Harrison Ford Talks Indiana Jones 5 – Spielberg’s Involvement, Crystal Skull Critics, And De-ageing

Karen Allen says Marion was originally a bigger part in previous versions of Indiana Jones 5.

In a recent THR interview about his full career Harrison Ford talks Indiana Jones 5 including Steven Spielberg’s involvement, and how the de-ageing process was completed. Ford also shows no concerns over Crystal Skull critics, however I have a few words on that subject. However let’s start with how much Steven Spielberg was involved in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. As you probably already know, Spielberg directed all previous Indy movies, but this time decided to step aside and let James Mangold have a go. However as Ford explains, Jim Mangold may be the director, but Spielberg is still involved heavily.

“Jim developed the script, so I knew what we were getting when we were going in that direction. But Steven’s still on the picture and has always been on the picture. He’s not the director this time, but he’s intimately involved.”

Surely it must be hard for SS to take a back seat in a franchise he was instrumental in building? However as Ford says, this is Mangold’s idea and his script. Let’s see how it goes this Summer.

De-Ageing

If you’ve watched any of the trailers for Dial of Destiny then you already know there are scenes where Ford was de-aged for flashbacks. Far as we can tell, the cold open of the movie is a flashback to the mid 40’s when Indy was fighting in WWII. However Ford says here whilst he wasn’t keen on the idea to begin with, they really have gone to another level with the process this time.

“I never loved the idea until I saw how it was accomplished in this case — which is very different than the way it’s been done in other films I’ve seen. They’ve got every frame of film, either printed or unprinted, of me during 40 years of working with Lucasfilm on various stuff. I can act the scene and they sort through with AI every f*****g foot of film to find me in that same angle and light. It’s bizarre and it works and it is my face.”

This technology has been improving exponentially recently and it sounds like Dial of Destiny may take it to another level. I know we don’t see much in the trailer, but what we do see, looks like they went back in time and used Ford in the early 90’s.

The Elephant In The Room

I guess the one thing which is tempering some fans excitement is that we’ve been here before with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film was received badly by both fans and critics alike. In my opinion those criticisms are largely correct, though that is always subjective. You get the feeling Ford just doesn’t care based on what he says about other flops in his career. It’s not his job to make sure a movie is great and sells well, it’s his job to give the director what he wants and help market the movie after. Though, I would also say perhaps Ford is being a bit harsh on some critics as you’ll see.

“No. I mean, [the critics] were harsh on it, but what are they doing now? I understand. But those were their rules — not [director Steven Spielberg’s and co-writer George Lucas’] rules. They were imposing their rules on what the movie should be. I don’t feel it’s necessary to address those issues. I think that everyone has a right to their opinion. The film was not as successful as we wanted it to be, perhaps. But it didn’t create an attitude or a behaviour that carried over into this film.”

RELATED: Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny Trailer Puts Indy Front And Center

I wasn’t writing for LRM back then, but I was absolutely a critic. So where are they now? Still online calling that film a pile of crap, and it was for the most part. However that is merely my opinion and there are probably some fans who enjoy it. I must admit I’ve not come across many though. I guess there’s one good thing in what Ford says. That there was no carry over into this movie, as far as Ford is concerned anyway.

We will have some more Indy talk from this interview later today, so keep an eye out for that.

What do you think as Harrison Ford talks Indiana Jones 5 including Steven Spielberg’s involvement, Crystal Skull critics, and the de-ageing process? As always, leave any thoughts below.

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