Just days after Lucasfilm and Disney announced thatSteven SpielbergandHarrison Fordareofficially reuniting to bringIndiana Jones 5to the screen, the long-in-the-works project now has a screenwriter. This sequel is unique in thatGeorge Lucas, who came up with the story idea and produced the previous fourIndiana Jonesfilms, is not involved—officially at least—but Spielberg is enlisting a trusted collaborator to pen the screenplay:David Koepp.
PerTHR, theJurassic Parkscribe has been tapped to bring this newIndiana Jonesfilm to the screen, marking the fifth film Koepp has written for Spielberg, whose collaborations also includeThe Lost World: Jurassic Park,War of the Worlds, andIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Yes indeed, Koepp worked on the much-derided fourthIndyfilm so this isn’t his first time writing for the character, but Koepp was one of a number of writers who worked on that script, with the official story credit going to Lucas and Spielberg’sCatch Me If You CanscribeJeff Nathanson.
I was personally holding out hope that a differentIndiana Jones 4scribe would be enlisted for this latest film:Frank Darabont. TheShawshank Redemptionfilmmaker famously wrote a script that Spielberg and Ford apparently sparked to, but which Lucas did not. Given that a unanimous vote of confidence has been the deciding factor in allIndyfilms, Darabont’s script was tossed, and he was none too pleased. His script made its way online and wasmuchbetter than the final version ofCrystal Skullwe got, so I was hoping he might finally get to bringIndiana Jonesto the screen, but alas, Spielberg has chosen Koepp for the gig.
Koepp’s resume is pretty diverse and, honestly, uneven. He’s delivered some stellar work like the aforementionedJurassic ParkandWar of the Worlds, as well asSpider-ManandPanic Room, but he’s also responsible for writing or co-writingAngels & DemonsandJack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, and he wrote and directed the oddJohnny DeppvehicleSecret Window. His next directorial effort,Premium Rush, was fun enough, but then he went and directedMortdecaiso never really know with Koepp; this could go either way. He most recently pennedRon Howard’s thirdDan BrownadaptationInferno.
It’s unclear what kind of story Spielberg and Ford are tackling forIndiana Jones 5and whether Lucas is involved, but with Koepp now onboard the screenwriting and story phase will begin while Spielberg prepares to start shooting his next feature,Ready Player One, this summer. Production onIndiana Jones 5could get underway as soon as next summer/fall or as late as Summer 2018, as its release date of June 25, 2025 is still a ways off. Regardless,Indiana Jones 5is now very much a reality.
