It’s been nearly ten years since Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and it looks we’ll still have some time to wait until the yet unnamed Indiana Jones sequel hits theaters.
This film is being made, for better or for worse, but the one big difference with this installment is that George Lucas is not involved as a writer. In a recent interview with Collider, the film’s screenwriter David Koepp explained that he has had no contact with Lucas in a writing capacity. Lucas will serve as an executive producer on the film, but that appears to be where his involvement will end.
This is an interesting turn of events. Lucas has been involved with the Indiana Jones franchise since the very beginning. His name is almost as synonymous with the series as Steven Spielberg’s is. I see this as being a mixed blessing. While he is a cherished member of the Indiana Jones writing team, I think we all know that his heavy involvement in the Star Wars prequels (as well as Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) played a large part in the downfall of said films. I’m personally looking forward to seeing what David Koepp can accomplish on his own.
While Koepp couldn’t give away any details about the upcoming film, he did (jokingly) have this say:
“I’m deeply immersed as we speak. All I can say is that there are lots of aliens and Indy dies at the end (laughs). Lots of hiding in lead-lined refrigerators, aliens, and he dies. Should go over very well.”
Koepp hopes that filming will begin sometimes in 2017, but Steven Spielberg is busy with a couple of other projects that he’s currently working on. However, it appears Disney is hopeful, as they’ve slated release date of July 19, 2019.
What do you think of Lucas’ absence from the writing team? Are you excited for the next Indiana Jones installment? Let us know in the comments!
