"Indy 4" Bits: Angry Screenwriters and the Return of Marion

by | April 19, 2007 | Comments

You’re probably well aware that filmmaker Frank Darabont wrote an entire screenplay for "Indiana Jones 4" that got dumped because George Lucas didn’t dig it. And, because everyone keeps asking him about the script, he keeps expressing a small dose of resentment about it.

Mr. Darabont explains how he spent about a year crafting the screenplay (along with Steven Spielberg) only to see his work dismissed when Mr. Lucas wanted to go in another direction. The current working script for "Indy 4" comes from David Koepp, which (no offense to Darabont) is fine by me.

Darabont shares: "I said, ‘You have a fantastic script. I think you’re insane, George.’ You can say things like that to George, and he doesn’t even blink. He’s one of the most stubborn men I know."

Darabont doubts that any of his material will make it on to the screen, and explains why we’ll probably never get to read his unused screenplay: "I would love it, but it’s not my material to disseminate. At this point, I don’t give much of a damn what George thinks, but I wouldn’t want to harm my friendship with Steven."

The director also doles out a few details on his upcoming projects, including "The Mist" (principal photography just ended) and an adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s "Fahrenheit 451" — which might (finally) be getting off the ground already.

And in the gossip arena, one source claims that Karen Allen is indeed on board for "Indy 4." (She played the feisty Marion Ravenwood in "Raiders of the Lost Ark.") We’ll wait on confirmation for this one.

Sources: MTV, AICN