Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones franchise featuring the Hollywood star Harrison Ford is expected to conclude with the upcoming installment in the series. While it is expected to be the last addition to the franchise, it will be the first Indiana Jones movie not directed by Spielberg. However, he is still associated with the project as a producer. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is coming more than a decade after its predecessor, which received a lukewarm response from the audience.
Despite having a critic score of 78% and being one of the most successful films of 2008, it failed to impress the audience. Its audience score is 53%, and people described it as “bored and forced,” leading many to assume what M. Night Shyamalan might have had in store for the movie, which was rejected by the Oscar-winning director.
Steven Spielberg Rejected M. Night Shyamalan’s Idea
Followed by the massive success of The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan met Steven Spielberg to work on the script of Indiana Jones 4. It was long before the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. During an interview with Collider, Shyamalan was asked if he did come up with a plot for the film.
The Split director shared that he had some plans for the fourth installment in the action-adventure franchise. “I did have a take. I talked to everybody involved, and it was so nascent at that time that movie,” he said. He also shared that everyone had different ideas, but he had a “darker idea” for the film.
When asked if he had thought about the MacGuffin and the plot revolving around it, the Unbreakable director said, “I did, yeah. I had an idea.” Although he did not pitch the whole idea to the filmmakers, he still had them in his “green notebook.”
In an earlier interview, Shyamalan shared that the idea did not work for everyone as they were not on the same page at the time. Although the Glass director wanted to be a part of the franchise, as he loved Raiders of the Lost Ark, things did not work out for him.
Why Steven Spielberg Backed Out From Indiana Jones 5?
After directing the first four films in the franchise, Steven Spielberg stepped down as the director of Indiana Jones. The fifth and seemingly final film in the series is directed by James Mangold and brings back Harrison Ford as the adventurous archeologist.
Many assumed the reason behind stepping down as director could be his age or some disagreements with the studio. However, it was later revealed that the 76-year-old director himself decided to exit the franchise as director. Reports suggested that Spielberg wanted Indiana Jones to have a new perspective on the story.
He believed that a new director would be able to bring a new “perspective to the story.” Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is directed by James Mangold, who is known for his work in The Wolverine and the Oscar-nominated films, Logan and Ford V Ferrari.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is set to release on June 30, 2023.
Source: Collider
