The Shawshank Redemption filmmaker Frank Darabont has hit out at movie mogul George Lucas for preventing Steven Spielberg from shooting his script for the upcoming Indiana Jones sequel, claiming his efforts were "a waste of a year." Darabont wrote a screenplay for the highly-anticipated movie, which is still known by its working title of Indiana Jones 4, and insists director Spielberg was happy with it. However, producer Lucas didn't think it was good enough. Darabont tells MTV.com, "It showed me how badly things can go. I spent a year of very determined effort on something I was very excited about, working very closely with Steven Spielberg and coming up with a result that I and he felt was terrific. He wanted to direct it as his next movie, and then suddenly the whole thing goes down in flames because George Lucas doesn't like the script. I told him (Lucas) he was crazy. I said, 'You have a fantastic script. I think you're insane, George.' You can say things like that to George, and he doesn't even blink. He's one of the most stubborn men I know." He adds, "I have no idea if there's a shred of (my script) left. It was a tremendous disappointment and a waste of a year." And Darabont has no plans to reveal what his Indiana Jones script contains: "At this point, I don't give much of a damn what George thinks, but I wouldn't want to harm my friendship with Steven."
When I first heard this story I sided with Darabont, but now that Spielberg and Lucas have approved David Koepp's script, Darabont is sounding childish, playing one friend against the other. If I called someone "insane" and he didn't even blink, I wouldn't say he was stubborn; I'd say he was patient. If Darabont doesn't want to hurt his friendship with Spielberg, perhaps he shouldn't blast Spielberg's friend Lucas.
"If you hurt my friends and you hurt my pride, I gotta be a man. I can't let it slide."
2 comments:
As I understand it, Lucas ixnayed several scripts that Steven and Harrison Ford were happy with.
I think Frank is more pissed off at spending all of that time, working hand and hand with Steven, only to have Lucas blow it off. He spent a lot of time making adjustments as a result of Steven's suggestions.
My impression is that Steven is doing this film more to work with Ford and Lucas than anything else.
Several folks that read the script have said that they were completely baffled by Lucas shooting it down.
After the last three wretched Star Wars films, I have lost all confidence in George's cinematic judgement.
I have the same lack of faith in Lucas's judgment. I understand Darabont's frustration, and I would love to read his script. His comments just struck me as whiny.
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