If there HAS to be an Indy IV...

Well, I like the idea of going after the fountain of youth, but only if it turns out that it doesn't really exist. That would be a nice twist for a final Indy film. I also like the idea of him dying, but maybe not of old age. Self-sacrifice to save a loved one, maybe, after discovering that the desire for eternal life is selfish and impossible.

Of course I agree that there shouldn't be a fourth film at all, so this is just pointless fanfic speculation.

I think that's better than anything else that could be done. But it would take a very steady hand, and everyone would have to know what they're doing, or it could end up cheesy, cliche, or just downright dumb. And that really goes for any plot they choose. Spielberg would have to make sure he and everyone is on top of their game before wasting a single frame of film. I say this because I'm afraid at this point in time Harrison Ford might only act like Indiana Jones, and not BE him.

I agree.

They've covered the eternal life thing already. We need something more interesting than that.

I really like Richard's idea, but I'm going to play Continuity Monkey for a minute. In the Young Indiana Jones TV series, the elderly Indy was quite spry and energetic for a dude who was approaching 100 at the time--I always thought that was implication that the powers of the Grail from "Last Crusade" had worked in their own limited way.

Also, somewhere between "Last Crusade" and "Young Indiana Jones" in the late 90s, Indy lost one of his eyes. I've always thought that if you were going to do the "aging Indy" route, that would be a great way to physically illustrate the toll Indy's adventures had taken on him. Maybe he begins the story in retirement, still teaching at Princeton (John Nash cameo!), but having had a disasterous experience during his last expedition that caused him to lose the eye and maybe the death of one of his friends, like Marion.

Aside from that, I like the idea of the main villains being Communists, and I especially liked the idea of Short Round being the baddie this time around.

There have been a lot of potential ideas thrown around from aliens to Atlantis, but I always--in my fanboy crossover mind--thought it would be cool to see "Indiana Jones and the One Ring of Power." But that's me.

I mean, I'm not a super-Tolkien nut, but I think if you could get past all the licencing, that idea might actually work quite well and combine a lot of the ideas that people have mentioned before.

The biggest challenge there would be how to retcon the books without pissing off the fans, but I always thought that--if you were going to theorize that Tolkien actually found the Red Books in an old library somewhere--in the actual account, Sauron was defeated, and the One Ring destroyed, but the power of it--the power of the evil of it or whatever--caused some blacksmith to reforge it in what is now Communist Russia.

You've got the whole "magic of stories" thing going, so if you're setting it in the fifties or sixties, you could say that the popularity of Tolkien's stories have caused the ring to grow in power and both the Commies and Tolkien know it. And knowing that whoever holds the ring could potentially conquer the world, the Commies are going after it--which is why Tolkien recruits the great Indiana Jones to help him find it, and destroy it for good.

If you got the right actor to play Tolkien, it could be quite awesome--a buddy picture about two old guys off on one last great adventure, full of ruminations on death and war and the power of stories. And, of course, hope.

...I have obviously spent way too much time thinking about this.

Well, yeah, but that's why I think the fountain of youth should turn out to be only legend.

Richard, Indy already willingly turned his back on immortality, or at least immortal fame, when his father convinced him to let the grail go.

But yeah, they probably need to go with something other than something that offers youth or immortality. How about El Dorado, the city of gold? Only it doesn't exist, like in the poem. I think that should be the angle here.

Yes, and you can't get it back.

They should also have an epilogue where Indy finally gets the Idol of Fertility that was stolen by Belloq. It's a nice way to bring the series full circle.

I think a fourth film should find Indy in retirement and kind of lost in his life. There should be a young upstart archaeologist named Hot Shot McDuffy that everyone knows is at the top of his profession. Then on TV one night there's a computer simulation asking the question "Who is the Greatest Archaelogist of All Time?" and they do a virtual quest to find some buried treasure between Indy and Hot Shot McDuffy. Indy is proclaimed the victor! Indy is watching from a bar and all his drinking buddies start cheering, but Indy just stares at the TV with a sullen look on his face.

This gets Indy thinking that maybe he should get back into archaeology. He tells Sallah of his plan and Sallah is like "What are you nuts? You're too old to get back into archaeology." But Indy marches ahead. He starts small, perhaps finding his neighbor's missing wristwatch or giving tours to 3rd graders at a local museum.

Then one day the agent for Hot Shot McDuffy could approach Indy and be all "Hey, we've been hearing about your recent archaeology and there's a real demand for you to take on my client. We believe Hitler's Brain is somewhere in Vancouver. What do you say to a race to track that brain down?"

Cut to Indy putting on his fedora.

It should be called "Raiders of the..." and take full advantage of the 50s setting, and the new technology to recreate a big city circa 1958. The music and style should be very 50s. It should be like Sweet Smell of Success but with lots more loud punching.

Rumour has it Darabont's rejected script had Indy dealing with age issues, so Lucas dumped it presumably because the audience only wants action sequences and one-liners. I like the idea of Indy coming out of retirement and going for one last score, like El Dorado or something like that, following a bunch of ancient clues, and finding out in the end that it was just a myth. Sort of making the mistakes he told his students not to do. But you'd still have to have a feelgood ending, like with Last Crusade. Perhaps in terms of the end of WW2 timeline, his adventure can end with him rescuing the German experts who would go on to build rockets for the American space program?

I think the window of opportunity has finally closed on this. Would love to see it happen, but doesn't look like it will. An Indy movie without Nazis seems kind of a waste of time. If Karen Allen doesn't come back, forget it.

BUT, if it actually does come to pass, deal with the age issue honestly. Give him a younger sidekick to take the brunt of the action. I like the theme of a hero in decline. I'm not one of those cynical douchebags that thinks he knows whats best for this flick, I only know what I want and don't want. I would be a big fat liar if I said I never want to see this done, I do, I just don't want to see it done badly.

Although to have Tom Selleck as the bad guy or a husband of Marion's or Willie's would be a hoot.

What relic could he be in search of this time? Carrie Fisher's beauty perhaps?

Steve, George, Harrison, John...get off your asses! Get this going!

I don't understand why so many of you are in love with the idea of Indy going after something that turns out to not exist. That's weak. Part of the appeal of the Indiana Jones world is that these things really do exist, and really do work. Coming off of the three previous adventures, finding that something like the Fountain of Youth or El Dorado don't exist would be pretty anticlimactic, considering they're both small potatoes compared to the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail.

Whatever it is he goes after, it most definitely should exist when all is said and done. Plus, I agree with Dickson that finding the Fountain of Youth, and turning his back on it, would be a much more resonant character note than not finding it.

Personally, I've always liked the idea of an Indy trainee in the film. Indy could even die at the end, with the knowledge that his adventures will live on through someone else.

What about finding Atlantis.

The Atlantis idea would've worked perfectly, if this had happened in 1994 instead of 200(8). The old point-and-click Fate of Atlantis video game had a pretty fucking good story, all told, and would've made for a smashing good time. Globe-trotting, sassy female sidekick, mythology, Nazis, colorful supporting characters supplying clues, and of course, the ancient riddles and puzzles--it was all there. Alas, that time has passed.

Ditto.

The virgin fanboys getting their underoos in a twist can be heard right now and it's deafening.

As far as I'm concerned, the real Indy 4 was "Mystery of the Blues". It starred Harrison Ford as Indy, who unravels the mystery of the blues. He also plays a saxophone. At the end, the baddies corner Indy in a snow-laden cabin, but Indy slaps out some mean notes on the old sax, and the vibrations cause the snow to collapse off the roof of the cabin and bury his enemies. Then the Raiders March starts up and he walks away.



One of the greatest TV moments ever.

I know this isn't the point of the thread, but any Indy 4 they make will be a disappointment of MolaRamic proportions.

If I wasn't so damn attached to my "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" quote, this would definitely be my new sig. I don't care what anybody else says, Molti, you are a funny guy.

On point, however, I think Dickson's concept is pretty damn good, excepting Indy's death at the merciless hands of old age. While I understand it as a nice bookend and payoff to the Fountain of Youth story, I don't think it plays well within the general mythos of Indiana Jones. He's a hero and, perhaps, one of the last pure heroes that the silver screen has fit to grace us with (occasional dreams of fortune and glory aside). As such, I don't like the idea of Indy dying peacefully in bed because, in my humble opinion, real heroes deserve to be remembered riding off into the sunset rather than filling up their Depends. If we have to see Indy as an old(er) man, I'd have it as sort of an epilogue (forgive me because I'm not a screenwriter):

Indy, having discovered the Fountain of Youth, gives it one final wistful look and turns his back on it. Bracing himself, he claps [insert sidekick here] on the shoulder and says, "Let's go home." (or something like that). Cue the March. Screen goes black.

Music Fades. Screen fills with low angled shot of tiled floor (obviously a museum because we can just make out an exhibit in the background). Title card reads, "New York. Museum of Natural History. 19--." Suddenly, legs fill part of the screen. They're clearly the legs of a small child and the camera--maintaining its low angle-- follows them as they run across the floor towards the exhibit. The camera cuts to the child-- a small boy (physically similar, perhaps, to the little kid that played Young Indy)-- throwing himself at the rail, clearly excited by the exhibit. We now see that the exhibit is a display of something Indy has recovered in one or more of his past exploits (the Shankara Stones or the Fertility Idol (which he somehow managed to finally recover)). As the child stares at it, the camera pans up and over to see an elderly gentleman also gazing at the display. He wears a familiar fedora and leather jacket. He looks down at the child, clearly amused by his fascination and, perhaps, seeing a little bit of his younger self. The child looks up at him and Indy smiles, giving him that classic smirk. The child gapes in surprise, looking from a small picture of a much younger Indy affixed to the exhibit to the elderly Indy standing next to him. Indy winks, tips his fedora and begins walking away, leaving the child staring at him as he moves away. Now the camera pulls away with Indy, craning above him as he walks towards the entrance of the museum and the bright shaft of sunlight spilling through its doors. Cue the March. Screen goes black. (Alternatively, instead of walking away, Indy, noting the kid making the connection between him and the photo of his younger self, says, "Would you like to hear about the time I was chased through the jungle by a tribe of bloodthirsty Indians?" Cue the March. Screen goes black).

Or something like that. As I said, I'm no screenwriter.

Boy, fan-fic makes you thirsty.

Why does everyone think he should turn his back on the fountain of youth? Honestly, if the the fountain of youth does feature, you know that 9 out of 10 people who haven't even seen the movie will go "why bother, indy? you're just gonna turn your back on it, while learning some sort of valuable lesson about the importance of getting old and wrinkly anyway..."

In my story, Indy does drink from the fountain, and becomes... Jake Gyllenhall. That way a new franchise is born.

Thanks. I think that there's a great opportunity to sort of fold the series back upon itself like that. Hopefully, doing it in the subtle manner of the Godfather movies, as opposed to, say, Star Wars. For example, it occurred to me that it would be a nice recall of Sean Connery in the climax of "Crusade" to have Indy mumble to himself as he stares at the Fountain, "Let it go, Indiana, let it go."

Geez...you guys are making it sound like it should be this...

Atlantis baby!

I'll repeat myself from other threads (including this one: http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81404 )=
I wanna see Indy race against the Soviets to find Atlantis (to parallel our 50's Space Race w/ Russia).

My old post from this thread: http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89988 Edited for stupidity and capitalization=
I think Atlantis would be a good choice for the most important reason: it could be done in any time period. Nazis are the best villains and all, but I think a race to find Atlantis against the Soviets during the cold war could be an interesting way to go (like the Space Race b/t US & Russia). Plus, most of the time would be spent underwater/underground anyway= putting Indy in his best environment (discovering some ancient ruins/city/tomb/civilization)...

Having an evil group of Russian archeaologists (like the French Belloch), similar to the evil Dinosaur Hunters in Lost World, seems very Spielberg-ian. Anyone know much about the Indy Atlantis game?

EDIT: posted b4 reading Greg Clark's post

Also to add, I like RD's idea at the top and think it might be a cool dynamic to have Indy's daughter (opposite of the father-son dynamic of LC) be the competition. Having Indy turn away from the Fountain of Youth (maybe he has a terminal disease) would be a good ending for the daughter's character arc of re-uniting with her father and them joining forces to solve the puzzles together. Shit, this sounds more like a "Terms of Endearment chick flick cry-fest"... nevermind.

Not actually a bad idea. Voodoo is one religion Indy hasn't really been involved with yet. One thing people are missing when speculating about INDY 4 is that all the previous ones dealt with Spielberg's religious shit. Judaism, Hindiusm, and Christianity. Having him fight aliens or look for the Fountain of Youth would go against all that. So what's left?

Indy fighting zombies on top of a speeding train, that's what.

Question, why does Indy have to be played by Harrison Ford?

Really, at essence this is a pulp character, and another actor could take the role (and this is of course in a perfect world where Lucas has not gone Colonel Kurtz on us).

I love Raiders, but I would have no problem in seeing another actor take the role to see Indy in New adventures either from WW2 or before. As to who could take on the fedore, I have no freaking clue.

If there HAS to be an Indy IV...

...then we still don't HAVE to go.

That being said, zombies are a good addition to any movie. I'm sure they would've given THE NATIVITY STORY a boost.

I had never heard of the Shankara Stones prior to TOD, so there's gotta be a ton of artifacts that have some importance from other civilizations.

Avoid Egypt because the Mummy movies have done them twice in the past decade.
Avoid Noah's Ark because of Evan Almighty.
Avoid Mayans because of Apocalypto.
Avoid Lost City of Gold because it's Alan Quatermain's turf.
Avoid Solomon's Mines because see above.

Trojan Horse? Shroud of Turin? Aladdin's lamp (too touchy)? Loch Ness monster (too cryptozoology)? Gilgamesh (Mesopotomia) tablets, Dead Sea Scrolls, Rosetta Stone (not much mystery)? Philosopher's stone (too Hudson Hawk)?

I remember quite a few mentions of a China/Monkey King script.

I know... The Necronomicon. Indy meets Ash. I'm only half joking. Or am I?

Better yet: Indiana Jones and the Cult of Cthulhu (I'm not joking at all).

Thought I remembered someone else's idea. Did some digging in a thread ( http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81404 ):

The way things are looking, Judi Dench could jump ship from that other action franchise, Bond, and dig her legs into Harrison Ford's pants as Indy's love interest.

I have no particular objection to seeing Indy relaunch in a Bond-like manner with a new actor. It would allow us to keep him in his World War II element, and more importantly, in the era of the classic movie serials. Maybe with Ford playing a new take on Marcus Brody.

That won't happen, though.

With a post-WWII, Cold War era Indy, the Staff of Moses (as a destructive weapon of immense power) makes perfect sense. I've mentioned this a few times over the years.

Failing that, a Fountain of Youth expedition that ends up in ancient relics of the Mayan or Aztec empire would work quite well (and could lead to lots of in-jokes re: his prior exploits in the jungles). Maybe he could have learned to speak Hovitos by then.

I could be wrong, but I believe this has been floated out there... specifically when it was first "confirmed" that another Indy movie was in the works. I'll have to look.

And a little too close to "The Historian" (and Indy deserves better than that). Although I love the idea of Indy squaring off against the Impaler.

"You must spread some reputation points around before giving it to Richard Dickson again."

Alright, this come because I am bored and filing a stack of PO's (which will take most of the morning), let's say they decide to re-boot, who do you cast as the new Indy and who do you get to direct? I am thinking of my answer, just thought I would put it out there.

And, feel free to throw in any story line you want.

You could go the Young Indy route and pick S. P. Flannery. Or Dennis Quaid as the long lost brother= Arizona Jones (who took his name from the family cat).

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the Dennis Quaid thing.

Not sure who I would cast. I just think it is maybe what they should do that rather than deal with Harrison Ford's age. Then again, I think if they want to make something good, Spielberg should go and kick some sense into Lucas.

This was supposed to be their answer to Bond, so I have no problem with Jones being recast.

Sorry, rambling.

Indy faced Vlad the Impaler/Dracula in a Young Indiana Jones episode. I have it on tape.

Since it was a joke, your welcome to do either or both, depending on my success/failure.

I want to luagh cause I found it funny. I want to cry because I don't put it past Lucas.