Indiana Jones Says There’s An Idea For Another Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones is keeping busy these days by talking about Indiana Jones, which, is ironic, because, after seeing “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” no one else really is. But apparently after all the disappointment and hatred for Shia LaBeouf swinging through the jungle with a bunch of monkeys like a damn fool and talk of the series “nuking the fridge,” there are still discussions to move forward 
with the franchise to make “Indy 5,” a movie that, after waiting 19 years to get what many would regard as the worst “Indiana Jones” film of them all, The Kidd isn’t sure anyone cares to see.
However, that’s not going to stop Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas from trying to get it done… with my hope being that it’d totally be a make-up for how they fucked up the last one. And Ford himself has been speaking about the possibilities that they might not go out on the low note of “Crystal Skull,” but do another one, one that we all would hope would turn out a lot better. Indy revealed to the BBC, “Steven [Spielberg] and George [Lucas] and I are sort of agreed on a germ of an idea and we’re seeing what comes of it.” A “germ of an idea”? What the fuck does that mean, Han Solo? Is that just confirmation that another movie will make us as sick as the last one did? “The process works like this. We come to some basic agreement and then George goes away for a long time and works on it. Then Steven and I get it in some form, some embryonic form. Then if we like it we start working with George on it and at some point down the line it’s ready and we do it.”
Okay, I know that we’d all like to be a little hopeful that, even as the memory of “Crystal Skull” taints our memory of the “Indiana Jones” series, they might be able to turn the beat around, and give us something that delivers that warm, fuzzy feeling to us, much like the original trilogy did… but does anyone else find it extremely concerning, and, as a result, hope-killing that George Lucas gets to put his hands on this thing first? I mean, have Ford and Spielberg not seen the 
“Star Wars” prequels to know that George Lucas shouldn’t be touching any movies these days? Wasn’t the reaction to “Indy 4″ enough to revoke Lucas’ “working on it” privileges? I don’t even let people I know pick a movie to see for a long time after they’ve talked me into seeing some piece of shit… yet these two allegedly smart guys are willing to turn over the keys to “Indiana Jones” yet again to the bearded wonder who thought the creation of Jar Jar Binks was an excellent idea. In addition, Harrison Ford is 67 years old. In order for this entire and rather lengthy process to see itself to the end, Harrison Ford may damn well be 85 years old before “Indy 5″ is ready. And I think I speak for the majority of people who don’t want to see Indiana Jones rolling his wheelchair down the stairs of some ancient temple that clearly isn’t up to ADA standards. I would love to see that trio (minus George Lucas, if possible) try to take another stab at making another “Indiana Jones” that the fans can be proud of and get excited for once again… but I’m not too optimistic that can happen. It’s all very sad.
Speaking of potential disappointments, perhaps The Kidd spoke too soon when fearing the worst for a movie adaptation of “The Smurfs.” Oh, sure it’s got the same director who’s been behind such quality cinematic fare as “Home Alone 3,” “Big Momma’s House,” the two “Scooby-Doo” movies, and “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.” Sure, it’s going to mix live action with animation much like those “Alvin & The Chipmunks” flicks. I know there’s plenty going for this movie that 
feels so wrong. So how about if I alleviate some of your worries with something that might turn that frown upside-down? I can do it in three simple words, too – Neil Patrick Harris. According to Deadline Hollywood, NPH has signed on for the lead in “The Smurfs,” which is set to start shooting in April, when “How I Met Your Mother” goes on its hiatus. No other details have been released, but, as far as I know, when you add the former Doogie Howser, M.D. to your cast, you’ve at least done one thing right. Harris took the “Harold & Kumar” flicks from funny to being downright hilarious, and, if you’re not familiar with “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” well… what the hell are you doing with your life when you’re not frequenting the site? NPH instantly makes your production worth watching, and The Kidd will be the first one to admit when I’ve perhaps been a bit hasty. So, while I still have some reservations about any attempts to take The Smurfs to the big screen, I’m willing to adopt a wait-and-see approach now with Harris attached.
The script for “X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2″ is finished and ready to go, according to Showbiz 411, with shooting expected to commence in January of next year, and… no. You know what…? I’m not going to do this. It’s a sequel to “Wolverine.” Need I say more? That’s like me telling you about me making a sequel to the massive dump I took the other day. Sure, you expected something along those lines to happen, but you’d prefer I spare you the details, because how much better can a sequel really be? Let’s apply those same principles to “Wolverine 2,” and now you see why I’d rather not waste any more time.
A lot of old-school geeks are excited about the release of “Tron: Legacy” in December. And, while The Kidd found the trailer attached to “Alice In Wonderland” a bit underwhelming, I think we’ve yet to see the best this movie has 
to offer. It’s all been one great big tease thus far, and I’d expect we’d get increasingly better looks as we head closer to the end of the year. However, there’s another reason for “Tron” fans to become erect with joy today, as The Hollywood Reporter reports that the Disney Channel is developing a “Tron” animated series. Oh, sure you’ll have to tune into the Disney Channel for more than just “Hannah Montana,” (don’t lie… I know you do), but this will give more “Tron” than you could have ever imagined back in 1982, with the new series eyeing a 2011 start. The series would be kicked off by a 10-part micro-series that would lead into the characters, canon, etc. The series is set to be CG-animated, and, while this could be awesomeness stuffed with awesomeness and topped with awesome sauce, there is no tiny piece of information that could cause some concern. The plan is to gear the series towards boys aged 6 to 14. Now, while you may still be in that age range with your maturity level, and even perhaps emotionally, it doesn’t seem like they are trying to bring in the hardcore 
“Tron” audience. “Star Wars” did something like this in recent years with “The Clone Wars” micro-episodes, which really pleased the serious fans.” And then they decided to market it more for younger audiences, and the full-length “Clone Wars” feature film was hatched, followed by the Cartoon Network series, and I don’t think I need to go into how that whole plan has turned out (hint: it blows). So, there is potential here to really expose an entirely new generation to “Tron,” and, in the Disney Channel’s defense, they have been able to create some solid programming that isn’t dumbed-down to its primary audience of children. But will that be enough to secure the approval of the nerds who have lived their lives by the principles of “Tron,” and, as a result, have never seen a girl naked either? We’ll find out next year.
With Steven Spielberg’s Abraham Lincoln biopic destined to spend forever as his next picture, it might be time to move onto another Abraham Lincoln movie that 
could be even better. What…? Is that even possible? What could possibly be better than an Abraham Lincoln movie, starring Liam Neeson as the 16th President of the United States, with Spielberg behind the camera? “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” that’s what. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tim Burton and “Wanted” director Timur Bekmambetov have already signed on the dotted line to produce an adaptation of the recently released novel that depicts Honest Abe as an “axe-throwing, highly trained vampire assassin.” The novel was written by Seth Grahame-Smith, author of the best-selling “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” which is quite a good read. Burton and Bekmambetov haven’t cemented the picture at a studio yet, but that is likely to change very soon, especially with the novel expected to draw strong sales with this being its first week on the shelves. This isn’t the first time Burton and Bekmambetov have paired up to produce together, with last year’s “9″ being their first effort. We can only hope this one turns out to be more interesting than that, and it should. Why? Because it’s got Abraham fuckin’ Lincoln hunting fuckin’ vampires in what could be the greatest appearance by Abraham Lincoln since his visit to San Dimas High in ’89. Party on, dudes.
Speaking of Tim Burton, The Kidd has my review of the director’s vision of “Alice in Wonderland” up for your perusal. If you’re planning to fall down the rabbit hole this weekend in IMAX or in 3-D or even in 2-D (Really? Why even bother?), you might want to check out The Kidd Vs. Alice in Wonderland. If you want to go in fresh, no problem. Come back and read it after you see the movie for yourself, so you can compare your notes.
Also, check out The Kidd Vs. Brooklyn’s Finest for a review of the new film starring Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Don Cheadle, and Wesley Snipes.
This weekend is your last chance to win passes to our advance screening of “She’s Out of My League” next week with our contest deadline sitting at noon on Monday. Take advantage of this opportunity while you can, because, from the looks of it, there are some serious laughs in store for you with this one.
The Kidd’s Oscar Challenge is under way, and you can check out my picks here, in order to score your predictions against mine come Oscar Sunday. Remember… one better than me is a winner. Anything else will send you away with nothing. Bad luck to you, because honestly… why would I want anyone to win but me?
And, to complete your Oscar experience, Infamous Radio will be airing a special episode on Sunday night, as we do our own version of an Oscar pre-show. We won’t be talking about who’s wearing what or who’s promoting what. The Kidd and crew will be discussing our Academy Award predictions as well as who we’ll be rooting for, and, as always, the phone lines will be open for you to call in and offer up your own choice of winners. Our broadcast will be going live starting right at 7:00 pm EST, and we’ll take you right up until the beginning of the ceremony. Then, from there, as you watch the Academy Awards, you can follow along with The Kidd’s running commentary, as, for the first time ever, you can witness The Kidd Vs. The Oscars. I’ll be providing observations throughout the show live and exclusively here at InfamousKidd.com, and we welcome you to take part in this interactive experience as you watch the show, as you’ll be able to vote in polls, send in questions, make your own comments, and be a live part of the Oscars as you watch them.
No blog on Monday, as The Kidd will be all Oscar-ed out. But we’ve already got some good things in store for you next week, so keep an eye on Tuesday.
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Until next week…
