The second and arguably the scariest film of Lucasfilm’s most popular non-Star Wars franchise actually takes place years before the events of the first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it is here that we see Indiana Jones as a younger, single, more reckless, and charismatic adventurer than the seasoned, tied-down professor that we saw in the previous film.
We also know that there is a ten-year gap between the beginning of Raiders and the last time Indy and his old flame, Marion Ravenwood, were together. So just as Temple of Doom‘s setting permits the existence of a new leading lady like Willie Scott, so too could other short flames pop up and create some hilarious incidents.
This potential was explored in several parts of the film. It begins with Indy essentially as a “gun for hire” archaeologist completing a job for a Chinese mafia boss, and then during the infamous dinner scene at Pankot Palace, he the Prime Minister brings up a few stories that suggest Dr. Jones has a rather infamous reputation throughout the world.
In this way, George Lucas proves a subtle genius by showing the world how sequels can bolster the insurance of a franchise by making a sequel coincidentally a prequel and one that is completely separated from the first film. This is fertile soil for many more Indy stories to be developed and shared.
But there are a few key issues. Harrison Ford was 40 years old when he filmed Temple of Doom, and Pratt is already 41. Harrison Ford, who takes personal ownership of the character, has also gone on record to say Indiana Jones will die with him:
“Nobody is gonna be Indiana Jones! Don’t you get it? I’m Indiana Jones. When I’m gone, he’s gone. It’s easy. This is a h*** of a way to tell Chris Pine this. I’m sorry, man.”
At this point, only time will really tell if Pratt will be chosen to dawn the iconic fedora, but what does seem to be clear is if Lucasfilm wanted to tell more Indiana Jones adventures, the door is wide open.
2
Credit: Lucasfilm, Marvel
