It’s confirmed: Karen Allen is reprising her role as Marion Ravenwood in Indy IV. Here’s a photo of the cast that was revealed yesterday at Comic-Con:
My enthusiasm for this project continues to grow… I think Karen looks great, and it’s good to see her alongside Steven and Harrison again. It’s like a reunion of long-estranged family members or something. Click the photo to enlarge, click through for more Indy goodness!
Here’s one of Steven and Karen on location in Hawaii:
And here’s what may or may not be a for-real teaser poster for the movie. It’s unmistakably Drew Struzan‘s artwork, so I’d say it’s very likely the real thing:
I’ll have to get one of those for the Bennion Archives, if it is the real deal.
In other Indy IV-related news, Dark Horse Comics, which published a number of four- and six-issue Indiana Jones mini-series in the early ’90s, will launch a new series in ’08 to coincide with the release of the movie. They’ll also be doing omnibus collections of their earlier Indy titlesand (interestingly enough) reprinting the old Indy comics produced by Marvel back in the early ’80s. (And why not? Dark Horse did a nice job with reprinting Marvel’s Star Wars series a few years ago. Getting those new omnibus editions will enable me to finally seal away my original comics in those nitrogen-filled display cases I’ve had my eye on…)
And finally, Lucasfilm has revamped its official Indiana Jones site. It’s all Flash-animated and non-copyable or linkable, which sucks big-time, but there’s some nice content there, including photos, videos, and some cool desktops. One thing that’s got me wondering: the splash page features Indy’s hat and whip hanging over the corner of a large wooden crate. The crate is marked “Property of Dr. Jones,” but I wonder… where else in the Indy movies have we seen such a crate? And would it be really cool or really lame for Indy to run across that one familiar crate again? Think carefully before you answer, because I’m really not sure how I feel about it…
Jason, I think we have to plan ahead so we can see Indy 4 together, either in LA or SLC, on Memorial Day 2008. But I think we should also plan ample time to argue afterwards! I’m feeling more sceptical than excited over these Karen Allen pictures, though I can’t say exactly why. I guess I’m still wondering: Why?
Why to Karen’s appearance in the film or why to the whole project in general?
I agree that there’s no need to do another one and I would’ve been perfectly happy never to see one. That said, there obviously is going to be another one, and I’m willing to give it a chance. I’m hoping for the best case scenario, i.e., that it’ll be both good entertainment and that it’ll have some real depth and meaning behind it, and not be just another adventure.
As for Marion returning, I really think what we’re looking at here is a Star Trek II scenario. Knowing what I do of your tastes and interests, I’m guessing you’re not familiar with that one. Basically Admiral James T. Kirk’s business brings him into contact with an old girlfriend, whereupon he meets the son they had together 20-some-years earlier but whom he’s never been allowed to know. (Kirk and Carol, his old flame, have some difficult baggage between them.) Contrary to being cheesy, it’s actually very nicely done and, at the time of the film’s release, served to enhance and deepen Kirk’s character in unexpected ways. (Subsequent sequels, unfortunately, failed to build much on this groundwork, and even went so far as to kill off the son.) The movie was really about Kirk growing older, struggling to deal with that, and ultimately coming to terms with it. I think Indy is a similar character in that he’s always been a man of action, and it’s no doubt difficult for him to accept slowing down, or he could have regrets about having spent his whole life chasing after “little bits of junk” instead of having a family. And then he learns he’s got one and there are possibilities he hadn’t counted on…
I’m willing to admit that a big part of my excitement for this project stems from nostalgia — I just love seeing my old friends again and catching up on what they’re doing. But I also think there’s an opportunity here to do something really exciting and interesting with the iconic Indiana Jones character. That doesn’t mean that I’m entirely confident the filmmakers will actually take that opportunity and make a mature, thematically deep movie. To the contrary, I think there’s a very big chance they’ll screw it up. This is George “the original Star Wars didn’t happen the way you remember it” Lucas and Steven “the shotguns are now walkie-talkies” Spielberg we’re talking about. But I am excited about the possibility.
Anyway, I am far more concerned about the appearance of that damned crate and the persistent rumors that the storyline somehow involves the Roswell aliens than I am about Marion’s return…
And finally, I think it’d be a blast to see this together. If it’s to be out in LA, maybe in one of the great old classic theaters, since all those in my are gone now…
I promise to keep an open mind. Really, I’m asking why the film has to be made at all, and seeing details like this just makes me more irritated. Why can’t they leave well enough (or even pretty darn good) alone? Aren’t there any new stories to tell? I don’t want to think about Indy getting old and wondering what might have been and all that. It’s depressing enough to think about that in real life! I’d rather just pop Raiders or Last Crusade in the DVD player (happily ignoring Temple of Doom) and enjoy another go-round.
I admit that I haven’t had my coffee yet today.
If I remember correcty, the crate you’re talking about said “Property of the U.S. Government” on it not “Property of Dr. Jones.”
Which, of course means . . . Nothing whatsoever!
Robert, I agree that there is no good reason to do another one, and Raiders was just fine as a standalone story. (I’d go so far as to argue that the other two movies — not to mention the Young Indiana Jones TV series — are actually about a different character, who just happens to also be named Indiana Jones, because they’re so different in tone from the first one.) But perhaps we fanboys aren’t the only ones who suffer from nostalgia. I really don’t think the three principals behind this (George, Steve, and Harrison) are interested in the money. I think they just genuinely wanted to do another one. Reliving their glory days, maybe, remembering when they were young themselves. Who knows…
Look at this way: if it sucks, we can just pretend it never happened, the way so many fanboys do with comics/movies/episodes/entire seasons of TV series they don’t like! (Remind me to tell you sometime about a group of Highlander fans who call themselves “Clan Denial.”)
Brian, the crate I had in mind did indeed carry government stamps the last time we saw it… but as you say, that means nothing at all, not when there are screenwriters (and notorious revisionists) involved…