The Indy Experience.com - The Ultimate Guide to Indiana Jones!

Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss: Chapter 15
March 31st, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss, we present the next chapter in the thrilling adventure serial by Monkey: British Museum (Part 1)!

1937 - Everyone's favorite archaeology professor embarks on a brand new adventure that spans four continents. From the depths of booby trap ridden Inca tombs to the magnificent temples of Upper Egypt and the valley of the Nile; Indiana Jones is pitted against foes and adversaries both modern and ancient. This ain't your little brother's Indiana Jones.......

Tune in Sunday or the next chapter in continuing adventures of, Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss! Many thanks to Monkey for his wonderful work with this excellent serial adventure!

Raiders Stunt Arranger Passes Away
March 31st, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

I just learned that Raiders of the Lost Ark stunt arranger, Peter Diamond, passed away not long ago. Peter Diamond was involved in a lot of the stunt work for Raiders, and he did various uncredited work as well. He stood in for Ronald Lacey (Toht) for two scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Raven bar fight, and the truck chase.

Very sad news indeed. No details as of now about his death. Thanks to 'agent5' from COW for the news.

Raiders: The Adaptation on CNN Headline News!
March 31st, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

Chris Strompolos informed me that this Friday, April 2nd at 10:15pm EST, CNN Headline News will air a special on the Raiders shot-for-shot remake, Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation! The special will feature Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb along with clips from The Adaptation. You won't want to miss this, especially if you haven't seen the remake for yourself yet.

Tune into CNN this Friday evening (April 2nd) at 10:15pm EST for clips from Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation and an interview with Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb!

Stuart Beattie NOT Rewriting Indy IV
March 30th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

As you have read all over the net and on TIE.c, Pirates of the Caribbean writer, Stuart Beattie was rumored to have been hired to rewrite the Indiana Jones IV script. Well, it seems this rumor has officially been debunked. I just received an email from Lucasfilm and they have confirmed that the rumor is indeed FALSE.

An official Lucasfilm spokesman assured me that work is still continuing on the Indy IV script as it was before. In a way this is a bit of a let down, but Indy IV hasn't been tossed out yet. Officially they're still making the film, it just might take a bit longer. It's safe to assume that Lucas will be doing the rewrites on Darabont's script, but that is NOT official. This would put the release of Indiana Jones IV in 2006, as it was rumored before.

Update: After looking into this situation, it's odd that Stuart Beattie would go around spreading rumors about rewriting the Indiana Jones 4 script. As reported by Moviehole.net, Stuart Beattie gave an interview to IF Magazine where he stated himself that he was doing a rewrite for Indy IV. Could it be that Beattie assisted Darabont when he was originally writing the draft for the script. This could be possible, since Darabont and Beattie both worked on the latest Tom Cruise film, Collateral. In any case, the facts remain: Stuart Beattie is not writing or rewriting the Indy IV script.

Thanks to Clint Morris from Moviehole.net for his insight. Stay tuned...

More on Frank Darabont's Indy IV Script
March 29th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In a follow-up to the recent news about Stuart Beattie being hired to rewrite Darabon'ts Indiana Jones IV script, CHUD.com posted a quick comment on the current situation stating that Ford and Spielberg both liked Frank Darabont's draft, because his was more of a character-driven story, but Lucas wanted a faster-paced storyline:

Beattie wrote the story for Pirates of the Caribbean, and that is apparently what motivated the hire. He has also written the script for Tom Cruise’s upcoming Collateral. It’s not certain how much of a rewrite has been commissioned – word on the street has it that Darabont’s script was more character based, which tickled the fancies of Spielberg and Ford, but Lucas was looking for something more roller-coastery, since he holds audiences in about the same esteem most of us hold folks who work at Motor Vehicles.

Let's just hope they don't sacrifice character and story substance for action, a good mix is good, but when the scale becomes unbalanced, that can spell trouble. But without official confirmation from The Big Three or Lucasfilm, all of this will remain a rumor for the time being.

Thanks to TheShape1978 for the tip!

Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss: Chapter 14
March 29th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss, we present the next chapter in the thrilling adventure serial by Monkey: On the Wings of Pegasus!

Tune in Wednesday for the next chapter in continuing adventures of, Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss! Many thanks to Monkey for his wonderful work with this excellent serial adventure!

Stuart Beattie to Rewrite Indiana Jones IV!
March 28th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

Excellent news this morning, as reports come in that Stuart Beattie, screenplay writer for Pirates of the Caribbean has been hired to rewrite the Indiana Jones IV script! From Moviehole.net:

Australian screenwriter Stuart Beattie has been hired to rework the fourth "Indiana Jones" movie.

According to loyal scooper 'Accountant', The "Pirates of the Caribbean" writer
he penned the screen story was hired by Lucasfilm pretty much based on the success of that film. He's currently at work on a re-write of the newest script, with suggestions the film still might be ready for a release sometime in 2005.

Earlier this year, Frank Darabont was let go from the production after turning in a sequel script that didn't meet up "to either of the uber-beard's standards".

"With Beattie now attached to re-write and everything looking a lot better everyone's trying to clear their dates again Ford, Lucas, Spielberg, Connery. Karen Allen and Kate Capshaw are part of the storyline too. Lots of reshuffling going on".

Beattie is currently also working on Mikael Håfström's "Derailed".

Update: A reader named 'Graeme' contacted us to say that Beattie did an interview with the filmmakers magazine 'IF' and confirmed that he is indeed doing a re-write on the film. Whether he did that when Darabont was attached, or is working on it now
wasn't specified.

Do you believe in miracles? This is wonderful, exactly what we have been waiting for, I just hope Beattie can live up to the expectations that we had with Darabont, and I have a good feeling he will. For the moment though, without official confirmation from Lucasfilm, we'll have to look into this and see what we can find, so this isn't set in stone and things March change. Stay tuned!

Thanks to Moviehole.net and TheShape1978 for the news!

Star Wars Insider: Indiana Jones IV Update!
March 27th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

This month's issue of the Star Wars Insider, they feature a quick article about Indiana Jones IV's production status on when filming March begin, and the recent script delays the film has been faced with:

NOT QUITE THERE!

Indy IV Delayed

According to Variety, fans of the Indiana Jones movies will have to wait
even longer to see Indy return to the big screen.

The much anticipated fourth movie- in which Harrison Ford will again star-had been scheduled to go into production this year, for a 2005 release.

But Variety's sources say George Lucas, exec. producer on the project,
wasn't happy with the latest draft of the script. Lucas, Ford, and Indy
director Steven Spielberg have agreed to make the sequel only when all three of them love the concept and the script, so a new script draft will be commissioned.

Because of the delay, and because all three key players are in high demand in Hollywood, it seems unlikely that production on Indiana Jones IV will start before 2005. The sequel has been talked about for nearly a decade.

The news is a bit old, but still, it's good to see Indy IV being talked about among the more mainstream media. All they are trying to do is make the best film they can, and delays are to be expected. None-the-less, production should start to heat up some time in 2005, with a 2006 release.

Thanks to 'IndyBlues' for the news!

People Magazine Mentions Indiana Jones IV
March 26th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

A fan informed me of a quick blurb about Indy IV on People Magazine's website. Ford made their list of sexiest men, and along with his photograph, they featured a quick reference to Indiana Jones IV:

With his rugged good looks, the former carpenter and father of four, 61, still plays the hero with finesse: Ford (who lives with girlfriend Calista Flockhart) will swashbuckle his way through the latest Indiana Jones movie, due in 2006

We're already seeing the new release date for Indy IV in the main stream media. While the new release date March seem a bit inconvenient, when you look at the alternative, it might just play to the film's atvantage. If it were released in 2005, Indy IV would have to compete with Star Wars: Episode III, so a 2006 release date will allow Indy IV to take the top spot at the box office. You can read this and more at People.com.

Thanks to Jeff for the tip!

Indiana Jones IV: A Lost Cause?
March 25th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

You might have read the other day that Ain't It Cool News posted a rumor that Indiana Jones IV scribe, Frank Darabont had been signed to write the script for Mission: Impossible 3. Turns out none other than Frank Darabont has been coerced into scripting M:I3, with Tom Cruise (of course) starring.

So, what does this mean for Indy IV? Let's recap what's happened in the last two months: the Indy IV script was completed by Darabont and handed in for the Big Three to review. All seemed well and everything was looking up. Then, all of a sudden, Lucas says he doesn't like the script and says he's going have someone rewrite the script. Latest rumors are pointing to Lucas himself doing the rewrite or possibly starting from scratch with a whole new script. It seems that Darabont is out of the loop, and has moved on. So what's the deal with Indy IV? Sadly, nobody seems to know.

With Lucas wrapping up Episode III, it shouldn't be long before we hear more talk about a fourth Indiana Jones film. But we're still left wondering, what's the answer to this Indy IV enigma? Two words, Lawrence Kasdan. The man wrote the script for Raiders of the Lost Ark and if I had to pick someone to write Indy IV, he's the one, but that's up to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. When you come down to it, Indy IV has had quite a few ups and downs over the years, but nobody has said, "It's never going to happen" so there is a chance, and as I see it, a good chance. What can we expect in the months to come? Well, a lot of the same probably. I have a good feeling Lucas will want to keep Episode III and Indy IV as far apart as he can, no need to have any unnecessary competitions for the box office. 2006 looks to be your best bet for Indy IV, and only a year later than we had first been told. Fear not, Indiana Jones 4 will be made, it's only a matter of time.

In the mean time, if you have any questions or scoops concerning Indy IV, send me an email at: aaron@theindyexperience.com.

Official Site: Indiana Jones Photo Chronicles!
March 25th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

Indiana Jones.com has released a new feature today, a very special one, the Photo Chronicles featuring photographs from the Indiana Jones trilogy with quotes and facts from the creators giving you a behind the scenes perspective to some of your favorite scenes:

The Museum is pleased to open a new exhibit here at indianajones.com: the Photo Chronicles. Through pictures and words, you'll explore the behind-the-scenes adventures of making Indiana Jones come to life. See intriguing images both rare and familiar, and read anecdotes direct from the talented people who helped craft the Indy legend. This exhibit will update regularly.

Indiana Jones.com's Photo Chronicles

A very cleaver and interesting feature, certainly worth taking a tour. To find out more, head on over to Indiana Jones.com to visit The Museum.

Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss: Chapter 13
March 24th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss, we present the next chapter in the thrilling adventure serial by Monkey: Christmas Party!

Tune in Sunday for the next chapter in continuing adventures of, Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss! Many thanks to Monkey for his wonderful work with this excellent serial adventure!

Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss: Chapter 12
March 22nd, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss, we present the next chapter in the thrilling adventure serial by Monkey: Tough Choice!

Tune in Wednesday for the next chapter in continuing adventures of, Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss! Many thanks to Monkey for his wonderful work with this excellent serial adventure!

Fate of Atlantis II Engine Test Available!
March 20th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

Just got an email from Michael Zöller from AmberFishArts about their newly released test of their gaming engine dubbed "IP-SCUMM 2.0". In other words, this is the first ever playable test/demo of the fan game sequel to Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis!

These engines are being released in the run-up to a fully operational, playable demo of FoA II which will be available in the future. For now, the design team is asking for everyone to please try out the demo and report any bugs that you March experience. You can report bugs on the designated thread on their forum. It's amazing what they have been able to do so far, the demo is definitely worth a try! To learn more about the Fate of Atlantis II project, please visit AmberFishArts for more information!

Thanks to Michael Zöller for informing us!

New Indiana Jones Models!
March 20th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

Canyon has unearthed two new Indiana Jones models, both from SPACEart.de featuring classic Raiders poses:

Lair of Snakes
1/6th scale resin model of Indiana Jones in classic Raiders of the Lost Ark gear on a stone pedestal surrounded by snakes. €159 ($195.27) at SPACEart.de.

A second 1/6th scale vinyl model of Indiana Jones in the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark poster pose featuring whip and breakaway wall and pedestal with snake. €159 ($195.27) at SPACEart.de. €179 ($219.83) at SPACEart.de.

Both look like great models, wonderful detail. Can't say it's the greatest likeness of Harrison Ford I've ever seen, but none-the-less the attention to his gear is very good. No word on how much assembly is required or if any painting is required.

Thanks to Canyon for the link!

New Indiana Jones Fan Film Trailer!
March 18th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

I received a trailer for another Indiana Jones fan film this afternoon, Indiana Jones and the Relic of Power! This fan film was created by Jakob Wadelius and his little brother (as Young Indiana Jones). You can download the trailer here:

Indiana Jones and the Relic of Power
Trailer (Windows Media Video, 3.24MB)

We hope to have the full film soon, so keep checking back! Thanks to Jakob Wadelius and his brother for sharing their work with us!

Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss: Chapter 11
March 17th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss, we present the next chapter in the thrilling adventure serial by Monkey: River Run!

Tune in Sunday for the next chapter in continuing adventures of, Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss! Many thanks to Monkey for his wonderful work with this excellent serial adventure!

Indiana Jones at #7 on Movie Character List!
March 16th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In Premiere Magazine's Greatest Movie Characters of All Time, Indiana Jones came in at #7 overall, with Vito Corleone from The Godfather at #1:

Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando, "The Godfather")
Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre")
Scarlett O'Hara (Vivian Leigh, "Gone With the Wind")
Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins, "Psycho")
James Bond (specifically as played by Sean Connery)
Annie Hall (Diane Keaton, "Annie Hall")
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford, "Indiana Jones" films)
Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver, "Alien" films)
Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High")
Gollum (Andy Serkis, "Lord of the Rings" trilogy)

Not bad at all considering the magnitude of Hollywood Legends Indy was up against. Thanks to TheForce.net for the news!

New Indiana Jones Fan Film Online!
March 16th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

I received an email from an Indy fan, Jim Strater, who has set out to creat a short Indiana Jones fan film with his 8-year-old son! The film, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Cave, is the story from 8-year-old Thomas Strater who, with his dad at the camera. Here's where you can download part one of the fan film and a trailer (Right click and Save):

Indiana Jones and the Crystal Cave
Trailer
Indiana Jones and the Crystal Cave
Part I

Thanks to Jim and Thomas Strater for sharing their creation with us, and we wish them the best of luck with their new project!

Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss: Chapter 10
March 14th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss, we present the next chapter in the thrilling adventure serial by Monkey: Rough Ride!

Tune in Wednesday for the next chapter in continuing adventures of, Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss! Many thanks to Monkey for his wonderful work with this excellent serial adventure!

Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss: Chapter 9
March 10th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss, we present the next chapter in the thrilling adventure serial: Train to Callao!

Tune in Sunday for the next chapter in continuing adventures of, Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss! Many thanks to Monkey for his wonderful work with this excellent serial adventure!

John Rhys-Davies Talks Indy IV!
March 8th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

On LA's, 97.1 Film Freak, Leo Quinones features an interview with John Rhys-Davies and his work on Raiders of the Lost Ark & Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and he even talked about Indy IV:

In the interview, Leo the Film Freak asked Mr. Davies about the locations in filming Raiders, and for a bit of humor, he asked if Davies had taken anything from the set and it turns out that he has some of Sallah's neck ties. Then a fan called in asking if John Rhys-Davies was going to be in Indiana Jones IV and to summarize, he said that he hasn't heard anything from Spielberg or Lucas. He believes Indy IV must be better than the other three films for it to work. He reiterated that neither Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford are in it for the money they're in it for the film itself, therefore their standers are very very high. He then restated what he has said on a number of occasions: scripts have come and gone, but until that perfect script is written, it will not get made, but that was not without a sense of hope: "I tell you this, when the next REAL film comes out, it will be incredible." He went on from there to talk about directing, and working with Steven Spielberg and Karen Allen.

So fear not my fellow fans, there is still hope, and the only reason we haven't seen Indy IV yet, is because they [Spielberg, Ford and Lucas] want to make it perfect, and until it is perfect, we're just going to have to wait. But just think
when it is made it will be magnificent!

An excellent interview you'll want to listen to. Head on over to the Film Freak Vault to download the video interview. Stay tuned!

Thanks to Dark Horizons for the news!

Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss: Chapter 8
March 7th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss, we present the next chapter in the thrilling adventure serial: Eyes of a Child!

Tune in Wednesday for the next chapter in continuing adventures of, Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss! Many thanks to Monkey for his wonderful work with this excellent serial adventure!

Spielberg Assures Fans: Indy IV Will Happen!
March 4th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

About.com's Fred Topel spoke with Steven Spielberg after the Schindler’s List DVD event and asked him about the problems with the Indiana Jones IV script. Here's what Mr. Spielberg had to say:

After the Schindler’s List DVD event, I approached Steven Spielberg to ask about the status of Indiana Jones IV. After news that George Lucas rejected Frank Darabont’s script, the project’s status is in flux. But like a parent reassuring a scared child, Spielberg remained optimistic. “Of course it will still happen,” Spielberg said. He would not, however, discuss the problems with Darabont’s script. “I won’t go into it with you now, but it will definitely still happen.”

A sigh of relief for most fans. Spielberg seems very optimistic that the fourth Indiana Jones film will happen. Of course, only time will tell, but this is the best news we've heard in a while. Head on over to About.com to read the full story. Stay tuned, we'll keep you up to date!

Thanks to Coming Soon! for the news!

Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss: Chapter 7
March 3th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

In the continuing adventures of Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss, we present the next chapter in the thrilling adventure serial: Payahautac's Revenge!

Tune in Sunday for the next chapter in continuing adventures of, Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss! Many thanks to Monkey for his wonderful work with this excellent serial adventure!

Official Site: Adventure Kermit Coming Soon!
March 3th, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

As you might have read in the past, the Adventure Kermit action figure from Palisades Toys has been a highly sought after, but very rare toy. Now it seems the figure will be available to everyone! Indiana Jones.com has posted an article about the Indiana Jones inspired figure and has announced that it will be available on Lucasfilm's official store and StarWarsShop.com:

If adventure had a frog...

With a leather jacket, fedora, pistol, satchel, bullwhip and golden Gonzo idol, Kermit is ready to explore the dark and trap-filled treasure troves that Indy often frequents. "Overall, our Muppet action figures have been hugely successful," says Michael Horn, President & CEO of Palisades Toys, "But I have to say that this is probably the coolest figures that we've made yet. It wouldn't surprise me if this became the holy grail of the Muppet line."

In addition to being available at StarWarsShop.com, the official Lucasfilm online store, the figure will tour with Palisades representatives during the 2004 convention season. Adventure Kermit will also be available to members of the Palisades Collectors Club.

Excellent news! This is will sure please a lot of fans, and will make for a great Indiana Jones collectable. The official Star Wars shop opens March 10th, so keep an eye on it to order your very own Adventure Kermit! To read the full article, head on over to Indiana Jones.com.

Raiders: Adaptation on The Today Show
March 2nd, 2004 | Posted by Aaron

We received several reports this morning from fans telling us that they had spotted a segment on the Raiders Remake featuring the creators, Chris Strompolos , Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb. It seems they showed several clips from the film but no other information is available at this time. We'll try and get more information, in the mean time, a big congratulations to Chris, Eric and Jayson for their amazing work!

If you have any information and you would like to share it with us, please email me: aaron@theindyexperience.com.