New "Indiana Jones"?
In this Empire magazine article (found via SciFi Wire), George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford discuss the possibility of making the next installment in the Indiana Jones series, which is referenced simply as 'Indy IV'.
They are targeting a 2008 release date for this future blockbuster. However, Lucas says getting the band back together was difficult. “Before I was just working with Steven and Harrison. Now everybody’s a superstar, so it’s a little bit more difficult than it was thenâ€.
“I discovered a McGuffin,†continues Lucas, still reluctant to name said McGuffin. “I told the guys about it and they were a little dubious about it, but it’s the best one we’ve ever found… Unfortunately, it was a little too ‘connected’ for the others. They were afraid of what the critics would think. They said, “Can’t we do it with a different McGuffin? Can’t we do this?†and I said “Noâ€. So we pottered around with that for a couple of years. And then Harrison really wanted to do it and Steve said, “Okayâ€. I said, “We’ll have to go back to that original MacGuffin and take out the offending parts of it and we’ll still use that area of the supernatural do deal with itâ€.
Besides the obvious question of 'What the heck is a McGuffin?', there are a few things that bother me here. First, they are going to take out 'the offending parts'. In my experience, the offending parts are probably the most interesting parts. Second, although I am glad that he stuck to his original idea (in part), the concern that the critics would think the idea was 'too connected' gives me some pause. I would prefer a thinking storyline, rather than a vanilla installment that just cashes in on the Indiana Jones franchise. I really would like something better than 'The Phantom Menace'.
Although the interview is vague, it does leave some clues to the proposed plot of 'Indy IV'. There is a Mcguffin...it might be 'too connected'...it has a supernatural aspect...it might be incendiary (although they are leaving those parts out). Thus, I say this one will be about the now-aged Nazis who are living in either Antartica or South American begin a quest for the Spear of Destiny. Hitler was supposedly obsessed with the spear that pierced the side of Jesus. Popular myth says that the spear makes the wielder immortal and near-invicible, but if the wielder loses the Spear, they will die. It's has the Nazi connection (maybe 'too connected') and it could be considered 'incendiary' if they bring in a UFO link to the Spear mythology, especially if they relate it to the crucifixion.
I was curious about "McGuffin" too, so I looked it up on Wikipedia:
"A MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin or Maguffin) is a plot device that motivates the characters and advances the story, but has little other relevance to the story itself.
The element that distinguishes a MacGuffin from other types of plot devices is that it is not important what object the MacGuffin specifically is. Anything that serves as a motivation will do. A true MacGuffin is essentially interchangeable. Its importance will generally be accepted completely by the story's characters, with minimal explanation. From the audience's perspective, the MacGuffin is not the point of the story.
The technique is common in films, especially thrillers. Commonly, though not always, the MacGuffin is the central focus of the film in the first act, and then declines in significance as the struggles and motivations of the characters take center stage. Sometimes the MacGuffin is all but forgotten by the end of the film.
Because a MacGuffin is, by definition, ultimately unimportant to the story, its use can test the suspension of disbelief of audiences. Well-done works will compensate for this, with a good story, interesting characters, talented acting/writing, and so on. Inferior films, which fail in those areas, often only highlight a MacGuffin, sometimes to the point of ridiculousness. MacGuffins may be acceptable to the general audience, but fail to be believable for experts in the subject matter (such as a particular technology, or historical detail)."
Does that really help us? No!!! :-)
-- Posted by: perrin at August 22, 2006 2:14 PM