1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: All right, There's been some unsubstantiated talk in the last 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: few years, and especially the last few months about the 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: possible return of Indiana Jones to the big screen. But 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: the fifth flick in the series, Indiana Jones and the 5 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: Dialute Destiny, out in twenty twenty three, was the final 6 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:21,119 Speaker 1: episode with Harrison Ford in the lead. So how do 7 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,960 Speaker 1: you replace him? I mean, nobody but Harrison Ford can 8 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: play that role, or can they? Forty five years ago, 9 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: Harrison Ford wasn't actually the first choice. I'm Patty Steele, 10 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: who almost played Indiana Jones. How did the movie almost 11 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,919 Speaker 1: not get made? And who could play India in the future. 12 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: That's next on the backstory. The backstory is back first. 13 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,559 Speaker 1: I gotta thank backstory listener and movie fan Steve Kingston 14 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: for suggesting this episode, Raiders of the Lost Arc change 15 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: the movies in so many great ways. In nineteen eighty one, 16 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: it sealed Harrison Ford's rep as a superstar, following his 17 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 1: iconic role in Star Wars in nineteen seventy seven. But 18 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 1: even though we see these flicks as masterpieces carved in 19 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: cinematic stone, in the run up to production, they weren't 20 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: always sure thing all right, let's go back to the 21 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: summer of nineteen seventy seven. George Lucas, a super private 22 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: guy who never liked attention, was now the hottest thing 23 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: in Hollywood. He had just released Star Wars. He loved 24 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: creating it, but he despised the Hollywood publicity machine, the 25 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,679 Speaker 1: cameras being trained on him rather than the actors, the 26 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: push for the next big thing from him. He found 27 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: it all suffocating, so Lucas took off for a quiet 28 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: beach in Hawaii Nice. He just wanted to take some 29 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: time to reflect and escape the noise. He asked his 30 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: pals Steven Spielberg to come hang with him. Spielberg had 31 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: just had his own huge moment in the sun with 32 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: the release of Jaws a couple years earlier. The two 33 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:08,519 Speaker 1: movie nerds sat on the beach together and started brainstorming 34 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: their next big thing. Well, you know those moments when 35 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: you're relaxing with a really good friend and you say, 36 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: you know what I'd really love to do, Well, they 37 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: had that moment. Spielberg, laying in the sun, says to Lucas, 38 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: you know, I've always wanted to make a James Bond movie. 39 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: In that moment, Lucas has an inspiration. He looks at 40 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: Spielberg and he says, I've got something better than James Bond. 41 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: It was an idea for a character a little bit 42 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,080 Speaker 1: Bond like that had been marinating in his brain for years. 43 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: He saw this guy, an adventurous archaeologist inspired by the 44 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: short serial films of the nineteen thirties and forties that 45 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: played at movie theaters during Saturday matinees. The guy would 46 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 1: be smart, ruggedly, handsome, and tough, capable of dealing with 47 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: bad guys, booby traps, and snakes. Lucas called him Indiana Smith. 48 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: Spielberg loved the premise, but he didn't quite love the name. 49 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: He liked Indiana, which Lucas chose as suggested by his 50 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: wife in honor of their dog, who was a big, 51 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: fluffy Alaskan malmute named Indiana. The pup, by the way, 52 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: also inspired the look of Chewbacca in Star Wars, but 53 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,959 Speaker 1: Spielberg thought Smith was too common of a last name, 54 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: and they went with the only slightly less common Jones. 55 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: Not terribly exotic, but hey, it works. Over the next 56 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: few weeks they fleshed out that first film. They were 57 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: inspired by Charlton Heston's character in the nineteen fifty four 58 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: movie Secret of the Incas. They loved the idea of 59 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: a tough intellectual, a professor in a leather jacket cracking 60 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: a whip out in the wild. After several weeks they 61 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: had the beginnings of Raiders of the Lost Dark. Lawrence Kasden, 62 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: a great screenwriter, turned Indy into a wise cracking, funny, 63 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: sardonic character. Now, the problem is, Raiders of the Lost 64 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: Ark almost fell apart before it got made. The original 65 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: studio executives weren't exactly thrilled by the whole premise. They 66 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: thought audiences wouldn't care about an archaeologist from back in 67 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties, but Lucas and Spielberg had the power 68 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: to push it forward, which they did. Then another problem, 69 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,600 Speaker 1: Lucas really wanted Tom Selik to play Indie. Tom did 70 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: a screen test, he was offered the part, and he 71 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: accepted it, but he also told him he'd done a 72 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: pilot for a new TV show, which turned out to 73 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 1: be Magnum p I. Selik asked if he could do 74 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: both projects. While Lucas and Spielberg said yes, CBSTV said no. 75 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: Selik now says that was the one that got away, 76 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:57,159 Speaker 1: so anyway, they decide to move on. Spielberg really wanted 77 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: Harrison Ford, but Lucas not too crazy about the idea 78 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:06,040 Speaker 1: of his Hans solo being morphed into Indy. Spielberg pushed 79 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: back and Lucas finally agreed. Raiders of the Lost Art 80 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: premiered in nineteen eighty one, and it was a massive 81 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: hit that really returned adventure flicks to the forefront of 82 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: movie blockbusters. It gave us a new kind of anti 83 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 1: hero star who was funny, smart, but flawed, making him 84 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 1: so much more relatable to audiences and more likable as well. 85 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: All of that from a simple beach convo between two pals. 86 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: So who's being talked about as the next star in 87 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,359 Speaker 1: the franchise? While no production plans have been made public 88 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: and Lucasfilm is saying it's going to be a while, 89 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: other sources say an announcement could come early next year, 90 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 1: there has been some chatter. Chris Pratt seems to get 91 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 1: the most mentioned, thanks to his roles in the Marvel 92 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: Universe movies and the Jurassic World flicks. Another red hot 93 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: name on the list is Glenn Powell. From Top Gun, Maverick, Hitman, Twisters, 94 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: Anyone but You and others, and other names getting tossed 95 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: around include John Krasinski, Pedro Pescal and even Phoebe waller Bridge. 96 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: She played Indy's goddaughter Helena Shaw in the Last flick 97 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,720 Speaker 1: Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, so they may 98 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: consider her for a spin off. Meantime, The Muse who 99 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:28,919 Speaker 1: inspired characters in both Star Wars and the First Indiana 100 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: Jones Lucas's dog Indiana. He actually got a nod in 101 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: the prologue of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade as 102 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 1: Indy's childhood pet, the Knine. Indy lived long enough to 103 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: see both Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark 104 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 1: become blockbusters, in part thanks to him. Thanks again to 105 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 1: Steve Kingston for suggesting this great episode idea. I hope 106 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: you're enjoying the backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave a 107 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:00,360 Speaker 1: review and follow or subscribe for free to get new 108 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: episodes delivered automatically, and feel free to dm me if, 109 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: like Steve, you have a story you'd like me to cover. 110 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty 111 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: Steele I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, 112 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. 113 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jay Kushner. We 114 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:29,800 Speaker 1: have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to 115 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions 116 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at 117 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele, 118 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: the pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.