ROTTEN TOMATOES: Spielberg Heartbroken to Finish Indy IV; Can't Share Teaser Tidbits

Spielberg Heartbroken to Finish Indy IV; Can't Share Teaser Tidbits

Producers Marshall and Lucas keeping mum on Friday's teaser trailer.

by Fred Topel | February 12, 2008

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It took so long to finally mount the fourth Indiana Jones Film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, that now director Steven Spielberg laments its completion. After accepting a lifetime achievement award from the Visual Effects Society, Spielberg reflected on his latest production.

"It was awful the last day of shooting because I didn't want it to end," said Spielberg. "Harrison didn't want it to end, Karen, none of us wanted it to end. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had."

Even the career montage at VES did not show Indy IV footage, only behind the scenes shots of Spielberg and the cast on set. A teaser trailer is set to debut before this Friday's The Spiderwick Chronicles, but none of this has anything to do with Spielberg himself.

"Well, you'll have to ask my producer Frank Marshall and he's not talking. And George Lucas, and he never talks."

Visual effects have changed the way Spielberg makes movies, for now he can previsualize every sequence, for better or worse. "I get to make the movie before I get to make the movie. The only bad thing about that is it takes about 25% of the spontaneity of making on set discoveries because you fall in love with the pre-vis and you don't give your imagination a chance to fly so much when you're on the set and the practical 3D reality of being on a movie set. So I had to fight that urge to stick with pre-vis by throwing out a lot of pre-vis if I thought I had a better idea the day I was shooting the actors."

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is due in theaters May 22, 2008.

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(1-20 of 44 posts) | Reply

DaHypr1 writes:
on Feb 12 2008 10:19 AM

soooo looking forward to this movie!!

(Reply to this)

Don't Tase Me Bro writes:
on Feb 12 2008 10:28 AM

Wow. "Heartbroken." Well, at least his next film on the wonderfully upbeat life of Abraham 'barrel full of sunshine' Lincoln will drive those blues away for good!

(Reply to this)

Shatter24 writes:
on Feb 12 2008 10:34 AM

This should be great, might even be worth going to see The Spiderwick Chronicles for the Indy preview. (might not)

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vaodsi writes:
on Feb 12 2008 10:43 AM

i am sooo hoping this will be good.

Let's just cross our fingers that it doesn't suffer from Phantom Menace Syndrome!

but i don't think it will be good... cause it's got Harrison! and KAREN! (and Shia...... not JarJar Binks)

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dannyboy3030 writes:
on Feb 12 2008 10:46 AM

If Shia LeBeouf ruins this flick, with his so called attempts at being humourous. The way he ruins everything else he been in, I'm going to snap. To me he is the live action equivalent of JarJar Binks.

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Xavier Telouran writes:
on Feb 12 2008 10:56 AM

Won't spill the beans on the trailer, eh, Spielberg? Well, we know Karen will tell us everything if the questioner is a creepy bald man with a red hot poker...

The author of this comment does not condone the torture of celebrities for movie information.

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LordVapor writes:
on Feb 12 2008 10:58 AM

I thought Shia was really good in The Greatest Game Ever Played.

Transformers sucked all around...had a couple of funny moments...but Shia wasn't the reason that movie sucked....Pink Flames on Optimus, and Megatron not having a cannon is what ruined that movie...

Indy 4 will be awesome. No doubt about it.

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DukeyBallswatter writes:
on Feb 12 2008 11:03 AM

harrison ford is old

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yams for hands writes:
on Feb 12 2008 11:10 AM

karen

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Matanuki writes:
on Feb 12 2008 11:27 AM

He let Michael Bay take a $hit on Transformers, and he sorta kinda dropped the ball with War of the Worlds. But, come on, this is Spielberg we're talking about. If you lose faith in Spielberg, you lose faith in movies.

Also, guys, Shia isn't even remotely as bad as you folks are making him out to be. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that he's not really even bad at all.

That said, let the cyber-crucifixion begin.

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cypress550 writes:
on Feb 12 2008 11:44 AM

i really think this movie is going to be good atleast i hope so the only thing that could go wrong is shia in the movie.

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citizenjames writes:
on Feb 12 2008 11:54 AM

i am all for leaving well enough alone. LAST CRUSADE ended, literally, with these characters riding off into the sunset. martinis for everybody.

lucas had twenty years to think about STAR WARS, unlimited technology, independently funded with his private fortune, no studio to answer to and his pick of all the talent on the planet and he gave us episodes I, II III. this is the same guy who took liam neeson, natalie portman, samuel l jackson and ewan macgregor, easily some of the most talented actors working, and got the performance of a muppet from them.

lucas, let to his own devices, is a mess.

spielberg, on the other hand, made SUGARLAND EXPRESS in 1974. you tell me what other director is even relevant 34 years into their career? i'll give you scorsese. the other guys from the seventies and the last decent movie they made? william friedkin (TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA (1985), brian depalma (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (1996), richard donner (LETHAL WEAPON 2 (1989), john carpenter (IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1994), francis coppola (BRAM STOKERS DRACULA (1992), milos foreman (THE PEOPLE V LARRY FLYNT (1996). spielberg was twenty years into his career when he made JURASSIC PARK and SCHINDLERS LIST in the SAME FRICKIN YEAR. if anyone else had done that in the same lifetime it would have been a feat. the last time someone did that? victor fleming, GONE WITH THE WIND and WIZARD OF OZ (1939).

spielberg on his worse day is better than most people on their best.

and shia reads what shia is told. he isn't a screenwriter. if TRANSFORMERS sucked it sure didn't show from the box office and megatron having an arm cannon wasn't going to fix it. michael bay did exactly what you hire michael bay to do: make people laugh, make people cheer, blow stuff up real good. TRANSFORMERS was a pretty bad cartoon and the fact that it was even watchable is amazing. the problem is some of you don't want TRANSFORMERS, you want someone to make you relive that feeling and excitement you had when you watched these has a children. news flash, you aren't children, stop acting like it.

i don't like to wish anyone ill so i hope this turns out well but i am smart enough to be hesitant because for every sequel that pulls it out there are ten more in their wake who didn't.

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Oblivioncry writes:
on Feb 12 2008 11:58 AM

this film is soo going to remind us how great movies can be.
they dont have to be supieror intelligent...nor have some indie soundtrack ...nor meet the spartans stupid... nor have a bazillion dollar cgi effects...nor do they need huge explosion...and they also dont need any usual suspects surprise endings.

i am sooo expecting this one.

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ManofStee1 writes:
on Feb 12 2008 01:23 PM

In front of the Spiderwick Chronicles? Really? REALLY???

You could not get me to see that movie if you put a gun to my head... hopefully the teaser comes online on Friday.

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hunch51984 writes:
on Feb 12 2008 01:57 PM

Spielberg has for the most part been good at churning out great films with a few exceptions but the Indy series is his baby and I don't think he would churn out one final Indy movie if it wasn't something special, so I am really hoping that Indy IV is just that really something special.

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Vortex&Vertigo writes:
on Feb 12 2008 02:09 PM

Enough with the Shia Hate, Lordvapor is right. Haven't any of you seen the greatest game ever played?. That movie is freaking awesome.

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cahbauer writes:
on Feb 12 2008 03:05 PM

I can not wait to see this movie. Out of all the aging actors that portray these iconic characters Ford's Indy is the only one I will stand in line for the midnight showing this May when it comes out.

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cahbauer writes:
on Feb 12 2008 03:07 PM

I can not wait to see this movie. Out of all the aging actors that portray these iconic characters Ford's Indy is the only one I will stand in line for the midnight showing this May when it comes out.

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BrianInSD writes:
on Feb 12 2008 03:21 PM

This is my prediction for the Teaser Trailer: We see the Paramount logo, followed by the Lucasfilm logo as John William's "Ark of the Covenent" theme music fades in. Then, a crack of the whip and a quick glimpse of Harrison Ford in his Fedora as John William's "Raider's March" blasts onto the soundtrack. The title, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" wipes from left to right across the screen (accompanied by another whip-crack). A "Coming Soon" or "Memorial Day 2008" title card will appear and then everyone who paid $10.50 to see the teaser trailer will sit through a screening of The Spiderwick Chronicles before they frantically rush home to wax orgasmic online about how awesome the teaser trailer was.

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BrianInSD writes:
on Feb 12 2008 03:27 PM

In reply to this comment (#1570372)
"this film is soo going to remind us how great movies can be."

Well at least you are keeping your expectations reasonable. I hope you're right, I really do. Because just one of those THINGS managed to wipe out my entire crew in less than 24 hours and if the colonists have found that ship then there's no telling how many of them may be infected. Do you understand?

Sorry, I got a little carried away there and had one of my Ripley moments. They mostly come at night. Mostly.

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