1. Indiana Jones Series

2. The Franchise Plot created by George Lucas (Star Wars)
Directed by Steven Spielberg (ET)
Music by John Williams (Star Wars)
Focuses on archeologist named Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford) and his adventures
Earned $1.978 billion dollars at the box office

3. The Franchise Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Temple of Doom (1984)
The Last Crusade (1989)
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)*
Also books, comic books, RPG, video games, and a TV series

4. Raiders of the Lost Ark Set in 1936
Indiana Jones hired by government agents to locate the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis, who are searching for the Ark. It is said that whatever army possesses the Ark will be invincible.
Highest earning film that came out in 1981
Nominated for 9 Academy Awards
Won 4 – best sound, best film editing, best visual effects, and best art direction/set decoration

5. Temple of Doom Set in 1935 (1 year before Raiders)
Jones escapes Chinese gangsters with help from an actress/singer and a 12- year old. The trio lands in India who has been holy stones stolen from them. Jones goes on a mission to recover them.
Mixed reviews when it opened, but has grown more positive over time
Came out the same year as Ghostbusters

6. The Last Crusade Begins in 1912, then shifts to 1938
Indiana Jones and his friend Marcus Brody are assigned by an American businesswoman to find the Holy Grail, only to find out she works for Nazi Germany.
Had mostly positive reviews when it opened
Rolling Stone called it “the wildest and wittiest Indy of them all”

7. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Set in 1957
Jones has led a quiet life as a teacher, but now must race against agents from the Soviet Union to find the telepathic crystal skull.
Release was kept secret for a very long time
Critics generally loved the film, but fans of the series were disappointed
Many felt it was not worth the 19 year wair

8. Development
George Lucas wrote draft script in 1973 as an attempt to create a modern movie serial (popular in ’30s-’40s)
Partnered with Steven Spielberg to make a film better than the Bond series
Films strongly reflect the mood and mental state of the development team at the time of their creation
Why Temple of Doom is so dark

9. Development After Last Crusade, Lucas left the production team
Created TV show called The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
During the 90s, Lucas and Spielberg tried to create different plot options for a future Jones film
In 2000, Spielberg’s son asked about the films, prompting the development of Crystal Skull

10. Essay
Observe how the following concepts develop and change throughout the series:
Acting & Characters
Directing
Writing