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I came across this quote from George Lucas in The New York Times:
“I mean, why do we have to make another Indiana Jones? There was no point to it, other than, gee, this might be fun.”
I’m not even going to comment on the quote, because it already says everything I would like to say about Lucas.
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June 30th, 2008 at 11:51 am
i think the man has finally been elected mayor of crazy town, i mean seriously he crossed that thin linme between genius and madness and now his mind is gone to a neverending lunch
June 30th, 2008 at 11:53 am
sometimes i think george lucas now lives in his star wars universe. he needs to get the fuck out of there and spend some of his billions in the coppolla circa 2007/2008 style. from what i understand, him and speilberg got into the pictures to make pictures, not money.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Lucas really said - ” MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY”
June 30th, 2008 at 11:54 am
fuck you george lucas, you ruined indiana jones for me, why did you not let them use the fucking original script, or atleast let them make their own revisions without you sitting behind them screwing up the movie.
good day to you sir.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Yeah, that was painfully obvious having to sit through that disappointment of an Indy film. Lucas is a hack, just trying to make money and not art and Spielberg is following the same path although I think he’s always been in it for the money more than art.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I think of Lucas like I think of dubya: The guy did some great stuff in the past so we cant start hating him now. Im sorry but he made Empire Strikes back. Which I thought was the best of all the star wars movies. So he is allowed to make a few mistakes-one of them was episode one and the other was indy 4.
I think all the old war horses should finally be stabled-Schwartzenegger has the right idea. Stallone, Pacino, Lucas, etc. They should retire. Deniro still has a few more good years left and so does spielberg.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Not to defend Lucas all that much, but that actually seems like a decent enough reason for making a movie like Indy IV.
“It might be fun.” What’s wrong with that? Even if it didn’t live up to the others, I thought it was, in fact, fun.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Wow. Its too bad. He could make good stuff with his property. Unfortunately George Lucas had more fun talking with Uwe Boll at a cocktail party than Chris Nolan.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I agree with TheLoneIguana.
What was “the point” of making Raiders of the Lost Ark? Or Star Wars? “It might be fun.” What’s, really, the point of an adventure movie beyond having fun?
June 30th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was a great game. I always wanted that game as a movie
June 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
All I can say is WTF. WTF…..
June 30th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Well, it wasn’t fun, George. It wasn’t fun.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Shouldn’t that be the goal of everyone, to get to the point in your career when you do things not because you HAVE to but because it might be fun?
June 30th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Yeah guys, what do you want? The films were always self contained….why would there be a reason other than fun or money or a good idea crops up? It’s not The Godfather (I & II) series that demands a continuation. What do you want him to say? He also said (I’m paraphrasing) that the film isn’t going to please most because you can’t live up to most fans expectations. He was right. Good movie, bad movie, the guy is being honest.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Of course there was a point to make a new Indy film. It’s called “money”.
They knew its an easy franchise that would garner a quick buck, even if it was horrible. Lucas is a professional media troll now. The guy just knows he won’t be offering anything better than Star Wars in his career. And he’s finally becoming comfortable with that idea.
Actually H, Lucas didn’t “make” Empire. Irvin Kershner directed it. Lucas created the base theme. But Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan are really the guys who evolved his story and was even greater with their dialogue. Which is why its regarded as the “best” of all the SW films. Because it wasn’t Lucas behind the general “wheel”.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Well, he’s totally right. The new movie was a wretched turd and it was obvious there was no story left to tell.
I commend him for admitting that it was a pointless money-grab.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Anyone who knows anything about storytelling knows what is so blatantly wrong with George Lucas and his perspective which bleeds through almost everything he says. He’s lost touch with what little shreds of reality he might have had back in the day… too much money for too long, he started listening to himself instead of talking to himself.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Remember months before Indy 4 was released? When he was trying to do damage control by basically telling people to leave their brains at the door?
I kept telling people that was a HUGE fucking red flag. This guys needs to just sit down and shut up. He’s like the bizarro version of Uwe Boll.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Look, just because Indy 4 was pointless doesn’t mean it was made for the money. Spielberg said at one point he thought he and Lucas would never agree on a script and he was okay with that. I’m sure he would rather be making more risky, personal movies like Munich. Also remember that when the movie went over budget both he and Lucas put up their salaries and agreed not to take any of the profits until it made $400 million.
They made Indy 4 because, like Lucas said, they thought it would be fun AND because the fans begged them to make it for years. The saga was already wrapped up nicely with Last Crusade but we asked for a pointless sequel and that’s exactly what we got. And know that it still takes an enormous amount of effort to make an Indiana Jones movie, even a crappy one. So stop being such whiny bitches.
And thank you Lucas and Spielberg for making Indy 4, but remember the best way to serve the fans is to make the movies you want to make, not the movies we want you to make.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
fucking moviemakers.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I don’t see a problem with that, its not as if he said it was for the money, it was just pure simple fun, if you did not enjoy it then fine but he never had to come back to the character he helped create in the first place, so i wouldn’t complain as much. They are pretty much his properties and he can do with them what he likes
June 30th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Dear George,
It was the opposite of fun. No, I’ll amend that. Maybe it was fun for you, as you got to play with your ol’ chums whilst rolling in money, but it was decidedly not fun– not fun at all– for millions of trusting fans. We’d appreciate it if you just left.
Goodbye,
The Trusting Fanbase
June 30th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I agree with what TheLoneIguana said, what really is the point of an adventure then?
But to add, Lucas needs to step away from film, he really is not good at all. Imagine if it would have been just him behind the directors chair for Indy 4.
I enjoyed Indy 4, it was fun for me. I am a fan of the originals, but I set all that fandom crap aside and enjoyed the film for what it was.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Ok everyone… Its time for that intervention we all talked about for George. He’s finally hit rock bottom.
Keep your schedules open…
June 30th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Guys….he bought us Star Wars, and Billy D Williams as Lando..Thank the man for you Nuke the Fridge…bunch of freakin ingrates
June 30th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
“I’m not even going to comment on the quote, because it already says everything I would like to say about Lucas.”
Oh aren’t we so smug, jumping on the Lucas hate band wagon. God, I hate fickle people. The guy INVENTED Star Wars and Indiana Jones as well as created fx as we know them today. Yeah, he’s just such a jerk because he made another Indiana Jones movie. Also, what’s so bad about what he said? There was no reason to make another Indiana Jones beyond the fact that millions of people have asked him when he would make another one over the past 19 years. Perhaps he made it for this reason? I love Lucas and all he’s done for cinema. It’s such a cheap shot to make such a bitchy statement. Oh yeah, and I loved Crystal Skull too, I guess that makes me a jerk in your eyes as well.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Yes
June 30th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I just finished reading the Darabont draft which Speilberg and Ford loved but Lucas didn’t. It was about 300x better than what we got. Thanks for CGI gophers and yet another crappy addition to the gems that made up my cinematic upbringing. Why don’t you go ruin another franchise George, just so your ego can have another boost.
Man. What a douche.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
“Ok everyone… Its time for that intervention we all talked about for George. He’s finally hit rock bottom.”
…and by rock bottom you mean 700 million dollars worldwide, so far?
I wish I could hit rock bottom.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
i cant believe there are always some people defending this kind of stuf i mean come on deep down no matter how much you like indiana jones you know that movie sucked some brahma bull’s iron bearings have some self respect people the movie was ridiculous it belongs up there with kung pow and aquateen hungerforce which was far better by the way
June 30th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
The point of it was to make money. That’s about it. Just like all Hollywood films. But, in a way, Lucas was right: since he doesn’t need the money, there really was no point for him beyond having a little fun.
So what’s everyone getting so worked up about?
June 30th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
TheMarquis pretty much said what I was feeling. A fourth Indiana Jones would have been awesome….If it were made right after The Last Crusade and didn’t involve aliens.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Isn’t the POINT of making movies to have fun and to do something you love to do, whether or not you have money already? Why is this “admission” a bad thing? What was the “point” of A New Hope? Empire? Raiders? Beyond “I want to make a movie” or “I want to do something I love to do”? It’s not like they were documentaries shedding light on horrible atrocities that the world was unaware of — they were space operas and archaeological action/adventure serials. He was having fun telling a story he wanted to tell.
Louis B. Mayer: “Movies are for entertainment. If you want to send a message, send a telegram.”
Creating entertainment is fun and challenging to the creators. Lucas has always given off the impression that he’s making these movies because he wanted to, he was able to, and because it was fun/interesting/challenging/enlightening for him. Not because he craved more money or more attention or wanted to force stories into people’s lives… he just wanted to have fun and make movies he would have liked to see.
Pixar people have admitted as much in their lives, too. They made Toy Story because it was a movie they wanted to see. Is that pointless? No, of course not. Not to mention, Spielberg and Ford have said things very similar to what Lucas said several times over the last 18 months or so. The movies were fun to make and they wanted to make another one.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
What more does he want? The movie has made over 740 million dollars total….We all know that Hollywood obviously got to him a long time ago (meaning he doesn’t really care anymore) and it’s a shame
June 30th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
George lucas actually owns the rights to Bladerunner and is already in the planning stages for the sequel and prequels to ” Blade Runner”. Also…According to Lucas film insiders…. expect a Bladerunner TV series in the next few years after he is finnished with the clone wars.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
The only question is…is this movie a set-up for a young Indian Jones spin-off?
June 30th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
and yet…you all paid to go see it.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I met Lucas once. He signed an autograph for me, and was getting ready to move on when I asked if I could shake his hand.
It was like that American Pie scene where Jim jizz’s without any direct penal (?) contact. Friends and neighbors still come over just to touch my hand every so often.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
oh, guess my point is, the man is a geek god. Sort of like a greek god, but instead of smiting his enemies with thunderbolts, he has fictional characters in his stories do it for him using clever metaphor.
and let’s recall, Lucas only exec produced Indy. It was Speilberg and Ford all along who wanted another Indiana Jone$.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Wait wait wait wait wait…. what was the point of the FIRST three Indy’s? I mean, there was no point in making ANY of the movies. They’re just fun to watch and (I’m assuming) fun to make. I wonder how much that quote was taken out of context, too…
June 30th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Fairly far. Here’s more of the text surrounding the quote:
Mr. Lucas said he had no urgent or compelling reasons for returning to his most popular characters and mythologies, except that he can and enjoys doing so. As an illustration he pointed to his work with Mr. Spielberg on “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”
“I mean, why do we have to make another ‘Indiana Jones’?” Mr. Lucas said. “There was no point to it, other than, gee, this might be fun.”
Seems good natured about the whole thing. Lucas struck me as a good guy. Saw him at the Director’s Guild as well, right around when plans for an Indy 4 had just been announced.
All he wanted to talk about was his plans for helping out education and making his young indy shows from the 80’s available to educational establishments to hopefully help nudge kids into learning using the adventure aspects of the series.
Was funny, people wanted to know if Indy was going to fight the Nazi’s, but Lucas stood steadfast in keeping the topic on the future of education, and how he could impact it for the better. Was very telling about his character. He could have made the whole thing a commercial. But that was obviously not what motivates him.
All of the Lucas hatred, from people who have probably never spoken to or seen the man is lame and uncalled for. And the cries of childhood rape-age equally pathetic to watch. And if you quote that, be sure to keep it in context.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
In closing……GL is the friggin man. you dozen or so haters can go right back to sipping out of your chewie mugs and meticulously going over every frame of the SW Holiday special in case you missed anything to WAHH over. lol
June 30th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Jerry,
You’re trying too hard.
June 30th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
He nuked the fridge !!!!
June 30th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Captain Possum said:
“Actually H, Lucas didn’t “make” Empire. Irvin Kershner directed it. Lucas created the base theme. But Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan are really the guys who evolved his story and was even greater with their dialogue. Which is why its regarded as the “best” of all the SW films. Because it wasn’t Lucas behind the general “wheel”.
Um, then couldn’t the same reasoning be applied to release Lucas from any blame on any shortcomings of Indy 4? Think about it.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
And I only try hard when it’s fun, otherwise what’s the point.
see what I did there? roflcopter!
June 30th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I think that the “slick back”
hair style affected lucas’ brain!!!
June 30th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
comic gold!
*yawn*
next ->
June 30th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Guys come on now. There is no director working for free unless he trying to break into the business. Then when they finally make it, its always about money. Sometimes they make a few good films along the way but other than that its a $20 million dollar hustle.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
lucas has only one more thing left to do…
remake american graffiti. with banthas!
June 30th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Good god, is this like amature comedy night at the apollo theater or something?
“Look ma, I made me a joke bout George Lucas on the Intra Nat!”
Come on, people. Really.
I thought Indy was great. Saw it 4 times in the theater.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
“I mean, why do we have to make another Indiana Jones? There was no point to it, other than, gee, this might be fun.”
That’s what I thought after watching it, and that’s a good thing. What’s so ‘wrong’ about making a film for fun? That’s the way it should be sometimes.
June 30th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
To Mr. Lucas, “It might be fun.” yeah! do that again! you got money, you got power, you got everything. do whatever you want! You can even make remakes of all the starwars films. lol! but please make a new one! starwars and indy, let it go!
June 30th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Who or why doesn’t matter to me. Nothing will change the fact that Indy4 is a pretty terrible film, and a pathetic attempt at an Indiana Jones movie. The movie smelled of filmmakers that wanted to get home in time for dinner.
Even Lee Carter and Will Proudfoot went into overtime, because they had stronger motivation to do something great.
Those guys can count their pile of money and shrug, but I largely suspect that they know what they made and aren’t proud of it.
I’m curious if Christopher Nolan decided to make a second Batman film for “fun.”
July 1st, 2008 at 12:46 am
What a D-Bag
July 1st, 2008 at 7:35 am
WAIT. Indiana Jones 4 has already come out?
July 1st, 2008 at 1:43 pm
“The point of it was to make money”. Probably. But what about all the fanboy whining for a new Indy when you know the series deteriorated with each film? Why not leave well enough alone after all this time? And don’t mention Young Indiana. Sure we loved Raiders but the concept has grown tired. Move on.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 am
HEY EVERYONE
i didn’t bother watching Indy 4. I heard it wasn’t great and didn’t go. Heck, I haven’t even seen the first 3, and as a result am not sitting on the internet complaining about what amounts to a FICTIONAL CHARACTER. Instead, I’m rebutting people who are doing that which is even sadder, but still…
In the end, if the guy who launched Pixar, ILM, and the entire modern film industry wants to take his money, buy some big toys, and make a flick with a pal, who cares? Who cares if that pal is Speilberg? No one forced you to watch Indy 4, but you did.
Get over it.