Indiana Jones
In May 1977, George Lucas sat on a beach in Maui to escape the global phenomenon of Star Wars. He met his friend Steven Spielberg there while Spielberg was vacationing from work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Lucas pitched an idea he called better than James Bond to his colleague. The concept involved a professor of archaeology searching for religious artifacts rather than using high-tech spy gadgets. Spielberg loved the pitch and immediately agreed to collaborate on the project. They changed the character's surname from Smith to Jones during their initial discussions. This partnership led to a deal with Paramount Pictures for five films. The first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, began production shortly after this meeting. The team aimed to create a modern version of the movie serials from the 1930s and 1940s. Philip Kaufman worked with Lucas for several weeks before Clint Eastwood hired him away. Kaufman had decided upon the Ark of the Covenant as the central MacGuffin for the story.
Indiana Jones stands atop a temple ledge in Egypt during the year 1936. He searches for the gold-plated chest containing the stone tablets Moses used to inscribe the Ten Commandments. Nazi teams have stolen the artifact and plan to use it to make their army invincible. Indiana teams up with Marion Ravenwood and Sallah to recover the Ark before the Nazis do. A ceremony opens the Ark inside a cave, releasing spirits that kill all the Nazis present. Indiana survives by closing his eyes while the others perish. The story moves to India in 1935 where he escapes Chinese gangsters led by Lao Che. He crashes into a Punjabi village where children have been kidnapped by the Thuggee cult. Mola Ram holds holy Sankara Stones that will allow the cult to take over the world. Indiana rescues the children and returns the stones to their rightful place. He overcomes his own mercenary nature during this dark adventure. The film features gross-out elements including human sacrifice and torture scenes.
Sean Patrick Flanery portrays Indiana aged sixteen to twenty-one years old in the television series. Corey Carrier plays an eight-to-ten-year-old version of the character in several episodes. George Hall narrates the show as the ninety-three-year-old Jones who bookends each episode. Lucas developed the series in 1990 as edutainment that would be more cerebral than the films. The show was filmed in over twenty-five countries for more than one hundred fifty weeks. Season one ran from March 1991 to March 1992 before ABC put it on hiatus after six episodes. The network eventually sold the show to the Family Channel which changed the format to ninety-minute TV movies. Filming for the final four episodes took place from January 1994 to May 1996. Jones crosses paths with many historical figures played by stars such as Daniel Craig and Christopher Lee. Harrison Ford appears as a fifty-year-old Indiana in one episode taking the usual place of Hall. The show won ten Emmy Awards out of twenty-three nominations despite mixed reception from fans.
Raiders of the Lost Ark released its first video game on the Atari 2600 in 1982. Marvel Comics began publishing The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones in 1983 running for thirty-four issues. Dark Horse Comics gained the comic book rights to the character in 1991. They adapted the Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis video game into a limited series. Bantam Books published twelve novels set before the films starting in February 1991. Rob MacGregor wrote six books featuring real-life explorer Percy Fawcett and the death of Indiana's wife Deirdre Campbell. The Genesis Deluge novel became the bestselling entry due to its strong following among religious-oriented people. German author Wolfgang Hohlbein wrote eight novels in the early 1990s that were never translated to English. Lucasfilm Games announced an action-adventure title called Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in January 2021. It was released on Windows and Xbox Series X/S on the 9th of December 2024.
Lucas made the second film a prequel because he did not want the Nazis to be the villains again. He hired Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz to write the script knowing their interest in Indian culture. Major scenes dropped from Raiders of the Lost Ark appeared in this film including a mine cart chase. Spielberg revisited the Monkey King concept before Lucas suggested the Holy Grail for the third film. Development on the fourth film began in 2008 but stalled for years after M. Night Shyamalan left the project. Frank Darabont wrote a script titled Indiana Jones and the City of Gods set in the 1950s with ex-Nazis pursuing Jones. Lucas had issues with it and decided to take over writing himself. David Koepp continued from there giving his script the subtitle Destroyer of Worlds based on a J. Robert Oppenheimer quote. Filming eventually began in the United Kingdom in June 2021 and wrapped in February 2022. The fifth film became Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny directed by James Mangold.
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Common questions
When did George Lucas and Steven Spielberg first meet to discuss the Indiana Jones franchise?
George Lucas met Steven Spielberg on a beach in Maui during May 1977. They discussed the concept while Spielberg was vacationing from work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
What year does the story of Raiders of the Lost Ark take place?
Indiana Jones stands atop a temple ledge in Egypt during the year 1936. He searches for the gold-plated chest containing the stone tablets Moses used to inscribe the Ten Commandments.
Who portrays the young versions of Indiana Jones in the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles?
Sean Patrick Flanery portrays Indiana aged sixteen to twenty-one years old in the television series. Corey Carrier plays an eight-to-ten-year-old version of the character in several episodes.
When was the video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle released?
Lucasfilm Games announced an action-adventure title called Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in January 2021. It was released on Windows and Xbox Series X/S on the 9th of December 2024.
Where did filming for the fifth film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny begin?
Filming eventually began in the United Kingdom in June 2021 and wrapped in February 2022. The fifth film became Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny directed by James Mangold.