Jon Kasdan Confirms Indiana Jones 5 Script with Hilarious Tweet

Jon Kasdan is well known for his hilarious tweets and this time he’s really outdone himself responding to a fan’s question about Indiana Jones 5. Multiple sources have confirmed that the co-writer of 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story is rewriting the script for the upcoming sequel and filming is expected to begin in April 2019.

The fifth movie in the Indiana Jones saga was originally expected to be released in 2020 but has since been delayed amid news that screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible) has been replaced by Kasdan who is now re-writing the film’s much-anticipated screenplay. Should the movie be released in 2021 instead, it will mark forty years since the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, the first movie in the series.

A fan on Twitter enquired as to whether Kasdan truly was to write the new script. Kasdan’s reply was pure gold as he used a quote from Raiders to make his point, explaining that Lucasfilm has “top men” working on the screenplay. Fans will easily recognise the illustrious quote from the end of the movie. As Indy enquires of Major Eaton as to what will become of the treasured Ark, concerned that it will fall into the hands of inept bureaucrats, Eaton replies that he has “top men working on it”. A top-secret crate is then seen in a large warehouse, locked up and hidden away, presumably never to be opened again.

Kasdan hails from a family of household names. His Father, the legendary Lawrence Kasdan co-wrote several instalments of the Star Wars saga as well as the first movie in the Indiana Jones franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark and 1992 romantic thriller The Bodyguard starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. His brother is Golden Globe nominated writer-director Jake Kasdan, one of the great minds behind Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and the director of 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

To have come from such a talented family and whilst being an exemplary writer and director in his own right, it will certainly be interesting to see how Jon Kasdan approaches a script for the Indiana Jones saga. Steven Spielberg is set to direct the sequel and it will, of course, star veteran actor Harrison Ford who will be returning to the screen as the legendary Indiana Jones for the first time since 2008’s The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Xbox Games With Gold & PlayStation Plus Free Games for July Revealed

Microsoft and Sony have pulled the curtain on next month’s free games for premium Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus members. A fresh assortment of free downloadable games will be available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4 and PlayStation Vita from the 1^st of July.

Every month, premium members of Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus are privy to a host of free games on their favourite consoles. The quality of free releases tends to fluctuate but every now and then, they give players a gem as a little bonus for maintaining a premium membership. Some examples of those times both platforms have been particularly kind to players include April 2015 when Xbox Live offered the classic pirate adventure Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and even just this June PlayStation Plus have let players have Call of Duty: Black Ops III for free.

This coming July, Xbox Live are releasing twin-stick shooter Assault Android Cactus and Death Squared, a multiplayer co-op brain teaser by SMG for Xbox One on the 1^st and 16^th respectively. For Xbox 360, players can enjoy Virtual Fighter 5: Final Showdown from July 1^st and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, the sixth of eight instalments in the series released back in 2010 on the 16^th.

PS4 users will be getting martial arts RPG Absolver and choice-based noir thriller Heavy Rain for free this month. PlayStation Plus are also giving PS3 players Rayman 3 HD and Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess as well as Space Overlords and Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma PlayStation Vita.

If you haven’t yet taken advantage of June’s free games, it’s not too late. You can still pick up LEGO Indiana Jones 2 on both Xbox consoles. Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia is still available on Xbox One as well as Smite which can still be downloaded until July 15^th.

PlayStation Plus is still offering Squares and Atomic Ninjas on Vita, Zombie Driver HD: Complete Edition and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier on PS3 and Trials Fusion and XCOM 2 on PS4 until July 3^rd and as a bonus, PlayStation Plus members can download Call of Duty: Black Ops III for free until July 11^th. I think we can all agree it’s not an exemplary line-up this month from either console but then who can say no to a free game?

Negative Movie Reviews are Ruining the Business

A strange phenomenon has befallen the film industry in the modern age. Movie reviews are becoming increasingly pessimistic as the fashion turns towards cynicism amongst writers. Movie news written by fans on the internet is seen before articles published in the mainstream media (yes, I am aware of some hypocrisy at this point), meaning angry fans’ views are seen as more valid and taken more seriously. The writers can afford to keep articles more opinion based without the same fear of backlash from the film industry and that opinion seems to be almost invariably negative, encouraging moviegoers to feel pre-emptively disappointed in a film before they’ve even seen it. For the sake of the article, let’s call it the Cynicism Effect.

Filmmaking is an extremely expressive, not to mention expensive artform. Thousands of cast members and crew are involved in every production working their fingers to the bone and often travelling all over the planet to make the best movie they can with hundreds of millions of dollars in budget money in tow. After all this, having to stand in the face of staggering ingratitude amongst fans can make for a severely demoralising reception. Surely it makes one wonder how much longer filmmakers put up with it before they throw in the towel.

To name just one example, 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story carried a budget of $250 million. The movie following the adventures of a young Han Solo promised an adrenaline-fuelled thrill-ride full of subtle easter eggs not-so-subtle nods to the original trilogy… and it really delivered. Fans of the franchise boycotted the release claiming it was a “movie they never asked for”, most still angry over The Last Jedi for one reason or another. This astounding sense of self-entitlement is a direct result of the Cynicism Effect. Fans believe they are entitled to see what they’d like to see in their favourite film franchise’ rather than trusting experienced professional writers, directors, actors and producers to deliver.

The recent release Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is another great example of this phenomenon. Let’s be honest, the Jurassic Park franchise is a ridiculous series of films but guess what… Fans love them anyway! Who can argue! They’re all a little silly but the entertainment value is endless. They’re films that I personally can watch over and over and never tire of them. The new movie gave us exploding volcanoes, scary new genetic hybrids, great characters and the return of seasoned series veteran Jeff Goldblum in a cheeky but well-constructed cameo. Fans reacted by complaining about the unfeasible fictional science and even the unrealistic auction sales price of the dinosaurs!

It’s not all bad, though! Some fans are still fighting the good fight and haven’t let the pessimism infect them yet. Take to Tumblr and Twitter and often the exact opposite is true. Fans become completely absorbed in their favourite movie series’, favouring mere enjoyment of the movies rather than scepticism… and it’s a good thing too! Movies exist to be enjoyed, not to be torn apart and scrutinised by pedantic viewers.

I have a personal message for sufferers of the Cynicism Effect...

Learn to enjoy your movies! Learn to fully appreciate the work put in by the cast and crew! Obsessing over minute details like the science involved in the hypothetical cloning of dinosaurs or fictional stories not matching fictional canon in a universe set in a different era and galaxy only leads to misery, and most importantly, the fall of the silver screen! Save an industry… Don’t hate your movies, and if you do, you aren't earning the right to a better one by posting petitions and leaving vicious hurtful comments on official social media posts. Write a screenplay for the film you'd like to see and pitch it yourself by all means. Otherwise, allow the talented people of Hollywood to do their jobs without fear of backlash from people who expect to be able to despise movies so badly and still call themselves fans.