HARRISON Ford, Steven Spielberg and Shia LaBeouf have been talking about their experiences of making the fourth Indiana Jones movie, Kingdom of The Crystal Skull in the Official Indiana Jones Magazine.

The 100-page edition, being published by Titan Magazines in conjunction with a new Official Indiana Jones Comic [both on May 22], boasts exclusive interviews with cast and crew members, as well as fascinating insights into the process behind making the film.

In these exclusive excerpts, we give you an insight into what Indy himself, Harrison Ford, felt about the prospect of reuniting the Jones boys for a fourth time, how Shia LaBeouf felt about joining such a formidable team, and why Steven Spielberg consulted so many writers before deciding on the right story and script.

Ford, however, maintains that it was an easy choice to dust off the whip and don that hat once again, stating: “The pleasure of success is it gives you license to do it again with the same people. It’s a mark of the respect that you have for what they’ve brought to the table.

“To be reunited with George and Steven and Kathy [Kennedy] and Frank [Marshall] – who are the original producers – and many of the other people who were part of the original three films is a great delight.”

And commenting on his young co-star, Shia LaBeouf [who has been rapidly making a name for himself with roles in Disturbia and Transformers], he added: “I didn’t know Shia at all when I heard that he was Steven’s choice to play my son. But he has turned out to be not just a wonderful actor with an inventive, unique, original personality and real storytelling sensibilities, but also just a sweet guy.”

LaBeouf himself – who is said not have read the script before agreeing to appear in the franchise – is equally thrilled to have been given the opportunity of playing such an important part in the fourth film.

“This whole process is the most terrifying and electrifying experience of my life because of not knowing what to expect, and then with all the press. I was thrown into this: Steven just said: “Welcome to Indiana Jones.”

And commenting on his legendary co-star and comparisons with the character he plays, LaBeouf adds: “Indy’s the ultimate man who gets put in the situations that you want the ultimate man to be put in.

“He is very rough around the edges, but he is a really good person and that’s the way Harrison is. When you first see Harrison on the set, you get breathless.”

LaBeouf, himself, underwent a rigorous physical training programme to be ready for some of the demanding stunts – but despite having to learn how to ride a motorbike, he maintains that the sword-fighting proved the biggest challenge to conquer.

“The swordfight was by far the most challenging aspect of the physical side of my character. It was even harder than learning to ride the bike.”

Given that the first three films in the Indiana Jones franchise are so revered it was never going to be an easy task for director Steven Spielberg and producers Frank Marshall and George Lucas to come up with a new idea so many years after they’d completed The Last Crusade [in 1989].

Several high-profile screenwriters were approached and consulted for ideas, including – at various points – M Night Shyamalan and Frank Darabont [of The Shawshank Redemption fame].

Commenting on Darabont’s involvement, Spielberg told the Official Indiana Jones Magazine: “I originally brought in Frank, who is not only a great writer and a great filmmaker as we all know, but also a huge Indiana Jones fan and knows the genre.

“Frank agreed with great enthusiasm to come on board and collaborate with me, in writing his own script for a fourth installment. We had many great meetings and spent a lot of time kicking the tires and putting as many of George’s ideas as we could into the mix, plus a lot of my ideas.”

However, it was not to be and the difficult task of adapting the story into a screenplay eventually fell to David Koepp, a long-time Spielberg collaborator, who has also been responsible for scripts for Carlito’s Way, Mission: Impossible and the original Spider-Man.

Commenting further, Spielberg added: “Later on, I went to David Koepp, who has written a number of my films, including Jurassic Park and The Lost World and War of the Worlds.

“He’s also written some amazing other movies for other directors, and he’s also an accomplished director himself. When I called David, there was a big pause on the telephone and he said: ‘I have been waiting for you to ask me to write this thing for 15 years! Long before you and I ever met or worked together – finally I’m getting a chance!’

“It was great phone call! He committed on the spot, and then he wrote the script that became the movie.”

And, thus far, critics have mostly been kind to the finished film, with many giving it a round of applause following its world premiere in Cannes. Critics in London, meanwhile, were treated to an introduction from Crystal Skull co-star John Hurt, who said, quite simply: “I hope you have as good a time watching the movie as we did in making it.”

Read our verdict on Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull or find out more about the Official Indiana Jones Magazine

All of the above quotes are courtesy of the official magazine, which is on sale – through Titan Magazines – now. Visit the Titan Magazines website

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