New 'INDY 4' Pics & Interviews!
February's Vanity Fair has exclusive shots from the set of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, taken by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz, plus in-depth interviews with the creators.
Photographer Annie Leibovitz got exclusive access to the set of the new movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and had the privilege of publishing, in February's Vanity Fair, the first pics of Oscar Winner Cate Blanchett as the Soviet villain, Agent Spalko. Meanwhile, series creators George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and their star, Harrison Ford, talked to VF's JIM WINDOLF for the cover story.
Between them, Lucas and Spielberg have made 13 of the 100 highest-grossing movies of all time, with the Indiana Jones trilogy alone raking in over $1.18 billion worldwide. But it took the men behind Star Wars and E.T. more than a decade to agree on the story for the fourth cinematic adventure of the intrepid archaeologist.
After finishing the third film, 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lucas announced that he was done with Indy, because he could think of no more good MacGuffins (the object or goal that kicks the story into action). Then, while in Wyoming, filming Ford's guest appearance in a 1993 episode of the multiple Emmy-winning TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Lucas stumbled upon the MacGuffin for the fourth movie. Neither Ford nor Spielberg was crazy about the new concept, but Lucas stuck to his guns ("He’s a stubborn sucker," Ford said) and hired a series of writers to work his MacGuffin into the script.
A draft by Frank Darabont (The Mist), who had written for Young Indiana Jones, was approved by Spielberg and Ford, but rejected by Lucas. David Koepp (Spider-Man) turned in what became the shooting script.
The story is set in 1957, and this time Dr. Jones goes up against the Soviets, led by Agent Spalko (Blanchett). On Indy's side, for the first time since Raiders of the Lost Ark, is Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Indy’s fiery true love.
Now comes the SPOILER WARNING.
In Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it appears that the titular skulls may have other-worldly connections. According to Lucas, his beloved MacGuffin and Ford's advanced age convinced him that the 30s adventure serials no longer worked as inspiration.
"Because now we’re in the 50s," he said. "So instead of doing a 30s Republic serial, we’re doing a B science-fiction movie from the 50s, like The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Blob, The Thing."
Lucas's revelations gel with Internet speculation that scenes filmed in New Mexico may be set at Area 51, the rumored site of U.F.O. and alien research.
Despite the new decade and subject matter, Spielberg remained committed to the style of the first three Indiana Jones movies. During pre-production, he watched those films with his long-time cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski, so they could study the work of trilogy DP Douglas Slocombe, who is now retired at age 94.
"I still wanted the film to have a lighting style not dissimilar to the work Doug Slocombe had achieved," said Spielberg, "which meant that Janusz had to approximate another cinematographer’s look."
End of Spoiler Alert.
On the morning of June 18, 2007, nearly 19 years after Indiana Jones's last appearance, Spielberg and Lucas found themselves facing cast and crew on an empty piece of land in Deming, New Mexico. "How time flies," Spielberg said, raising a flute of champagne.
Once Ford got back into his trademark costume, it was as if no time had passed at all. "The minute I put the costume on, I recognize the tone that we need, and I feel confident and clear about the character."
Spielberg heartily agreed. "Harrison needed to recapture the caustic, laconic spirit of Dr. Jones, and certainly he was going to have to manage the action, and he did both of those things amazingly well, certainly far beyond what I expected."
Over 79 first-unit filming days, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull shot in New Mexico, Connecticut, California and Hawaii.
When VF's Windolf interview him at his Amblin offices on the Universal Studios lot, the director was between editing sessions. "The best news is that, when I saw the movie myself the first time, there was nothing I wanted to go back and shoot, nothing I wanted to reshoot, and nothing I wanted to add."
Once the final cut is locked, it will be dubbed into some 25 languages for an ambitious international release.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull swings into 4,000 U.S. theaters on May 22.
[Thanks to FROSTY at Collider.com for the links.]