Disney Eyeing Chris Pratt For Indiana Jones Revival

[PortMickey]

From Deadline:
http://deadline.com/2015/01/chris-pratt-indiana-jones-guardians-of-the-galaxy-disney-1201360637/

Disney Eyeing Chris Pratt For Indiana Jones Revival

Here’s one from the helluva good idea department. Marvel offerings are soaring, and Star Wars is being reinvigorated by director JJ Abrams. Now, Disney has just started to turn its attention to reviving the Indiana Indiana Jones bullwhipJones franchise after buying the rights from Paramount in 2013. I’m cautioned that while things are very early, I hear the studio has set its sights on Chris Pratt as the swashbuckling archaeologist they hope to build the new franchise around, the role made famous by Harrison Ford in Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Pratt jumped to leading-man movie status with his performance in last year’s blockbuster Guardians Of The Galaxy for Marvel and Disney. He starts The Magnificent Seven with Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua in April for MGM and Sony, and there’s the inevitable Guardians Of The Galaxy sequel. Disney won’t comment and all this is admittedly early, so let’s chalk it up as a dishy informed rumor for now and keep an eye on it.

 

[luisov]

I guess Chris is better than Shia Labeouf.

 

[Lee Matthews]

Disney, if this is true....Take my money now

 

[rteetz]

This is a long way from happening very possible but Disney isn't focused on a jones revival at the moment.

 

[Misthunter210]

I think this would be awesome. I have a great reverence for Star Wars and Indiana Jones. This is a thousand times better than having Shia back in any capacity. Pratt has the charm, wit and the look to pull it off.

 

[WDWChloe]

Yes please.

 

[Planogirl]

He would actually be perfect.

 

[jcnewton]

I buy Pratt for the action aspect of the Indy movies, but not for one second would I believe him as a professor of Archaeology. Bradley Cooper's name was thrown around a while back as well.

 

[SeanWM48]

would prefer they start a new action/adventure exploration series with a new character instead of slapping the indiana jones name on chris pratt. he's great and this could've been an entirely new franchise instead of it having to live up to the old movie which it never will, quote the old movie, reference the old storylines etc

 

[nkosiek]

Seriously?!?! Is Hollywood so bereft of ideas that all we can do is drag out old movies/franchises and redo them?

Crystal Skull was bad. The movie before that was called "Last Crusade" and they should have left it that way. There's no reason to keep remaking things. At least Star Wars has a natural progression that could be followed, so it's continuing a story line but too often they are just throwing crap out there based on previous success and it's not worth watching.

 

[rteetz]

Seriously?!?! Is Hollywood so bereft of ideas that all we can do is drag out old movies/franchises and redo them? Crystal Skull was bad. The movie before that was called "Last Crusade" and they should have left it that way. There's no reason to keep remaking things. At least Star Wars has a natural progression that could be followed, so it's continuing a story line but too often they are just throwing crap out there based on previous success and it's not worth watching.

Disney has nothing in place for an Indiana jones reboot right now. This was just a rumor that Disney is rumored to use Chris Pratt. No director, cast, plot, anything is in place for a new movie right now.

 

[PortMickey]

It could be a while before we see a new movie. It seems to be at a very early stage. But Disney loves Huge Blockbuster franchises that spin off tons of cash across multiple businesses. You have to admit, it could be huge. I am pretty sure someone is working on it. They didn't acquire future movie rights from Paramount in 2013 because they don't want to make any more Indiana Jones movies. It is a pretty huge franchise just sitting there. Disney's plate is pretty full right now with the Marvel Universe and launching Star Wars, but I bet we will see some new Indiana Jones movies (and everything else) eventually.

 

[Dznefreek]

I'd rather see an undiscovered talent carry on the role.
GOTG was a success but it had (IMO) more to do with the Marvel/Guardian built in audience (as will just about any Marvel feature) than it did with Chris Pratt as the star.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

If they really want to start the Indy franchise over, they should cast an actor in his mid twenties as Indy. They could tell the story of when Indy, fresh out of college, first met Marion Ravenwood. Then if it's a success, they could do a new adventure every 2 to 3 years for 15 years before they'd get to the time period of the first movie.

 

[newdeal]

I would love a new Indy movie but it needs a good script first and foremost unlike the crystal skull abomination. I agree with the person above that Pratt may not be believable as a professor but you never know.they would definately need to start the franchise again at an earlier time when he is just getting out of school. As for the person who mentioned last crusade it was called that because they found the holy grail so they're would be no more crusades because it was found not because it was the last movie

 

[skier_pete]

I would be OK with this, but I would be happier with Bradley Cooper. I think he's the better actor, and Chris Pratt might bring a little too much snark to the role. I am all for handing over the reigns of Indiana Jones, but PLEASE not a snarky/jokey/funny Indiana. Not that those movies weren't funny, but the rumor was not in Indiana making funny quips.

 

[nkosiek]

As for the person who mentioned last crusade it was called that because they found the holy grail so they're would be no more crusades because it was found not because it was the last movie

There was nothing else left after that. It's not like Lucas and Spielberg had scripts ready to go when LC came out. They thought it would be the end, and rightfully so, he finished fighting the Nazis, made peace with his father, found the grail and they actually rode off into the sunset. If you really think Crystal Skull was on either George or Steven's mind when they finished LC I'd think you're wrong. Sure, they had an agreement for 5 but Spielberg and Lucas thought they ended it right.

They took the story to an end point that made sense and was satisfying. CS was a grab at nostalgia/cash(?) to bring the group back together that was an utterly horrible movie, even if it did have many of the the traditional Indy features.

 

[Asc341]

I would much rather see Chris Pratt as a character that exists in the Indiana Jones universe, than as Indiana Jones himself. Ignoring the Young Indiana Jones tv series, it's very hard for me to think of Indy without Harrison Ford. Which isn't how I feel about comic book characters or James Bond, for which casting different actors feel more natural.

I'd like to see a movie that followed the example of the later Bourne movies - they used Bourne's name for the title buzz, created new stories within the same universe, but didn't need to replace a character that we knew well enough already.

 

[old lady]

I guess Chris is better than Shia Labeouf.

I agree with you. I believe Chris Pratt is also in Jurassic world but he star in other movie.

 

[PortMickey]

Chris Pratt is Disney’s pick for the new Indiana Jones. Steven Spielberg may be directing him in the iconic role.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottme...s-prattsteven-spielberg-indiana-jones-reboot/

Article from Forbes:
"Chris Pratt is Walt Disney’s pick for the new Indiana Jones. Steven Spielberg may be directing him in the iconic role. That’s the crux of the rumor broken by Mike Fleming of Deadline on Friday just before Hollywood closed shop for the Oscar weekend. We heard last month that Mr. Pratt, whose Parks and Recreation is airing its two-part se… (wipes away tears)… series finale tonight, was the choice to take over for Harrison Ford as Dr. Henry Jones Jr. for whatever came next in the franchise. But the doozy is what was “announced” next. If Fleming is correct and the stars align in terms of the script and the casting, Mr. Spielberg has allegedly shown interest in helming the fifth Indiana Jones film. Okay fine, you have my interest and I’ll stop being a grump about this for a while. If Steven Spielberg isn’t going to be grouchy about this, then (for the moment) nor shall I.

As much as I might like the idea of Indiana Jones only being Harrison Ford, Mr. Ford is 72-years young. And as much as I like the idea of not feeling the need to keep a past-its-prime franchise sputtering along purely because of brand awareness,Walt Disneydidn’t procure the rights for future Indiana Jones pictures from Paramount/Viacom, Inc. to let the franchise end when Harrison Ford retired. In this age of endless franchises, Indiana Jones will live on one way or another. As somewhat fan casting-ish as that seemed on the heels of Pratt’s somewhat roguish turn in Guardians of the Galaxy, I’m not sure how much umbrage I should take considering Steven Spielberg and George Lucas went and cast Han Solo as Indiana Jones the first time around. Chris Pratt can do the gee-whiz adventure thing in a way that separates Orlando Bloom,Dwayne Johnson, and Brendan Fraser from, say, Jake Gyllenhaal or Ryan Reynolds. If I’m being honest with myself, there is no reason, beyond my inherent aversion to continuing ancient franchises, why the skeletal outline of the Indiana Jones franchise (part-time professor/part-time archeologist Dr. Jones races around the globe to find precious artifacts and fight bad guys) shouldn’t serve as a blueprint for a serious of semi-connected swashbuckling adventure films.

That was the original intent.Steven Spielberg wanted to direct a James Bond film but was turned down, so he teamed up with his buddy George Lucas and made Raiders of the Lost Ark instead, which ironically served to provide the first real competition to the 007 films in terms of real-world action adventure films (and established that Spielberg could bring in a major picture on time and on-budget). TheIndiana Jones films were intended to be an American version of James Bond, the kind of “see where Indy goes and what he finds next!” type adventure serial that would survive eventual recasting and changing of the artistic guard. That obviously didn’t happen, partially because Harrison Ford basically made Indiana Jones his own which made the notion of a new actor as Dr. Jones as likely as someone other than Bruce Willis playing John McClane and partially because the third film was followed by Spielberg, Lucas, and Ford going off in very separate directions and finding “fortune and glory” elsewhere. And if Disney finally plans to go that planned route with the franchise, and if Spielberg himself seems to be excited about it, who am I to argue?

Unlike Spielberg coming back for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it won’t be somewhat about Harrison Ford needing a big hit or George Lucas wanting to artistically recuperate from the less-beloved-than-expected Star Wars prequels. If Steven Spielberg chooses to become among the rare film makers (alongside Peter Jackson and John Glen) to direct five films in a single franchise, it will be presumably because he wants to and/or is excited by whatever is going on behind the scenes. Of course, the notion that Steven Spielberg was directing (coming off War of the Worlds and Munich) was the primary reason I was excited for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I rather liked the previous three Indiana Jones films but felt the time had passed. The film didn’t quite work, for a number of reasons, but neither did Hook and he followed that up with Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. And this isn’t Peter Jackson trudging back to Middle Earth after The Lovely Bones. Spielberg is still in a place where he can do whatever he wants.

So if Steven Spielberg, who 44 years afterDuel is still knocking out films like War Horse and Lincoln and making it look so easy that he barely gets a tip of the hat, decides that he wants another go at Indiana Jones, for what appears to be reason other than his own excitement at the prospect, who am I to be anything less than thrilled about that? Indiana Jones franchise was always going to come back in some form or another. Even (the disappointing but I would argue not quite bad) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull earned $317 million domestic and $786 million worldwide in glorious 2D back in 2008. The character and the franchise are too iconic and too beloved by older moviegoers who increasingly make up the bulk of the theatrical audience, and the template is almost too easy to walk away from, provided we can handle the notion of someone other than Sean Connery Michael Keaton Harrison Ford playing Indiana Jones. Considering the awareness and the structure that exists, it would be impossible if not financially foolhardy to resist raiding that tomb once more."