He may be nudging 60, but when it comes to reprising the role which made him a superstar, veteran actor Harrison Ford appears to be showing all the spritely enthusiasm of his Indiana Jones character. Twelve years have passed since the lensing of the final film in the action adventure trilogy, which launched with Raiders Of The Lost Ark in 1981, and was followed up with Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984) and Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989).
While some wonder whether the 59-year-old actor is not a bit long in the tooth for the high jinks called for in the previous Indie movies – “what are they going to do, put Harrison in a walker?” quipped one industry insider – the man himself seems to have no doubts about his continuing physical prowess. Or his continuing box office clout. He is asking a record breaking £20 million for his efforts.
The sum tops the £17.8 million he was paid for his latest role in the thriller K-19: The Widowmaker which is due out later in the year. Only two other Hollywood heavyweights bank more – golden duo Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks, but this is largely due to the fact that they take part of their earnings as a cut of profits.
With the estimated production cost for the new episode already a whopping £140 million and director Steven Speilberg and producer George Lucas asking for a larger share of the box office receipts, the bean counters are having a hard time figuring out how the proposed film can make a profit.
Three different plots are apparently under consideration, including Indiana’s search for the lost city of Atlantis and a quest to find his long lost brother. On-screen family member Sean Connery, who played the archaeologist’s father in The Last Crusade, is apparently also keen to be back in on the action.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
