MTV have posted a news item debating the possible meaning of the confirmed Indy 4 title via a Harvard lecturer. Here are some extracts from the article,

“Although crystal skulls were once displayed in museums across the globe (including the Smithsonian) as proof of ancient Mayan grinding technology, they’re actually all fakes, most likely manufactured in late 19th-century Germany. Zender said this makes the artifacts “as perfectly legitimate a subject for Indy’s fictional adventures as either the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail.

[...]

hey’re not attached to any real ancient tradition. Every true believer has a slightly different take on them,” Zender sighed. “As with most romances, by the end of it, the skull will have to be destroyed and the [ancient] civilization will pass away. But we’ll just have to wait and see how.”

AICN in the mean time have pointed out a fascinating documentary on YouTube concerning a Mayan Crystal Skull discovered in the 1920s.

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The Edmond Sun newspaper has a profile of a local actor (Tyler Nelson) with a part in Indiana Jones 4, although it seems he decided not to respect his non-disclosure agreement, spilling all to the newspaper and upsetting the Indy production team. The article itself has now been removed (or is suffering overwhelming traffic problems) after being linked to from AICN, but the highlights are still available after the break (major spoilers herein!).

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I’ve picked out the Indy highlights for you, if you want to read the full interview with George Lucas head over to TV Guide.

TV Guide: Speaking of friends working together… you and Steven Spielberg — how’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull going?
Lucas: Very well. Very well indeed.

TV Guide: Were you disappointed about Sean Connery not coming out of retirement to play Indy’s father?
Lucas: No, in the end, it turned out better. In the beginning, he was just in a little bit of it, and I think with the strength of Sean Connery, people would’ve wanted him to go all the way through the whole thing, and the story really didn’t work that way. And so I think there would’ve been some disappointment that [his character] dropped out partway through the movie. By having somebody else fill that role, you lose him without any regret, so to speak, even though we got a great actor to play the part. And I mean, he’s not his father, so it’s much easier….

TV Guide: You mean [the other actor] is not playing Indy’s father?
Lucas: That’s right. It’s just a completely different character, so you’re not invested in him in any way. The fact that that character, after the first part of the movie, isn’t needed doesn’t become a problem. Whereas I think with the scene we had, where [Indy] says goodbye to his dad, everybody was, “Wait a minute! Isn’t he coming back?” So in the end, I think it turned out for the best. Sean just retired and he wants to stay retired, and I understand that. [Laughs] I think he just said, “Look, I’ve done it, I’ve done it.” He was very tempted, you know, and we talked for a long time. But in the end, he just said, “Eh, I’m playing golf.”

TV Guide: Anything about the film that’s been out there, wrong Internet buzz, that you want to correct?
Lucas: Well, I don’t really read the Internet buzz.

TV Guide: Probably healthy.
Lucas: Yeah, I don’t get involved in all that. A film is what it is. And you know, I think it’s turned out well. It’s very funny, it’s very exciting, and it’s everything that the other ones were. I can’t wait to see it! [Laughs]

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In an interview with Entertainment Weekly Cate Blanchett spoke about her experiences working with Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones 4:

[What] can you tell me about the Indiana Jones film?
It’s phenomenal to be working with Harrison Ford and Spielberg and Karen Allen, all of whom were in one of the most amazing experiences of my childhood, watching that film. And then I’m stepping into the frame. It’s a real Zelig moment for me. It was really quite moving when Karen filmed her first entry into the film the other day. You know, Spielberg said, ”I feel so young!” [Laughs] It was fantastic.

And what is the Spielberg experience?
Look, he’s an absolute master. He knows the genre like the back of his hand, and he makes fantastic suggestions. He’s really fast and incredibly creative. Like, if a shot’s not working, he’d completely change it and do something equally as amazing. And it’s weird, because I feel like I know all the movies as an audience [member]. I know all the lighting, I know all the elements. But it’s coming together in a new way. And Harrison looks f—ing great.

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Eugh (my first reaction). This is now, officially, the official (repeated to make sure) title for the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. Here is the statement from IndianaJones.com:

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (Sept. 9, 2007) - The title of the new Indiana Jones adventure, now in production under the direction of Steven Spielberg, is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it was revealed today by actor Shia LaBeouf. LaBeouf, who stars in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with Harrison ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone and John Hurt, announced the title during today’s MTV Video Music Awards, which were broadcast live from Las Vegas.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a Lucasfilm Ltd. production, and is being distributed by Paramount Pictures. It will be released in the U.S. and simultaneously in most territories worldwide on Thursday, May 22, 2008. Frank Marshall returns as producer, with Kathleen Kennedy joining George Lucas as executive producer.

And here is a logo via AICN:

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