Indiana Jones: The Crystal Skull Revealed!
ActionFigureInsider uncovered a promotional flyer from a Japanese company which is producing a variety of trinkets for the Indiana Jones series (including miniature versions of the holy grail and the lost ark). Among the group of items is what appears to be the first look at the Crystal Skull. You can check out the photo, not included on the main page because of spoiler potential.
Photo
Yes, it does look like extraterrestrial skull, further confirming Darabont’s alien storyline.
Photo Removed at Request from Paramount
Later MovieWeb posted this clearer photo:
Photo Removed at Request from Paramount
Indiana Jones 4 Shooting Begins, Video Update from Shia LaBeouf
Today is the first day of principal photography on Indiana Jones 4. The film’s official website has posted the following update:
Today director Steven Spielberg will shout “Action!” marking the return of the character who redefined cinematic action as cameras roll on the first day of principal photography on the new Indiana Jones adventure. Spielberg reunites with executive producer George Lucas and star Harrison Ford to bring the classic hero back to the big screen. It’s the trio’s first collaboration since the last film in the Indiana Jones series, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Shooting will continue throughout the summer before the film goes into post-production to be ready for its May 22, 2008 release. The new Indiana Jones film is a Lucasfilm Ltd. Production distributed by Paramount Pictures. Frank Marshall returns as producer with Kathleen Kennedy joining Lucas as executive producer.
Click here to watch the first video update from the Indiana Jones 4 set. Shia LaBeouf talks about meeting Harrison Ford for the first time, his love for the films, and more. Shia even gets a little choked up talking about Harrison Ford getting into his Indy gear for the first time.
Indiana Jones 4: John Hurt to play Albert Einstein?
A spy sent us a juicy casting bit for the lastest Indiana Jones adventure. The source tells us that John Hurt (who was announced this past week) will be playing the charachter of famous german theoretical physicsm, Albert Einstein. We have no way to confirm this information, but here are the facts:
Einstein was supposedly included in the infamous Frank Darabont draft of Indiana Jones 4, which has now been scrapped. Some people say that some of the ideas and plot from that draft made it into David Koepp’s current draft of the film.
This would not be the first time that a historical figure would be on screen in the Indiana Jones series. Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler both made a brief appearances in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
The big flaw in this rumor comes from historical data: The shop owners on location in New Haven, CT were told that the film was set in 1957. And the window dressing and sign-age would reflect that year. However, Einstein died on April 18, 1955 at the age of 76. John Hurt is 67 years old, and could probably play Einstein in the last 15-20 years of his life, realistically. May-be Einstein didn’t die in 1955 according to the proposed storyline. Or may-be the Einstein parts are included in flashback or prelude, as has been used in the other films of the series.
So as of right now, we can’t confirm or deny this rumor.
Speed Racer and the Release Date of Doom
The Wachowski Brother’s live-action Speed Racer movie was set to premiere on May 23rd, 2008, a day after the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones series will be unleashed. Well not anymore, it looks like someone over at Warner Bros did the math.
Speed Racer will now hit theaters on May 9th 2008.
“We have been excited about ‘Speed Racer’ since we first announced the project. We see it as a movie with broad-based, worldwide appeal–from adults to teens to families–making it the perfect film to lead off our exciting 2008 Summer slate. We want to give ‘Speed Racer’ the maximum playability throughout the season, so moving it up to the earliest possible date made the most sense,” said Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution.
They also announced that Speed Racer will open day-and-date in most international markets.
For now the only movie Speed Racer needs to contend with is The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which opens 7 days later.