Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull scribe David Koepp was one of many writers tasked with penning the script for the fifth installment of the title archeologist's film series. Now, Koepp had opened up about what he believes to be one of the main issues facing the script during his time working with Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, and Disney.
When Disney officially announced the development of a fifth Indiana Jones film, Koepp was attached to write the screenplay with Steven Spielberg returning to the director's chair. Over the course of development, Koepp would be succeeded by Solo: A Star Wars Story co-writer Jonathan Kasdan and, reportedly, This is Us creator Dan Fogelman. Eventually, Koepp would rejoin the project to try his hand at delivering another screenplay in 2019.
However, Koepp would depart from the fifth Indiana Jones film for a second time following Steven Spielberg's decision to exit the project and hand directorial duties to a new filmmaker. During an interview with Den of Geek, Koepp noted that one of the main reasons why it was difficult to deliver a satisfactory script was because the key players involved couldn't get on the same page. "I tried a couple of different versions with Steven and they all had some good stuff about them and they all had some stuff that didn’t work, which happens," he explained. "But it was just very hard to have everybody come together and have all the elements — Steven, Harrison (Ford), the script and Disney — come together at once. And it didn’t."
Logan director James Mangold would later sign on to direct Indiana Jones 5 while Steven Spielberg will now serve solely as a producer. "When James Mangold came in and Steven stepped out, that was a pretty logical breaking point. It’s a gracious time to step out the door because I think the last thing a new director wants is the old director’s writer. I mean, that’s a drag. The last thing you need is some guy sitting around with his arms folded saying, ‘Well, the way Steven would have done it is…" Koepp said of his decision to leave the project once Spielberg's successor had been hired. Despite his decision to step away from the project, Koepp noted that he was able to have at least one discussion with Mangold, saying, "I had one nice friendly conversation with him and then I’m sure he wanted to be able to move on anyway. Everybody was pretty polite, I thought."
It may be hard to imagine an Indiana Jones film without Steven Spielberg at the helm, especially considering the filmmaker had directed every previous installment of the series since Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, Mangold has proven himself more than capable of continuing the stories of well-established heroes, having delivered what many consider to be a fitting conclusion to Hugh Jackman's seventeen-year tenure as Wolverine with Logan.
On the other hand, there is some question as to whether or not a fifth Indiana Jones film is necessary. The third chapter of the film series, The Last Crusade, was considered to be a satisfactory conclusion to Indy's adventures and there are concerns that a fifth installment could fare as well as the lambasted Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 29, 2022.
Source: Den of Geek