2. Shia LaBeouf is Improving As An Actor
Oh boy, this is going to be the hardest sell of all. Mr. LaBeouf divides everyone, Indy fan or no. Personally, I was a big fan of him in
Even Stevens and
Holes, a charming and funny presence, reminding one of a young Woody Allen (By that I mean the edgy, neurotic characters he plays in his films, not as a writer/director, calm down). It seemed like he was Spielbergs new golden boy for a while, hence his presence in
Crystal Skull and
Transformers (whilst that franchise represents everything I stand against as a filmmaker, I must confess to actually quite enjoying the first one, and LaBeouf was one of the reasons I enjoyed it. In the sequels, not so much) Even in
Eagle Eye and
Disturbia he was rather good. His immediate future looks very promising as well- for a start, hes now part of the Redford gang and has discredited 3D, he was excellent in
Lawless (again, a matter of opinion, I know), and his extreme auditioning for Von Triers
Nymphomaniac makes me think hes not a lost cause. And the point of all this? It means he could bring something interesting to a potential sequel. I guarantee you there will be no passing of the torch- the franchise will end as it started, with Harrison Ford at the fore. LaBeouf will understand, and will likely be contracted to do the sequel, so not matter how much he is changing as an actor, he will be roped in. But that doesnt mean he has to phone it in- I imagine the film would go the way of
Last Crusade, perhaps keeping the roles as they were, LaBoeuf playing the Connery role, playing equal banana to Ford and allowing for an interesting examination of the father/son relationship. Henry Jones, Sr. was distant, but Junior was absent from Mutts life. Chuck in some comedy Russians and a legendary macguffin, and you have something that could actually trump
Crystal Skull, and maybe even
Temple of Doom (again, never understood why this isnt that popular).