Frank Darabont has written (and directed) some of the best movies of all time: The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. He’s currently in post production on his latest Stephen King adaptation The Mist. The writer has started to speak out about the disasterious experience that was Indiana Jones 4. His comments are sure to anger Star Wars director George Lucas. Darabont, who also worked on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, says that his time working on Indiana Jones 4 “topped the list” of his worst writing experiences of all time.
“It was a tremendous disappointment and a waste of a year,” Darabont told MTV. “It showed me how badly things can go. I spent a year of very determined effort on something I was very excited about, working very closely with Steven Spielberg and coming up with a result that I and he felt was terrific. He wanted to direct it as his next movie, and then suddenly the whole thing goes down in flames because George Lucas doesn’t like the script.”
Spielberg had acclaimed the screenplay as the best since Raiders of the Lost Ark. Darabont claims he confronted Lucas directly:
“I told him he was crazy. 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.”
Remember the prequels? Remember when Lucas said Empire Strikes Back was the WORST Star Wars movie? Lucas’ sensibilities have been really wrong for twenty years. But here is the kicker, Darabont’s screenplay supposedly dealt with Indy investigating UFOs in the 1950s, after the demise of the Nazi regime. [Update: We have been informed that the accuracy of this claim has been debated.] The script also featured Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) in one scene, and it does not have Jones’ son.
So may-be George Lucas was in the right (for once). Remember, even a broken clock is right twice a day.
April 17th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Yeah, I’ve heard him speak out about this before, and I can’t blame him. I can’t blame him at all.
April 18th, 2007 at 5:49 am
Lucas has been right before, just not since 1981
April 18th, 2007 at 10:25 am
“Lucas has been right before, just not since 1981″
LMAO!!! :-D
No doubt, noooo doubt.
Vic
April 18th, 2007 at 11:32 am
I’ve seen Star Wars Episodes I, II and III. George Lucas no longer has the authority to deem if a
script is good or not.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Indy investigating UFO’s isn’t a terrible idea. It’s kind of hard to follow an artifact like the Holy Grail. Sure, it breaks away from “historical” relics but it’s the fourth installment in the series already.
And I can certainly see the Nazi’s wanting to get their hands on alien technology…seems like the idea has potential.
April 18th, 2007 at 11:51 am
I for one think that the idea of Indy looking for UFO related artifiacts sounds very entertaining.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
If you have read any of the “Area 51″ books, then you know there are HUGE opportunities for tieing artifiacts WITH UFOs.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Hmm, personally i liked all starwars movies released. Though episode 1 did have
some dullness to it.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Just out of curiosity, where did you find the info that the screenplay was about Aliens and UFO’s?
April 18th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
CHUD reported that Darabont’s screenplay “supposedly dealt with Indy investigating UFOs in the ’50s.”
April 18th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
>> “If you have read any of the “Area 51″ books, then you know there are HUGE opportunities for tieing artifiacts WITH UFOs.”
Exactly what I was thinking. They handled most of that pretty well. It could be entertaining.
April 18th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
What about Stargate is ties ancient Egypt and alien artifacts very well together.
April 18th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
George Lucas is a bit fat idiot.
He wouldn’t know good writing if it smacked him in the face (which it sounds like it did this time).
April 27th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Lucas is just one of those guys who made it big on luck. I don’t see why everyone esteems him so much. I mean I have no doubt he is creative but I bet there are lots of people who are his equal who never made it.
May 10th, 2007 at 10:41 am
well francis ford coppola really made george big … but i suppose it was luck he saw his silly short film at any rate , thx1138. and yea after episode one and two he should be ignored as a critic. with Steven Spielberg and Frank Darabont both who have made amaizeing movies , and especially spielberg makeing as many as he has and them for the most part all being good , id say thats some judgement to trust if nothing else , steven should step over george and tell him to screw off.
July 15th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
LOL…George Lucas didn’t like the script? This from the same Shakesperian genius who wrote the following pickup line for Anakin Skywalker:
“I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough. You’re soft and smooth.”
Lucas got visited by the muse - once, for the original Star Wars, and that script was remarkable only for its concept and ideas, not its dialogue.
November 13th, 2007 at 4:37 am
George has got to be one of the biggest idiots to work in movies. The first two Star Wars pictures are absolutely fantastic. THX1138 is great hardcore sci-fi and I, personally love American Grafitti butanyone remember Howard The Duck? Radioland Murders? Even worse than the previous two movies mentioned is the sacrilege commited by all three Star Wars prequels. George has become obsessed with making movies for four year olds. If Darabont wrote an Indy script with a plot that revolves around the Nazi’s hunting Bigfoot I have no doubt it would be better than anything Mr. Lucas has contributed. Shia LaDoof? Oh man. There isn’t a shred of doubt in my mind that that idea is 100% Lucas. It reeks of George. I really hope Spielberg kicks George’s toy empire ass if he has to in order to make a great Indy movie.
February 14th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
this is an old story, i see, but i came here looking for an explanation as to why there is a box visible in the new trailer (feb. 08) with the words “roswell, NM” written on it.
April 13th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
You should appreciate George Lucas’ involvement in this film. I for one would be a lot more worried if Spielberg were doing it alone, because he has become a filmmaker who will wax sentimental until the cows come home. Lucas is one who always seems to be very conscious of a films narrative. Therefore they both kind of keep each other in check.
We’ll never know for sure but I suspect that is perhaps why Lucas passed on Frank Darabont’s script while Steven was in favor of it. For Darabont, in comparison with Spielberg, is also a filmmaker who really likes to bleed as much emotion as possible from anyone scene - to the point where it can potentially get in the way of the movies forward momentum. Especially a movie like Indiana Jones that is, by no means what-so-ever, a contemporary drama. Plus, Darabont’s idea of using neo-Nazis instead of Soviets seems a bit forced, as well as not being something that effectively conveys the zeitgeist of the 1950s Cold War era– so, for what it’s worth, I am finding people less and less upset with Lucas for rejecting that version with every new tidbit they learn about it. Even the addition of Mutt, I think, will largely be seen by fans as a good idea in hindsight, as the dramatic narrative would’ve basically been “Raiders” all over again if it’d only featured Indy and Marion (i.e., with no Mutt, like in Darabont’s screenplay). Mutt’s presence is sure to bring out sides of both characters that we haven’t quite seen before, which can only be a good thing in terms of making this story feel fresh, instead of like a big rehash.
April 26th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Also, for all you Darabont lovers / Lucas haters, Here’s something to chew on: In a 2000 interview, Darabont was asked, regarding The Phantom Menace, “You’re quoted as telling George Lucas, ‘I wouldn’t change a single damn word, and I hope he didn’t’. Is the script you read what everyone else saw on screen?”
Darabont replied, “It is very much the movie that hit the screen. I still like it very much. I find the backlash perplexing and a little disheartening. To hear people tell it, it’s like crapping on the Mona Lisa. But this has more to do with people’s expectations, which were so very high, more than it has to do with the quality of the resulting film. No film could possibly have pleased them. It’s hard to have perspective when you’re in the heat of the moment. I think Phantom Menace will be assessed some years down the road more fairly than it is now. I thought it was a very smart film. I thought it worked. And what is this ‘Oh, it’s just for kids’ comment? What is that about? Who the hell do you think any of the Star Wars films were for? They were very much in that milieu of mythology for children. What’s the problem? The problem is that everybody who saw those movies has grown up, and their memory of the impact of those films has been diluted through the years. [The films have] become so iconic that disappointment was inevitable. George Lucas is capable of many, many things. But making you feel like that wonder-struck-eight-year-old again isn’t one of them. It can’t be done. You’re not eight years old; you can’t be wonder struck in the same way. Sorry. In terms of its intelligence and its approach, I’d put Menace up there with Empire Strikes Back, which was the darkest and most adult of the original trilogy… Luckily, I was still young enough to be awe-struck by [Star Wars], at the age of eighteen. I don’t know how I’d feel about it now, at the age of forty. But when you go in expecting the greatest movie ever made, you’re in for a letdown, no matter how good the movie is.”
May 14th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Glenn I think you’re insane in believing the dreadful “Phantom Menace” is right there with the Empire Strikes Back.
Seriously, the plot is plain ridiculous, while the original Star Wars had Luke destroying the Death Star by using the power of the Force, Anakin destroys the mother ship with what I guess is sheer luck! Qui-gonn should have just said “Anakin, use your lucky charms!”.
For what used to be a fan of Star Wars, that movie was a complete disappointment. There was no amazement upon seeing it not even for 10 year olds, I was only 16 when I saw it and it literally destroyed my love for all things Star Wars and made me despise George Lucas to this day. And no, Phantom Menace will NOT be assessed some years down the road more fairly than it is now, it will always be the epitome of bad sequels, forever!
This whole thing with the Indiana Jones script is really bad news, damn you Lucas!
May 15th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Victor, it was Frank Darabont that said all of that. I just happen to agree with him. Would you call Frank Darabont insane?
You say you saw The Phantom Menace when you were 16, so who are you to say there was no amazement upon seeing it for 10 year olds? I was 10 when I saw it, so I think I’m a better authority in that area. I greatly enjoyed The Phantom Menace. I enjoyed it at very basic levels. It continued the imaginative process of exploring bright, colorful vivid new worlds while revisiting old ones as well. It deals with characters that display strong emotions but only when those emotions best serve the narrative, and even then, without ever waxing over-sentimentalism. It also introduced more complex story lines yet without ever fraying into the kind of vicariously drawn-out dramatic posturing that is all too familiar with just about every other fantasy adventure film.
There are moments through out all six films where good triumphs over evil in the wackiest of fashions: R2-D2 fixing the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon, C-3PO’s head swap with the battle droid, the Ewok (Paploo) who stole the speeder bike, and even Boba Fett’s hilarious death (which by the way is probably the greatest bitch-death in the history of cinema). Even little Anakin taking out the Droid Control Ship by accident was meant to be seen as destiny gone whimsical rather than anything particularly profound. Lucas never intended that scene to be the show stopper of the movie equal to Luke blowing up the Death Star. That went to the Darth Maul duel (by the way, Obi-Wan taking out Maul was like the biggest sensational payoff of the entire movie). I don’t know… I mean, it’s just one of those things. You’re either on board with it or not. Star Wars has got so many heavy themes going on, with out the lighter stuff it would just be The Matrix. Bleh.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:31 am
The Green Mile was one of the sappiest most ridiculous movies I have ever seen. It basically used a black guy as a stand in for E.T. Absolutely ridiculous. Glad Darabont’s script was rejected if it was as silly as Green Mile.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:44 pm
listen to you bitches…can any of you make these kinds of movies??????? what? what? what?….i didn’t think so!
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
George Lucas is GOD.
He created Star Wars and Indian Jones. It’s his freakin’ creation, if he doesn’t like the script, it means it doesn’t fit into his vision!! If you don’t like it, then that’s YOUR problem. Let the guy tell his stories.
No George Lucas, No Star Wars. No George Lucas, No Indiana Jones.
Be grateful you vultures!
June 9th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Anyone see the film? Looks like Lucas should have gone with the frank darabont version.
g
June 9th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Looks like Frank was right to be upset. If his script ever leaks to the net and it’s good, Indy fans will never forgive Lucas for the monstrosity of a movie he helped to create.
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:03 am
“listen to you bitches…can any of you make these kinds of movies??????? what? what? what?….i didn’t think so!”
Nathan, first off, there just might be someone here who can make not these kinds of movies, which are bad, but the good kind. To dismiss that is to delve in the Reichian Little Man mentality that no good thing can come from the people around you.
Second, I’ll say what I can and what I can’t do: I can’t design the Windows XP interface. But I sure can pick Mac OS X one instead. Same with movies.
Lucas isn’t the only one who wasn’t able to give continuity to a great vision. It also happened with the Wachovsky brothers, whose Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions almost dragged the whole franchise to the mud.
I’m also no fan of Darabont. Or Spielberg for that matter. Their art is irregular, forever oscilating between good ideas and cheap emotionalism. I always watch Spielberg tense for the moment he will let me down. I understand the best storytellers are not always that well known, because what appeals for the average masses is not necessarily that which is best.