One Of The Most Divisive Horror Directors Ever Almost Wrote An Indiana Jones Movie

If there’s one constant in franchise filmmaking, it’s that every sequel produced leaves behind at least one compelling alternate version. After all, who wouldn’t be curious about what “Alien 3” would have looked like if William Gibson had written it, and what if Quentin Tarantino had actually made a “Star Trek” movie? Although these can be fun fantasies and intellectual exercises, ultimately one needs to adopt an “everything happens for a reason” mentality regarding unfinished parts so as not to get too hot. However, there’s nothing stopping one from thinking about visions of what could have been, especially when the combination of franchise and director is so tantalizing.

This is the situation we have when it comes to “Indiana Jones” and M. Night Shyamalan, a collaboration that almost happened about 25 years ago. According to this article from Premiere, Shyamalan was called upon to meet with Steven Spielberg about a fourth Indiana Jones film in the summer of 2000, following the huge success of the first with 1999’s The Sixth Sense. Although this meeting allowed the Shyamalan-penned “Indy” film to gain a little attention, by 2002, it was clear that the film would not happen, and a fourth “Indiana Jones” film would not be made until the release of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in 2008. Although no details about Shyamalan’s preparation for “Indiana Jones 4” have leaked, the director has publicly hinted that it was his idea because the sequel was a “darker idea.” Who knows whether the divisive director’s “Indiana Jones” will be better received than “Crystal Skull,” but two things seem clear: The movie could have been great, and it’s probably a good thing it didn’t end up being.

First and foremost, there’s no doubt that Shyamalan’s “Indiana Jones 4” was worth watching. Given the director’s penchant for horror, along with his assertion that his vision for the film was “darker” (in an interview he once gave to Collider), it’s very likely that the unmade sequel will surpass “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” in the scary department. (The film also addressed perhaps the more problematic content of the sequel, given Shyamalan’s Indian heritage.) That’s not to say that Shyamalan would have written an R-rated “Indy,” as the man already had experience adapting his sensibilities to a broader all-ages audience, having co-written the family adventure film “Stuart Little.”

However, although the film was great to watch, it undoubtedly had an impact on Shyamalan’s future that could have been greatly detrimental. After the collapse of the “Indy” project, Shyamalan made one of his best films in 2002’s “Signs,” something he might not have done if “Indy” had gone ahead. This was also the time when the director was publicly described as “The Next Spielberg,” a comparison that already put undue pressure on him, so if he had actually made a film with Spielberg, that pressure would likely have been made worse. As such, it was probably a good thing that Shyamalan’s “Indiana Jones 4” didn’t end up happening. However, as Shyamalan mentioned in the aforementioned interview, he still has his notebooks containing his ideas for the film. Although the “Indiana Jones” movies seem to have come to an end, the prospect of Shyamalan coming up with a scary adventure film after “Trap” sounds pretty exciting, doesn’t it? Maybe he should open those notebooks; A great movie from a failed sequel has happened before.