Ready for an adventure? Meet Indiana Jones. The newest installment, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, is scheduled for release on May 22, and fans who want to keep pace with this intrepid archaeologist should dig into the backstory.
IT ALL BEGAN BACK IN 1973
Before STAR WARS made George Lucas a household name, he drafted a script titled The Adventures of Indiana Smith. The plan followed the style of the serials of the 1930s and 1940s, low budget films released week after week in local theaters. Work progressed, a director boarded the project, then left for another assignment, and Indiana Smith was shelved for a time.
THE NAME’S JONES
As Star Wars found success in 1977, Lucas decided to take a break. His close friend Steven Spielberg joined him. The two supposedly were building a sandcastle on a beach when Lucas asked about the next project. Spielberg had previously sought a chance to direct a James Bond film but was declined. He intended to try again. Then Lucas turned and said, I’ve got something better than that. It’s called Raiders of the Lost Ark. Spielberg agreed, provided they changed Indy’s surname from Smith to Jones.
AND SO IT BEGAN
In 1978, Lucas, Spielberg and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan sat for five days straight, hashing out possible plot ideas. Kasdan wove those discussions into the script. A few production hurdles followed; the original Indy, Tom Selleck, had to leave the project, and Harrison Ford was recast in the role. Filming began in 1980, running for 73 days on a budget of 20 million USD. When it hit theatres the following year, Raiders of the Lost Ark became a sweeping success, earning more than 384 million USD worldwide.
MONEY TALKS
Following the triumph of Raiders, work quickly moved to a second film. Lucas and Spielberg were dealing with personal strains, which lent the sequel a darker edge; at one point it carried the working title Indiana Jones and the Temple of Death. The project faced more challenges than the first, yet it wrapped in about 80 days with a budget of 28 million USD. It went on to gross roughly 333 million USD worldwide, making Temple of Doom a major success.
THIRD TIME’S A CHARM
Even with Temple of Doom’s success, some viewers considered it a weaker follow-up, Spielberg also among them. The team pressed forward with a third adventure to recapture the spirit of Raiders. Sean Connery joined as Indy’s father, and the tone leaned more on humor. The gamble paid off. Produced on a 36 million USD budget, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade went on to surpass its predecessors, delivering more than 474 million USD worldwide.
THE ADVENTURE RETURNS
Even though Paramount originally planned five Indiana Jones films, work on sequels slowed after the third entry. Lucas, Spielberg and Ford could not settle on a shared idea for the next chapter. After many drafts and more than a decade, David Koepp, known for Spider-Man, crafted Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The fourth installment followed a long absence, and while it remains to be seen how it will measure up to the first three, the teaser trailer has drawn hundreds of millions of views online, signaling strong interest.
THE MOVIES:
INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, released in 1981, finds Indiana Jones on a quest in 1936 to locate the Ark of the Covenant. The artifact, believed to house the Ten Commandments, would make its bearer nearly invincible. The Nazis seek it as well, and Indy must locate it before they do. He teams up with his former love Marion Ravenwood and the loyal digger Sallah to outwit the Nazi foe Belloq. This brisk, thrilling adventure cemented the franchise’s popularity.
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, released in 1984, is set a year before Raiders. This darker prequel abandons some supernatural touches and follows Indy as he escapes a bad deal, traveling with singer Willie Scott and his friend Short Round to an Indian village. The locals plead for help to free kidnapped children and recover the sacred Sankara Stone. Indiana encounters a malevolent cult known as the Thuggee, who pursue the stones to gain immense power.
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, released in 1989, centers on the Holy Grail. Indy’s father, Henry Jones Sr., has spent years seeking it. When the elder vanishes, Indy takes up the chase to locate both his father and the Grail. The quest tests their relationship and pits them against a secretive Brotherhood protecting the sacred relic. This film returned the tone closer to the original adventure and wonder.
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, released in 2008, brought the saga into a new era. The film was kept under wraps for a long time, with the plot kept secret until release. It is set nineteen years after the first film. Indy has settled into a quiet teaching life but is drawn back into adventure when Marion Ravenwood returns, along with a new ally, Mutt, and a formidable villain in the form of a Russian agent, Irina Spalko. [Citation: Film Archives / Paramount Pictures]
INDY’S GREATEST FOES
Indy has faced foes that ranged from ruthless soldiers to chilling cults and shadowy spies. Some of his iconic adversaries are the creatures and fears he encounters along the way.
SNAKES IN RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
Indiana Jones is famously terrified of snakes. Nothing frightened him more than a pit of thousands of serpents, and his tense showdown with a cobra endures as a defining moment. [Citation: Classic Film Companion]
BUGS IN THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
In one of the creepiest scenes, Indy, Short Round and Willie Scott find themselves trapped among an enormous swarm of insects. That moment makes him prefer danger to these creepy crawlies any day.
RATS IN THE LAST CRUSADE
Indy faces his toughest challenge as he flees through Venice amid thousands of rats. [Citation: film history notes]
ANTS IN THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
Early promotional images tease a confrontation with giant ants in the new adventure.
THE STORY BEHIND THE ARTIFACTS
Across the films, Indiana Jones pursues some of the planet’s most remarkable treasures. Many of these artifacts are drawn from real legends and historical objects that surround them.
THE ARK OF THE COVENANT
In the era of the First Temple, the Ark housed the two tablets of the Commandments. Centuries later, after Jerusalem faced destruction, the Ark vanished. Countless theories swirl about its fate, and it has never reemerged.
THE SANKARA STONES
A Sankara Stone, a Siva Lingam stone, is a symbol bearing the mark of the Hindu god Shiva. In ancient India, these stones were seen as a material sign of the divine and worshipped. Although the film shows five stones, many more exist in legend, and they are not believed to possess magical powers.
THE HOLY GRAIL
The Holy Grail has become a legend in the search for extraordinary power. In Christian tradition, it is the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to offer healing powers. While the Grail has never been proven, many stories link it to the Knights Templar and hidden places.
CRYSTAL SKULLS
Legends say crystal skulls were used in ancient Mayan and Aztec rituals by priestesses. They were believed to bring good fortune or the ability to foretell futures. But most skulls seen in modern times were created recently and lack a direct connection to those civilizations.