Indiana Jones 4: The Scripts That Weren't
by Tom Burns

[Disclaimer: Although this is an exploration of previous unused Indy 4 scripts, alleged storylines, and information that has appeared online over the years, the aggregated info MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS AND THEORIES about the franchise at large. If you don't want to speculate along with us, we urge you to TURN BACK NOW.]

Script: Frank Darabont's INDIANA JONES 4 script

Writer: Frank Darabont (writer/director of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist, among others)

Authenticity: Don't wet yourselves... WE DON'T HAVE A COPY. We've simply heard the rumors like everyone else.

However, that's not to say that there aren't fake versions of Darabont's script flying around out there. We've heard about one alleged Darabont draft that worked in a lot of "already announced" details with excerpts from other internet Indy 4 fakes. Most notably, this faker apparently borrowed heavily from the Indy and son storyline in the known-bogus Indiana Jones and the Sons of Darkness, a fan script (mistakenly attributed to Jeffrey Boam for a long while) written by a guy named Robert Smith, hoping to jump start his screenwriting career. (For more on the Sons of Darkness, go here.)

So if you read anything online about Indy and his son Abner looking for Noah's Ark, beware. Besides, even Darabont himself commented recently that the whole "Shia as the son of Indy" aspect never appeared in his script. He told MTV that "That’s a whole new element that’s been brought in. Shia? I don’t remember writing that character." Darabont also mentioned that he considered writing the script - a screenplay that apparently both Spielberg and Ford wanted to film until Lucas refused to accept it - "a waste of a year... 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". Darabont later told MTV that he wasn't holding a grudge and wanted to move on.

The two big questions surrounding Darabont's Indy 4 script are - "How much of Darabont's draft is David Koepp using?" and "Will Darabont appeal to the WGA to get a screenwriting credit?"

For hardcore Indy fans, who lovingly remember Darabont's work on the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, there's a lot of buzz surrounding these questions. You can bet that if Darabont doesn't get credit on Indy 4, there are going to be a lot of people that COULD BE interested in making Darabont's draft public, so that the fan community can judge for themselves how much Frank contributed to the final product. (Much like how Brian Helgeland's original cut of Payback hit the bootleg circuit after Mel Gibson took over control of the film.)

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