You know what? I feel that George Lucas is paradoxically not given enough credit for his contributions to pop-culture, while at the same time given way too much credit. Thing is, projects like STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES were definitely his babies, and he was a driving force in what makes them so great – from the stories, to the characters, to the tone, to the innovations in filmmaking techniques, etc. Without Lucas, we would've not only never had STAR WARS or INDIANA JONES, but sci-fi movies, action movies, and the entire film landscape would have never been the same as well. Then again, left to his own devices we get the prequels and flying saucers in INDIANA JONES…
Regardless, it's still a bit sad to hear that George Lucas will no longer be providing the story for the new INDIANA JONES film. Disney had already committed to a sequel, and the role of Indy is one of the few things Harrison Ford seems excited about (rather than Han Solo, which seems to make him grouchy in interviews, and reportedly him getting killed off is the only reason Ford signed on). And with KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL being a financial success (despite its critical failings), a sequel was a no-brainer. However, while Lucas will still serve as an executive producer, it doesn't seem he'll have much creative input from this point forward. According to screenwriter David Koepp:
“He’s not [involved], to my knowledge. I’ve had no contact with him.”
So that's a bummer, in some ways. While people didn't like the flying saucer stuff in KOTCS (including me), it at least was different and new. There's a lot of talk about focusing on the new "MacGuffin" in INDY 5 and how it will dictate the story, so let's hope that it also finds a way to stretch the mythos and avoid becoming a rehash of what came before, only slower and greyer.
INDIANA JONES 5 should be rolling out July 19th, 2019.
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