Which artifact do you want Indy to go after in "Indiana Jones IV"?

I voted for Excalibur, but I'm still lobbying for the Holy Hand Grenade.

 

I think atlantis would be pretty cool.

--Mr. P

 

But Atlantis isn't really an artifact...

I'd say something Religious again... and since I don't anything about those choices... I didn't vote

 

I'm not sure.

 

I voted for Excalibur. I think it would give a stronger reason for Henry Jones Sr. to be involved.

 

All of the artifacts in the poll are based in historical myth, but not everyone may know about them, so here is a brief summary. Note: there are many versions of the following myths, and stories do vary.

ATLANTIS: An ancient civilization founded by the children of the Greek sea god Poseidon thousands of years ago on a large island in the North Atlantic. Atlantis led the world in science and technology, but the Atlanteans became greedy and set out to conquer the entire world. When the Atlanteans attacked the city of Athens, the angry Poseidon sank Atlantis to the bottom of the ocean.

THE SPEAR OF DESTINY: Also known as the Holy Lance, it was the spear used by the Roman centurion Longinus to wound the side of Christ during the Crucifixion. Stained with the blood of Christ, the Spear possesses various magical properties. Some say it allows those near it to see the future. Others say whoever possesses it becomes unstoppable in battle. However, if one loses the Spear they are cursed to die soon after.

EL DORADO: Lost city located deep with the jungles of South America, known by the natives of the Amazon as Manoa or Omoa. Its more common name derives from the Spanish word "El Hombre Dorado", meaning "The Golden Man". This refered to the chief of El Dorado, who daily was decorated with gold dust, which he then washed off in a nearby lake. El Dorado contains a fortune in gold and jewels offered as tribute to the Golden Man.

THE PEACHES OF IMMORTALITY: Magical fruit, also known as the P'an-tao, which ripens only once every 6,000 years in the gardens of the Chinese goddess Hsi Wang Mu high atop K'un-lun Mountain. Whoever is deemed worthy by Hsi Wang Mu to eat the Peaches is granted the gift of eternal life and joins her Immortals, the Pa Hsien, in K'un-lun.

EXCALIBUR: Magical sword given to King Arthur by the mysterious Lady of the Lake. Armed with Excalibur, Arthur was undefeatable in battle and able to unite all of Britain under his rule. After being mortally wounded by his illegitimate son Mordred, the dying Arthur ordered the knight Sir Bedivere to toss Excalibur into a lake, Bedivere did so, and the sword was caught by the hand of the Lady of the Lake before disappearing into the murky depths.

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: An ornate fountain whose magical waters restore lost youth and vitality. The earliest stories claimed the Fountain of Youth was in India or Ethiopia, or the fabulous Christian kingdom of Prester John. Later accounts said it was in the Americas, with rumoured sites including Florida and the fabled island of Bimini.

NOAH'S ARK: Hoping to rid the world of all sin, God decided to flood the Earth. Sparing the shipbuilder Noah and his family, God ordered Noah to construct a large boat that would carry two of every animal. For forty days and forty knights the Ark sailed in search of dryland, eventually settling atop Mt. Ararat. As the deluge subsided, the Ark's passengers set out to repopulate the world.

PRESTER JOHN'S MIRROR: Prester John was a mighty priest-king rumoured to have ruled a fabulous Christian empire in the east during the 12th century. Prester John's kingdom was based on Christian values, and despite his vast wealth and conquests John assumed only the humble title "Presbyter", which became corrupted to "Prester". No one in Europe knew exactly where Prester John's kingdom was, but suspected sites included India, China, and Ethiopia. The key to Prester John's power was an optical device known as his Mirror which allowed him to view events anywhere in his empire.

-Dubya Fett

EDIT (Mr. P): PLEASE! Don't post spoilers anywhere, other than p(SA)!!! That is the only place on the whole of the JC where spoilers are allowed!!!! That includes signatures!

 

Personally, I think a good plot for "Indiana Jones IV" would be Indy being brought out of retirement by the CIA during the Cold War to look for the Spear of Destiny, which the Nazis found and hid during World War II. Indy must sneak into East Berlin to find clues to the Spear's current whereabouts, and along the way he runs afoul of Soviet agents also after the Spear.

-Dubya Fett

 

I know most people think Indy will go looking for Atlantis in "Indiana Jones IV", although we've already covered that ground in the "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis" video game and comic book (however, the Spear of Destiny was the subject of the "Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny" comic and Noah's Ark was featured in the novel "Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge" and the REALLY bad fan script "Indiana Jones and the Sons of Darkness"). The old Marvel Comics "Indiana Jones" series featured a couple of stories with references to Atlantis. Atlantis has also been the subject of countless stories, including novels ("The Antediluvian World"), comic books ("Namor the Sub-Mariner", "Aquaman"), TV shows ("The Man from Atlantis"), matinee serials ("The Undersea Kingdom"), and movies ("Warlords of Atlantis", "Atlantis: The Lost Empire"). Heck, there was even a made-for-TV movie where MacGyver found Atlantis! The question is, is Atlantis all panned out as a film subject (Disney's latest version of the story had lukewarm earnings), or does its status as a oft-told tale make it more likely for Lucas and Spielberg to try their hand at it?

One thing I do not want to see is Indy finding some functioning underwater society like in most versions of the Atlantis story. That's just a little too out there, even for an "Indiana Jones" movie. I read some terrible fan idea involving an undead Egyptian pharoah and alien Atlanteans - BLECH! However, Atlantis might work if handled properly and with restraint. During World War II, the Nazis actually looked for Atlantis, hoping to tie it into their wacko Aryan race theories. A plot could ivolve the Nazis near the end of World War II, or Soviets working from stolen Nazi research after World War II, looking for some ancient Atlantean relic, maybe a mystical energy device that caused the destruction of Atlantis. Indy could travel across the globe to find the scattered components of the device, divided up by survivors of Atlantis and hidden across the world. The bad guys want to obtain the device and use it as the ultimate weapon (The problem with any post-World War II "Indiana Jones" stories is why would the villains want some supposed mystic relic when they can make an atomic bomb? I always thought of the Ark of the Covenant, and the US military's potential use of it, as an allegory for the development of nuclear weapons; unleashing the wrath of God and trying to control forces beyond your understanding). I'm kind of wary of anything involving Atlantis, but I think my story would be better than any malarky with underwater cities populated by people with gills.

-Dubya Fett

 

Nice ideas Dubya-Fett. If they do an Indiana Jones IV with a geriatric Harrison Ford, having him come out of retirement to do something Cold War would be cool. Probably need a younger protege to make it believable.

As for what to find, I like the Noah's Ark idea. As another poster said, Atlantis was already done in video game and comic form. Excalibur maybe too close to the Holy Grail (both related to King Arthur). Noah's Ark still gets headlines. Just read that there is a project to use satellites to try to find it. Also remember the old Leonard Nimoy "In Search Of..." on Noah's Ark claming it's on Mt. Ararat (sic). Lots of possibilities.

 

Darth Vito: Thank you, godfather. Actually, I had an idea that maybe Indy teams up with his long-lost daughter by Marion Ravenwood in "Indiana Jones IV". It would nicely tie it and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" together.

However, I doubt we'll see Noah's Ark in the next film, for a couple of reasons.

1. It's another "Ark". Wags will dub the film "Raiders of Another Lost Ark".

2. No offence to anyone's religious beliefs, but the idea of Noah's Ark, a boat large enough to hold two of every animal species, is kind of silly.

3. What makes Noah's Ark worth finding? The Ark of the Covenant possesses the wrath of God. The Sankara Stones bring good fortune and absolute power. The Holy Grail grants eternal life and good health. Historical importance aside, Noah's Ark would just be a big, rotting boat.

4. No "Wrath of God" sequence. ROTLA had the Ark melt the Nazis. TOD had Indy invoke the name of Shiva, causing the Sankara Stones to catch on fire and burn Mola Ram's hand. TLC had Donovan rapidly age after drinking from the false Grail and Elsa falling to her death after violating the Grail Temple's Great Seal. What deadly secrets would Noah's Ark possess? Is it haunted by evil spirits who hid aboard the Ark during the Great Flood, or does it just contain some rotten, falling beams?

5. Noah's Ark was already covered in the novel "Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge".

When making an "Indiana Jones" film you ask the following questions: which villains want the artifact, why do they want the artifact, why is it important for Indy to stop them, what interesting locations will they go to to find the artifact, and what dark fate awaits the villains for finding the artifact?

By the way, I also doubt we'll see Indy look for Excalibur in "Indiana Jones IV". Most of the film would have to be set in Britain, which is not exactly the most exotic of locations for an adventure film.

-Dubya Fett

 

Upping the thread.

Hmmm it says I've already voted in this poll but I have no idea what I voted for. Right now I going with Excalibur. Sure some of would take place in Great Britain but Speilberg and Lucas could alter the story to include more locations. It is a legend after all so it's not set in stone.

 

All of the possibilities are very interesting, but I vote for the Fountain of Youth...

 

I'd love for him to go after Atlantis

I havent seen either, so it works for me

 

The Mask of Agamemnon...

 

i think that it would be cool, or atleast very interesting if Indi was the one being chased, but he didn't know why. He is caught and is about to be killed when he closes his eyes. He opens them to find out that he is perfectly fine, however, his whip and/or hat are gone. Later we find out that his whip and/or hat is/are the artifact in the movie. Don't know what significant figure used a whip before indi, but i think it would be cool to find out that indi's power/good fortune/ability to survive came from his whip.

I know maybe its not a great idea for the movie, maybe bettor for a fan fic or something. Heck, it may be terrible all together, but i think it would be a good twist.

finally, to signify that his adventures and the movies are done he has the chance to reach out and grab his whip, but lets it go only to lose it forever. This would even allow the chance for a young adventure to find indi's whip in the future. they could then be able to make movies off of that.

 

The original Olympic Torch from thousands of years ago?

I voted excalibur, but i'm not really sold on any of them. Hmm. I don't know what they're going to do, but i bet it's a bit sideways.

 

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*raises hand* Guilty as charged.

The whole idea of Plato's lost diaries leading him to Atlantis is a bit doable. It gives him something to look for (the diaries).

Though there seems to be a religious connection between the stuff he goes after, so who knows.

 

El Dorado.

 

Book of the Whills

or

GL's original SW's screenplay (pre-1977)

 

The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. It grants immortality to anyone who eats of the fruit. The gates of Eden are also guarded by angels. Sounds like something Indy should attempt to find.

 

I voted for The Spear of Destiny:

It would make sense Plotwise, if Indy was up against another Army (Soviets?) who was searching for a weapon, or device to advance their own country.

 

George Lucas' creativity and talent

 

Ha,Ha

Maybe he's looking for the real prequel trilogy we were all looking forward to.