Despite saying publicly in May that he felt he had “dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished” with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Shia LaBeouf will still be involved in Indy 5.

Last June LaBeouf said Spielberg had “cracked the story”, which was followed by an update from Harrison Ford in September who said the film is in the “process of taking form” and “Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and myself are agreed on what the fifth adventure will concern”.

Now the latest update from LaBeouf suggests we are in for a crazy time.

From ShowBiz Spy:

“They’re script writing right now,” says Shia. “I got called into Steven’s office and he pitched a little bit to me and it sounds crazy, it sounds really cool.”

Earlier this year Shia said Transformers 3 was going to be the “craziest action movie ever made”, so i’m not sure where Indian Jones 5 will rank on his crazy-o-meter, but Spielberg and Lucas must have come up with something special if the guy who has worked on Michael Bay’s biggest movies thinks it’s crazy.

Spielberg is currently filming his World War I epic War Horse which will be released August 2011, so the fifth Indiana Jones movie may be his next project.

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UPDATE: Frank Marshall’s twitter:

The rumor about INDY 5 is completely false. Nothing has changed, we are not shooting next year and still in the research phase…

Ah well.

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A source for New Zealand site Stuff claims to have details on the fifth entry in the Indiana Jones series: apparently the “conclusion to the franchise” will take Indy & co. into the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. Many planes having been reported missing in this weird area of the North Atlantic Ocean, it seems like a fitting setting for an Indy adventure; Steven Spielberg and George Lucas could come up with all sorts of crazy things to have going on within it.

According to the source, Indiana Jones 5 will begin shooting next year, Lucas and Spielberg having almost completed the script. Shia LaBeouf will reportedly return as Indy’s son, but apparently the film will go back to the series’s “roots,” as opposed to opting for a special effects bonanza like the one seen in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:

“Shia LaBeouf has a central role again as Indy’s son but this will be a blockbuster made in the old fashioned way rather than the CGI efforts of the last movie.”

The source interestingly refers to the fifth film as an “emotional and exciting conclusion” (note conclusion), and says that Indiana will face his “biggest challenge yet.” I guess the holy grail, aliens, and heart-ripping sorcerer-types still weren’t enough.

While I didn’t think Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a necessary addition to the series, it was pretty fun, and I enjoyed it more than most. Though it’d be cool if Spielberg and Lucas could successfully end the franchise with a film that returns to the quality of The Last Crusade. It’s a gamble, considering they could just take the whole thing even further downhill. I love Spielberg’s work, but are we gonna trust the guy responsible for the Star Wars prequels?

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I don’t know whether there’s something in the water at the Cannes Film Festival, or whether Shia LaBeouf is always this direct, but he’s made yet more comments on past movies he isn’t fond of.

Earlier this week the actor said he “wasn’t impressed” with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and today when discussing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull he said he feels like he “dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished”.

From The L.A. Times:

“You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on Steven [Spielberg, who directed]. But the actor’s job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn’t do it. So that’s my fault. Simple.”

LaBeouf said that he could have kept quiet, especially given the movie’s blockbuster status, but didn’t think the film had fooled anyone. “I think the audience is pretty intelligent. I think they know when you’ve made (slop). And I think if you don’t acknowledge it, then why do they trust you the next time you’re promoting a movie.” LaBeouf went on to say he wasn’t the only star on the film who felt that way. “We [Harrison Ford and LaBeouf] had major discussions. He wasn’t happy with it either. Look, the movie could have been updated. There was a reason it wasn’t universally accepted.”

Asked whether this was difficult to say, given his deep relationship with Spielberg, LaBeouf continued with the directness.

“I’ll probably get a call. But he needs to hear this. I love him. I love Steven. I have a relationship with Steven that supersedes our business work. And believe me, I talk to him often enough to know that I’m not out of line. And I would never disrespect the man. I think he’s a genius, and he’s given me my whole life. He’s done so much great work that there’s no need for him to feel vulnerable about one film. But when you drop the ball you drop the ball.”

It’s refreshing to see an actor give honest answers instead of just hiding behind the PR people. Crystal Skull may have been the worst reviewed Indiana Jones movie (77% on Rotten Tomatoes) and there were a few problems here and there (such as with the monkey scene which Shia mentioned), but it wasn’t that bad.

LaBeouf said last year that Spielberg has “cracked the story” for Indiana Jones 5, so maybe they’ll be able to work out their mistakes (Shia already knows his) and improve the next outing.

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The state of the fifth Indiana Jones movie is still something of a mystery. In the sense that we know it’s happening and that the story probably exists on one of George Lucas’ laptops somewhere. The most recent update we received was from Harrison Ford who suggested that the MacGuffin has been settled on and a script might possibly exist.

Now, from Ireland Online – complete with all the grains of salt this source comes with – is suggesting that Indy 5 might bring Sean Connery out of retirement:

The 79-year-old actor turned down the chance to reprise his role as the father of the daredevil archaeologist in last movie ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’, and the script hinted his character Professor Henry Jones had passed away.

However, creators on the next movie, the fifth in the hugely successful franchise, are planning to bring Henry back.

A source said: “Steven Spielberg has been working on a script with George Lucas and there is an element of the story that could see Sean returning. Anything is possible in these movies and if Sean wants to return he will become central to the new story.”

Central to the new story, you say? ZOMBIES!, says I. Zombie Henry Jones could be the next fridge to be nuked.

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Back in June Shia LaBeouf said that Steven Spielberg had “cracked the story” for Indiana Jones 5 and would be “gearing that up”, and now Harrison Ford has said basically the same, just with a bit more info.

Harrison Ford told France’s Le Figaro (via People) that “the story for the new Indiana Jones is in the process of taking form. Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and myself are agreed on what the fifth adventure will concern, and George is actively at work. If the script is good, I’ll be very happy to put the costume on again.”

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull earned $786.6 million worldwide last year so a sequel was bound to happen. In 3 years time Harrison Ford will become 70 years old and I think they should release Indy 5 on his birthday (July 13th). If they decide to go through with it remember you heard it here first.

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While on the rounds for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Shia LaBeouf spoke to the BBC about his future films, and he mentioned that Indiana Jones 5 now has a story lined out courtesy of Steven Spielberg.

“Steven [Spielberg] just said that he cracked the story on it before I left and I think they’re gearing that up”

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull made a huge $786.6 million worldwide, so there is definitely people out there who would be up for another crack of the whip. At the end of Crystal Skull there was a scene which hinted that the torch could be handed over to Shia, however Ford picked up the hat at the last minute which suggested he hasn’t quite finished yet.

You can watch the full interview here.

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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has made $783 million worldwide, and is expected to add more $$$ when it is released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 14th. In today’s Hollywood climate, any movie that makes those kinds of numbers will almost certainly get a sequel, so will that be the case for the Indiana Jones franchise?

Harrison Ford spoke to The Los Angeles Times and told the world that George Lucas is currently dreaming up a fifth installment.

“It’s crazy but great. … George is in think mode right now” about Indy V.

Ford continued, “It’s automatic, really, we did well with the last one and with that having done well and been a positive experience, it’s not surprising that some people want to do it again.”

The 66 year-old star said there was no one party — himself, Lucas or director Steven Spielberg — in particular who was pushing for another sequel. “Really, it comes from the ethos, from the ether. It’s natural. It’s a way of nature, of course, success breed opportunities,” Ford said, adding, “also we don’t stay as closely in contact as have in the last year, that’s part of it.”

Would you be interested in seeing a fifth Indiana Jones movie? I think if they are going to do it they need to do it rather soon, as Harrison isn’t getting any younger!

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In a new interview, George Lucas said that “it’s more than a strong possibility there will be a fifth Indiana Jones,” [and] says that “he and director Steven Spielberg have left the door open for a sequel to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

Interesting! What would Indy & Co. be up to this fifth time around?

“I haven’t even told Steven or Harrison this,” Lucas said. “But I have an idea to make Shia [LaBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison [Ford] come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out.

“And it’s not like Harrison is even old,” he said, backpedaling fast. “I mean, he’s 65 and he did everything in this movie. The old chemistry is there, and it’s not like he’s an old man. He’s incredibly agile; he looks even better than he did 20 years ago, if you ask me.”

So it looks like young LaBeouf could be taking over for a generation of younger fans!

Is it just me, or does anyone else wish that they were Shia right now? Not only does he have Steven Spielberg in his back pocket, but now George Lucas, too! And, with Transformers 2 set to begin filming in June, he couldn’t be riding a higher wave!

Props, LaBeouf! Just make sure to start away from those convenient stores and everything will BE OKAY.

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