Harrison Ford says George Lucas in 'think mode' on another 'Indiana Jones' film

Harrison Ford said Friday that momentum is building for a fifth movie in the "Indiana Jones"  franchise and that George Lucas is already cooking up a suitable plot for a heroic senior citizen with a penchant for whips and fedoras.

"It's crazy but great," the 66-year-old Ford said. "George is in think mode right now."

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" grossed $318 million in the U.S. alone and $770 million worldwide and is expected to be powerhouse seller on DVD and Blu-Ray when it arrives in stores Oct. 14. It was a film that many people in Hollywood assumed would never be made considering the difficulty in finding the right time and the right script to reunite Ford, Lucas and franchise director Steven Spielberg after the 1989 hit "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

Now, though, the latest success and the fact that the franchise's old machinery was revived has Ford thinking a fifth movie is not only a viable idea, but an attractive one.

"It's automatic, really, we did well with the last one and with that having done well and been a positive experience, it's not surprising that some people want to do it again," Ford said.

I asked Ford who specifically is stirring up the idea of another revival, whether it was Lucas, Spielberg or the star himself? "Really, it comes from the ethos, from the ether. It's natural. It's a way of nature, of course, success breed opportunities ... also we don't stay as closely in contact as have in the last year, that's part of it." 

Ford said, though, he would not be game to making an animated "Indiana Jones" film, a notion that became at least a possible option after Lucas took his "Star Wars" theatrical saga into the computer-generated realm with "The Clone Wars" this summer.

"I'm not philosophically against doing animation roles but not for Indiana Jones," Ford said. "I'd hate to see it reduced in any way from the movies that we have done and the way we have done them."

The iconic star said he had some doubts that his long-gone archaeologist hero would be an automatic 21st century sensation.

"It was never a lead-pipe cinch," Ford said. "It was a calculated business risk but I believe it paid off. I was somewhat surprised and gratified to see it did the business that it did. It was successful in almost every market. The first time we showed it to a disinterested outside audience was at Cannes. That' s a crap shoot of the first order. Not only is that audience sophisticated and film-knowledgable, it's French! And it's their country and their festival and we somewhat expected to be seriously slapped around. But we were not, we were embraced...it was very gratifying."

The action hero long ago became accustomed to seeing his likeness on action figures, but even he was taken aback by the proliferation of his face and fedora this past summer as Indiana Jones became a pop-culture blizzard.

"It was everywhere I turned, I was on a Corn Flakes box or something else. That's what it takes now to do a good job of marketing a movie like this."

Did the star's 7-year-old son like the movie? "He hasn't seen it. It's a little scary for his experience at this point." What about the toy aisle, was he jolted to see Daddy on so many boxes? "He doesn't take it personally. It doesn't mean very much to him." 

-- Geoff Boucher

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"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" image courtesy of Paramount and Lucasfilm

Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008, photo by Christophe Karaba/European Pressphoto Agency

Comments

[J]

Will someone please edit the online pieces more closely? The Times is becoming as rampant with grammatical mistakes as the Register!

[Fleiter]

I'm begging you guys. Don't do this. Crystal Skull should have been used in Gitmo as an interrogation tool. You would have to pay me to sit through it again. And "Raiders" is one of my top five films.

[Geoff Boucher]

J, thanks for the note. We actually had a glitch where, for a few minutes, the rough draft version of my post replaced the fully edited one. (Basically, I hit the wrong button at the wrong time). Our editors do an excellent job so I wanted to take the blame publicly for the unpolished post you read....

[Spitfire]

There's so much dross these days... here you have a good director, capable actors, a budget to mach.

I'm in! I know I'll never be disappointed.

Spitfire

[Indy Fan]

If Shia LeBouff (I don't care if I spelled his name wrong) is in this movie I will not see it, PERIOD. Please pull this movie together boys.

[Eric]

I am thankful we have these films appear in our theaters. A triumphant job has been done with the newest Indiana Jones installment. I am anticipating seeing another one made. It is an interesting dip into the pool of possibilities with allowing this hero into our modern day culture while still capturing the adventurous spirit as Ford, Lucas and Spielberg do so well. I say, keep up the great work. It is nice to see all these pros get together and entertain us once again.

[ANDREW]

keep indy going...they have been my favorite movies since ive been a kid and indy 4 was great. GIVE US A 5TH!!!!

[Alex]

I' am looking foward to it....

[John]

> Will someone please edit the online pieces more closely?
> The Times is becoming as rampant with grammatical mistakes
> as the Register!

Who's going to do it??? When you read about hundreds laid off in newsrooms, these are the people getting their walking papers. Who has time for niceties like proofing?

[taylorbad]

It's not his fault, but George Lucas looks more and more like an Ewok these days.

[Jason]

Oh sweet Jeebus, stop beating a dead horse!

Last crusade should have ended this franchise, and I wish I can alway remember Indie riding into the sunset with his dad and closest companions as the final image.

Now I'm stuck with aliens, a UFO and a cliche story book ending with a wedding...bleh!

[Asher Fay]

This is great news!! Will wait anxiously for more updates on Indy 5!!!

[sickofStarWars]

I've always been more of a Indy guy than a Star Wars fan boy, and I have to say that the Sci-fi story line really ruined this last one for me. I enjoyed the factual basis of the first three movies. I am aware that the Crystal Skull legend has aliens as one possible explanation for their existence, but come on? Does every movie have to have aliens in it now? There are plenty of mysteries and adventures left on this planet.

:To the Grammar Nazi, if minor grammatical errors bother you so much that you need to comment on them rather than the content of the article, you need to pull the stick out of your a$$. Oh never mind you've probably already convinced yourself that your better than the rest of us.

[Indy's grrrl]

As others have said: if Shia LeBoeuf is in it, count me out. Steven? Harrison? Did neither of you learn ANYTHING from INDY 2? None of your fans like the brats you put in these movies...please...I think what we all really want is INDY, his dad (as a ghost? in flashbacks? anything, just bring Sean Connery back) and maybe some Marion....

Crystal Skull was awful. Shia was awful. Don't waste my time and money like that again.

INDY 1 is in my top 10 of all time....INDY 3 is up there....but 2 and 4---come on, can we be honest? They suck.

[Bob]

"I enjoyed the factual basis of the first three movies" - This always tickles me, we have a box which emits the wrath of god, three magic stones and a cup guarded by a knight who was hundreds of years old - but a UFO is too far fetched?!!!!!

[Jake]

I'd love to see another Indy film, although I agree with those who feel that Shia's character doesn't need to return. He was great in Indy 4, but they should continue the tradition of having new characters each time out.

But I disagree about the sci-fi elements ruining the film. Atlantis continues to be a popular fanboy MacGuffin, yet it's no more credible than Roswell aliens. These films are not based in fact, but rather pulp. And on that level, Indy 4 worked just fine.

To be honest, I give them credit for not playing it safe with Indy 4. They could've easily sent Indy after the Spear of Longinus or some other religious artifact. Instead, they went in a completely new direction- much like they did with Temple of Doom. The end result is that each film feels like its own unique pulp novel. Another Indy film set in the 1950s could be a lot of fun- especially if it veers off into even more unexplored territory.

[Matthew Gaudet]

The Spear of Longinus was covered in the graphic novel spear of destiny and that would have made a far better story than the crystal skull. Would have been a perfect sequel for Last Crusade but would have had to be filmed like in 92 for a 1993 release for ford and connery to not be too old. The Spear of Longinus is the spear of the roman that pierced Christ Side as he was crucified.
Again this would be fiction.
At least the Ark of the Covenant has a basis in fact. THe holy grail never had anything to do with the death and resurrection of jesus christ. That was based on the san graal legend which was a heathen/pagan story of the druids and the celts and was later christianized.

[fletch]

Please, the only reason Crystal Skull made money was because of us old Raiders fans were nostalgic and shelled out the bucks. The movie was terrible in every way, but especially the writing. Name one memorable line from the movie. You can't. What a rip off. Harrison you know better.

[Canyon]

For all of those of you who didn't like Crystal Skull, did you seriously expect it to be like Raiders. There is no way on this earth that the new movie could ever match up to that.

And before you go slagging Harrison off, I'd like to see you guys doing the physical stuff that he did in this movie! I take my hat off to the guy!

[Canyon]

With all due respoect, did you think that this movie would be anything like Raiders. Nobody can bring that back, not even the big three.

And for those of you who are slagging off harrison, I'd like to see you guys in your sixties pull off what Harrison did in this movie. I take my hat off to him.

[jared]

please please please dont do this!!! Does anybody understand that they pretty much spent all of raiders and crusades proving the existence of God. On Crystal they snub it and show some generic lucas inspired aliens? ahhhhhhh kick him off the project does it all have to be about aliends??? Just leave it at that, i never thought i would say it but no more indiana jones. No more lucas

[R72]

Crystal Skull may have sucked, but there's no denying that it raked in the bucks. Look at what Harrison Ford said in the quotes in this article. He knows it's all about the business now. It's not about making a good movie. It's about making money. Sad but true. Pleas to have the smallest shred of artistic integrity will only fall on deaf ears. The best we can do is consider these movies, actors, directors, etc. as dead to the us, and enjoy their good works of days long past.

[Sounds]

The 4th one was good, but not as good as the first! I hope they still do it, tho. The old angle is interesting.

Raiders best scene:

http://www.entertonement.com/clips/32217/Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark/Indiana-Jones/Harrison-Ford/Gimme-the-whip

[Pat]

Keep 'em coming!
Possible storylines for Indy are as versatlie as James Bond, and they never should've stopped making Indy movies. I larged enjoyed the new one even if I left feeling disappointed (to say the least) about the alien-centric plot, but I remember feeling strongly that there's still plenty of juice left for one more Indy movie just to close things off in the grand tradition. So I really hope they do this; no one's gettin' any younger!

[Maxor127]

I love the franchise and liked the last one even though it didn't completely live up to its predecessors, it was still a welcome addition. I'm all for a fifth movie and I think they kept that possibility open at the end of Crystal Skull. I'd like to see it geared less towards slapstick and more about the mystery and adventure though. And less Mutt and Marianne and more Indy.

Anyone who completely hates Crystal Skull isn't a true Indy fan, sorry. Sure there were some lame parts like the animals and tarzan stuff, but the movie as a whole was decent and I think successfully incorporated the character into a different time period. I can name just as many lame segments in Temple of Doom or Last Crusade. There are supposed to be campy segments by the very nature of the films. I don't care for them, but they're true to their origins.