didn't work out. I'm hoping to make it a year and a half from now, maybe less. But the idea is, you gotta have the screenplay, and David Koepp, had he not delivered on paper, we would still be in development on War of the Worlds."

Very exciting to hear!  Looks as though production may be heating up in Summer of 2006, maybe even sooner if Spielberg sticks to what he said.  All we can do his wait and hope for the best.  Stay tuned!

Thanks to Eddie and Dark Horizons for the news!

 

Kathleen Kennedy Talks Indiana Jones 4
February 11th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

Dark Horizons visited the set of War of the Worlds and got a chance to talk with producer Kathleen about Spielberg's latest project and the status on Indiana Jones 4.  Here's what Kennedy had to say:

Question: How about Indiana Jones 4?
Kennedy: We’re going to see a script in about a month.

Question: Who’s the screenwriter?
Kennedy: Jeff Nathanson

Question: Will Sean Connery be back?
Kennedy: Until I read the script I won’t really know."

Could this mean that the Indiana Jones 4 script could be finished very soon, or possibly a draft of it?  While that's not directly said by Kennedy, it's hard to say.  But this does give great hope and should reassure us all that things are beginning to take shape.  Stay tuned for the latest!

Thanks to Kenny and Dark Horizons for the news!

 

Raiders: The Adaptation Screening at the Mag Film Festival
February 7th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

The fan film that rocked the world will be coming to Mississippi this month!  The Magnolia Independent Film Festival is scheduled to screen Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation at 9:30 after their awards ceremony on February 19th.  Chris Strompolos will also be in attendance for the screening.  The festival will be held at the Hollywood Premier Cinema in Starkville, Mississippi February 17th - 19th.  For more info on the festival and the Raiders: Adaptation screening, visit Mag Film Fest.com to learn more.

Visit TIE.c's Raiders: Adaptation page for more info on the Adaptation!

 

Official Site: Video Clip of Indy in Mercenaries!
February 5th, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

Indiana Jones.com has posted a special article about Indiana Jones' special appearance in the new LucasArts game, Mercenaries as well as a very cool video clip of Indy in action!

"The Mercenaries team are all huge fans of Indy and wanted to pay tribute to his adventurous legacy by adding an Indy character skin," Shara Miller, LucasArts Producer for Mercenaries says. "Between the exotic locale, factions with dubious characters all competing for control, and the completely destructible environment, it's a world that we could very much imagine Indy feeling 'at home' in."

Now who wouldn't want to see Indy running around with a rocket launcher, dodging enemy fire and blowing up tanks?  To unlock the Indy skin, PS2 gamers to have to collect all 20 National Treasures, and XBox gamers have to collect all 100 Blueprints.  

Visit Indiana Jones.com to read the full article and to watch the video clip (Quicktime required.)  For more information on Mercenaries, check out the official site.

 

Vic Armstrong Working with Spielberg on War
February 2nd, 2005 | Posted by Aaron

IMDB.com has posted some new information on Steven Spielberg's next film, War of the Worlds.  It looks like Vic Armstrong has been on board as a second-unit director.  Vic Armstrong's work is certainly well known in the Indy community serving, of course, as one of Harrison Ford's notable stunt doubles for the Indiana Jones films and stunt coordinator for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Thanks to Dan and Spielbergfilms.com for the news.