Indy 4 Dossier: What We Know to Date
by Tom Burns

[Disclaimer: If you DON'T WANT TO KNOW anything about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, catch up to the already available online information, read any STORY SPOILERS or SPECULATION, see new theories on what might happen in the movie, or see SPOILERS OF ANY KIND concerning Indiana Jones IV, this article isn't for you and we urge you to TURN BACK NOW. You've been warned. Proceed at your own risk. This article isn't designed to spoil the new Indiana Jones movie for anyone, but instead aggregate all of the information to date into one place.]

CAST:

You can’t have an Indiana Jones movie without Harrison Ford (someone should’ve told that to the producers of The Phantom), so, of course, Han Solo is back in the title role. While everyone originally thought that Sean Connery was a lock for, at least, a cameo as Indy’s dad, the Scottish icon decided to stay retired from acting and decline (and yet, he showed up for League of Extraordinary Gentlemen... funny).

When Connery dropped out, his role was re-written for John Hurt who is strongly rumored to be playing Indy’s early mentor Abner Ravenwood. Speaking of Ravenwoods, possibly THE most heralded announcement regarding Indiana Jones 4 was the surprise reveal at last year’s San Diego Comic Con that Karen Allen, Marion Ravenwood herself, Indy’s love interest in Raiders of the Lost Ark, would be returning in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And that might not be the only relative joining the mix.

Early on, it was rumored (and eventually announced) that Spielberg protégé Shia LaBeouf would play Indy’s sidekick this time around, but instead of being a Short Round-esque orphan, this kid - a leather-jacket-wearing T-Birds reject named Mutt - is allegedly Indiana and Marion’s love child. That hasn’t been confirmed, but check out his name. (Apparently, both Indiana and Mutt were named after the dog.)

Aside from Karen Allen and the LeBeouf, the next biggest casting coup was Spielberg locking multiple Oscar-nominee Cate Blanchett as the sinister USSR dominatrix-like Agent Spalko. Other cast members include Beowulf’s Ray Winstone as Mac, a character Frank Marshall described to MTV as a mixture between Belloq and Sallah Belloq, a "Friend and competitor," and Jim Broadbent as a Yale colleague of Indy’s (seen as a replacement for the late Denholm Elliot).

OUR OPINION: We know this is an Indiana Jones movie, but forget Indy, we’re most excited about the women in this one. Karen Allen’s Marion was the perfect foil for Dr. Jones in Raiders, and Blanchett is simply one of the world’s best actresses. The idea of her getting to get all pulpy and villainous makes our blood pressure rise. We’re sad that Sallah and Marcus Brody won’t be appearing, but at least Spielberg replaced them with actors of a spectacular pedigree. The only potential worry is Shia. Not that we don’t like the guy - Disturbia was way, way better than we’d expected - but young sidekicks are a hard thing to pull off. One too many "old man" jokes, and he can join Short Round... wherever Indy left him.

Indy 4 Dossier Page 4 - Story Speculation and Final Opinion (MAJOR SPOILERS/SPECULATION)