Indiana Jones director Steven Spielberg was ‘warned’ about including aliens | Films | Entertainment
Indiana Jones fans were ecstatic in 2008 when a fourth film in the series hit cinemas. After two decades away from the big screen, Harrison Ford made a triumphant comeback as the incredible treasure hunter – but things didn’t work out for the best.
In The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a number of changes were made. A new, younger character was introduced (Mutt, Indy’s son, played by Shia LaBeouf) and the crystal skull itself brought about the first sign of alien life in the series.
This crucial detail was objected to by one of the writers.
Since Crystal Skull’s release, the absurd ending of a flying saucer floating off into space has become a running joke for the series.
Writer David Koepp worked with director Steven Spielberg on Crystal Skull – after having previously worked with him on the likes of Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds.
In a new interview, Koepp revealed he tried to sway Spielberg away from introducing Indy to aliens.
He said: “I was never happy with the idea [of including aliens]. When I came on, I tried to convince [Spielberg and franchise co-creator George Lucas] to change it.”
Koepp told Script Apart he had “this other idea” for the fourth Indiana Jones movie.
“They didn’t want to change it,” he admitted.
Although he would not reveal what his idea was, he admitted that aliens and Indiana Jones were simply not a great match.
He added: “I’m not saying mine would’ve been better,” before musing that the general reception would have been better with a different story.
READ MORE: Star Wars: Harrison Ford hated Han Solo and ‘begged’ for him to die
This isn’t the only change in the Indiana Jones franchise.
The untitled Indiana Jones movie will be the first not to be directed by Spielberg.
Instead, the film is being directed by James Mangold, who has helmed such films as Wolverine, Logan and Ford v Ferrari.
And it hasn’t been a smooth ride for the film’s production, as Ford has been in and out of shooting.
Last year a source revealed Ford sustained an injury during filming.
They told the New York Post last year: “The film’s bosses have come together to work out the scheduling and it’s chaos. The earliest they think they can restart the production is September [2021].”
They added: “It was not what anyone was expecting so to have to change everything is a huge blow.”
The Indiana Jones films are available to rent on Amazon Prime Video now.
Indiana Jones 5 is due for release on June 30, 2023.
