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Few celebrations of Steven Spielberg's career are complete without bringing up the Indiana Jones franchise, as the initial trilogy of action-adventure classics have inspired generations. Everyone has a favorite film, and moments they either love or dislike, including the actors who starred in the movies. Harrison Ford recently dished about the Indiana Jones scene that Sean Connery not only disliked, but that made him a ‘little grumpy.’
When Ford sat down to discuss Spielberg’s works with Vulture, the topic obviously came around to all of the Indiana Jones movies. Connery played Ford's father in the third film, The Last Crusade, so when that movie came up, the actor happily shared some BTS scoop, saying:
The script for The Last Crusade spoke to the relationship between a father and a son in a serious way, but with levity. Sean and I had a wonderful rapport, and I deeply admired him. We had great fun until we got to the motorcycle. He thought he was a better motorcyclist than I was because he’d actually raced motorcycles when he was young. He was a little grumpy about having to ride in the sidecar. But other than that, it was great.
This world has remained popular, with an additional two films, such as the nostalgic Dial of Destiny. But it all started when Spielberg told his good friend George Lucas about his dream project: a James Bond film with Sean Connery. The iconic actor passed away in 2020, and was well-known for his portrayal of Bond, James Bond.
While Lucas couldn’t make that particular dream come true, he did have an idea for an archeologist that was set in the 1930s. Initially, the studio didn’t want to deal with Spielberg who had a reputation for going over budget. But they relented, and it was right choice. I couldn’t imagine the franchise having gone into anyone else’s hands. He directed the first four films in the franchise, each of which can be watched can be watched with a Disney+ subscription.
And Spielberg did - sort of - live out his dream with the third film, The Last Crusade. The father-son relationship was created after screenwriter Menno Meyjes pitched the idea of the holy grail to Lucas. The scribe shared:
When I pitched that to George, he said, 'That’s a really good idea, but Indy would never think to go after the Holy Grail, because he’s a materialist. So we either need a father or a girlfriend.'
No conversation about Indiana Jones can happen without bringing up The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which received mixed feelings from critics and fans. Several weren’t sure about the concept of Indie with ‘aliens.’ Though the film had a dimension bent on this that was a little different. However, many still enjoyed it and have defended the film, saying there aren’t any bad Indiana Jones films.
Even Ford reportedly struggled during The Last Crusade, as he and Spielberg weren’t fully on board with doing another sci-fi movie. However, without the fourth, fans wouldn’t have gotten a fifth, which gave Ford the ending he wanted. He didn’t want Crystal Skull to be the last of Indie’s adventures.
While the marketing of the fifth presented as the ending, we also thought Indiana Jones was going to be a trilogy. If the franchise ever did return, I'd immediately sign up if Ke Huy Quan were to return. The actor has recently gone full Short Round by taking the 'character' to the Disneyland ride.
This gave us a minor taste of what Indiana Jones would be like if we saw Indie’s former protege putting on his hat. And I am fully obsessed with the idea. But is there any real chance we'll see the franchise return?
