Uh-oh! Some of you are really not going to like this.David Koepphas been confirmed as the screenwriter for the recently announcedIndiana Jones 5. He is a longtimeSteven Spielbergcollaborator. And while many enjoyed his work on theJurassic Parkscript, he’s also the man responsible for what most fans consider the worst movie in theIndiana Jonesfranchise,Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which hit theaters in 2008.
Disney and Lucasfilmannounced Indiana Jones 5 earlier this week. The latest sequel will once again reunite starHarrison Fordand directorSteven Spielberg. Other movies thatDavid Koepphas written forSteven SpielbergincludeThe Lost World: Jurassic ParkandWar of the Worlds.
It should be noted thatDavid Koeppis not the sole writer onIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. So he’s not entirely to blame. He cobbled the screenplay together from previous drafts worked on byGeorge Lucas, Jeff Nathanson and an uncredited Frank Darabont. At this time, all plot details are being kept firmly under wraps. It is unclear if he will be working off someone else’s preexisting draft, as he did on Indiana Jones 4.
Indiana Jones co-creatorGeorge Lucascame up with the story forIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, just as he did forRaiders of the Lost Arkin 1981,Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doomin 1984 andIndiana Jones & the Last Crusadein 1989. It isn’t known if he is at all involved with Indiana Jones 5. TheStar Wars creatorhas been responsible for inventing/introducing the MacGuffin (aka The Treasure) Indy goes in search of in every movie.Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullreceived several drafts from Jeff Nathanson before it was passed toDavid Koepp.
It also isn’t clear if this story will addressHarrison Ford’s age. He will be 77 years-old by the time Indiana Jones 5 hits theaters July 31, 2025. There is speculation that the movie will actually introduce a new, younger Indiana Jones in flashback sequences, withHarrison Ford’s older Indy bookending the movie. That has not been confirmed or denied by LucasFilm nor Disney, and there have been rumors thatChris Prattis replacingHarrison Ford. Having the two actors in the same movie might be a bit jarring, though.
David Koepphasn’t worked exclusively withSteven Spielberg. He also penned the original 2002Spider-Manand the firstMission: Impossiblein 1996, which is still moving as a franchise with its original lead starTom Cruise. More recently, he wroteJack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, which was a huge box office bomb and killed the franchise, at least for the time being. His next project isRon Howard’sInferno, the third movie in theThe Da Vinci Codeseries starringTom Hanks. So, what do you think? IsDavid Koepp’s participation the best or worst news yet for Indiana Jones 5?
