Darabont IJ4 script leaked

From http://www.mixnmojo.com

 

I was just about to post about this.

So what does everybody think? Is Lucas crazy? Or did he make the right decision?

I haven't been able to make myself read the whole thing. It just reads very boringly. I know that scripts are usually pretty boring, but still...I thought Saucer Men From Mars was pretty exciting to read, even if I thought it would have made a lousy movie.

Just skimming through parts of it, it sounds like some aspects would have been better, but some would have been worse. Not quite the home run script that I was expecting.

 

It could be an early draft, of course. So there's no guarantee that this is the script that would have been used wholesale if Darabont's movie got made.

Hell, there's no guarantee it's even authentic.

 

I think Speilburg and Lucas combined the two scripts. The Doomtown scene is almost word for word in the novel and in the script.

 

Funny that Darabont didn't get a writers credit on KOCS - though that may have been negotiated in some sort of payout.

 

After his very public diatribe against Lucas, I'm not surprised he didn't receive a credit. I'm sure he was well-paid for writing the script, and he's well aware that scripts are commissioned in Hollywood all the time that for one reason or another never see the light of day. He should have licked his wounds in private. Bad politics in the industry to publicly attack a major producer like Lucas.

 

Personally, I don't think the script is legit. Secondly, I read the script from start to finish, and it is pure garbage. God I'm glad we got the film we got instead of this trash.

 

Rereading the script Ive been coming across some typos, which is making me wonder if

1. first draft
2. lack of editing
3. pure bogus

 

There is no way this is legit. The format is absolutely terrible and incorrect, and a professional like Darabont would never do this. Note the following passage

?and CRACK! A small hole appears in the glass door behind Agent McKimson. He goes stiff, eyes wide with surprise. For a brief moment Indy has no idea what's happening...

...and then he gets the shock of his life as McKimson drops from frame, revealing:

The Thin Man outside the glass doors. We'd know this guy anywhere. We saw him at the plutonium exchange. Death in a homburg hat. Dressed all in black. Rat-thin face with a long scar bisecting a milky dead eye. He's got a SILENCED PISTOL smoking in his hand, an old-fashioned broom-handled Mauser.




In a screenplay, you are only writing down physical action and dialogue. You do not put personal commentary into the work, nor do you put camera actions in the script, nor do you refer back to previous moments in the screenplay in the action, nor do you make anything lengthier than neccessary. For instance, "and then he gets the shock of his life" or "We'd know this guy anywhere." and "We saw him at the plutonium exchange" If it was in correct format, the screenplay would look more like this:




A small hole appears in the glass door behind Agent McKimson. He goes stiff, eyes wide with surprise. Indy's eyes go wide with shock.

McKimson drops to the ground, revealing The Thin Man outside the glass doors. He is dressed in black with a Homburg hat. His face is thin with a long scar bisecting a milky dead eye. He's got a SILENCED PISTOL smoking in his hand, an old-fashioned broom-handled Mauser.

 

This script went right down the line and checked every single tick box I had regarding what I expected or heard about in the Darabont script.

An escaped Nazi hiding in South America? Check!

The line "It's not the mileage, it's the years"? Check.

Giant animals other than the man-eating ants? Check.

Marion appearing? Check.

Lightbulbs in the alien temple (which was shown in concept art in the Complete Making book but not in the final film)? Check.

An alien portal appearing in the temple floor (as shown in the Complete Making, not from the chamber's ceiling as in the finished film)? Check.

Heck, the script pages are dated November 4, 2003, which is when the Complete Making says Darabont turned in his final draft. If this is a fake, it's the best dang fake I've ever seen, as it includes just about EVERY detail which I've heard attributed to Darabont's work.

 

Captain_Typho, while "by-the-book" scripting rules follow the guidelines you point out, you should also know that a great many writers blatantly disobey them. A lot of times its the more upper-echelon writers that deviate from "format" or "guidelines" the most because they have nothing to prove or no reason to follow guidelines for the sake of following guidelines since there is no one to impress/sell the script to (ie they already have the job or will be directing the film themselves). I have no idea what Darabont's writing style is like though--would be worth it to compare any available screenplays of his that have been published and see if stylistically they are written in a similar manner. James Cameron and PT Anderson have very distinctive writing styles that use many literary techniques not common in most screenplays, for example, with excessive camera/cinematic descriptions.

Though I do have to say, my first instinct was that this was probably bogus. But you never know.

 

The link no longer works. Can anyone put up a new link? Thanks!

 

I knew this script was fake the minute I saw the font Papyrus. It's one of the fonts (like Comic Sans) that no professional should ever use.

And given that this is a fake, they must've first looked at what was attributed to be in the original script.

 

I just found this


Well, this is an interesting find, Dr. Jones. Apparently, a PDF document claiming to be Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods, as written by Frank Darabont, has found its way online. There's no word yet on whether it's the real deal, and I haven't had the time to read through the whole thing, but it might be worth a look. To recap: Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) wrote an early draft of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Legend has it Steven Spielberg really liked his draft, but George Lucas did not. Thus, Darabont eventually left the project -- one he'd worked on tirelessly -- time went by, and David Koepp finally wound up with it.

But what happened to Darabont's unused script -- the one Spielberg apparently loved? Who knows. Some people say aliens took it one night when Darabont wasn't paying attention, while others believe it was buried with one of them rare crystal skulls in the mountains of Peru. Regardless, folks are saying it's now online and you can read it right here. I'd do it fast, though, because someday a crazy wild-eyed scientist or a kid (or an angry studio) might show up lookin' for that there script (which includes both Papa Jones and Marion, by the way).

Again, it could be an elaborate fake. Nevertheless, I suppose you now have something to read while on the shi .... ahem.


Edit: Theres this too

And this

And this with a link to it supposedly on Rapidshare

 

Tarantino also writes in this style and Bill Goldman doesn't even use script formatting at all. The formatting Captain_Typho is talking about is really the style they advise in the screenwriting books and is the style that aspiring writers should adapt. It's something that superstars can afford to ignore though since they have studio execs forming lines around the blocks to work with them.

 

For everybody complaining about the font and/or typos: is it not possible that this is a transcribed version? As far as I'm aware, any "official" Lucasfilm scripts are barcoded on each page and such, so that they can track down a mole if the script is simply scanned in and posted on the internet.

I would think whoever leaked this script would have re-typed it all manually before posting it online, which would make typos and different fonts possible.

I think the script is legit, and if it's not, then it's a darn good fake. Just try reading a typical fan script. The majority are incomprehensible. I don't think any mere fan could have thrown together a script like this, including just about every "confirmed" element of Darabont's real script. Heck, they even included the contradicting info(for instance, Darabont himself said he'd be doing russians as the main baddies instead of nazi's, even though most rumors indicated Indy would face escaped nazi's in south america) in a way that made sense.

 

Reports are coming from a lot of places that the script is legit. It IS the same copy I read a few months back and it seems that MORIARTY at AintitCool.com is also confirming its the same script he read waaaaaayyyyyy back before INDY IV was even greenlit.

It's most likely Darabont's draft.

 

Half way through, and I've gotta say, I like Koepp's way more than Darabont's. Indiana Jones isn't really Indiana Jones in this script. I don't even know how to describe it.

Plus, the references to the past films are totally useless and lame. It's just all too much.

Plus, fifteen pages into the script and I already missed Blanchett's Spalko....

 

There are a lot of fans out there falling over themselves saying the Darabont script is superior and should have been the one filmed. I mean there and it is obviously more cohesive and feels less stitched together. There are some good stuff in there. However,there are things though that I really love about KOTCS(as flawed as it is) that aren't in the Darabont draft. I love the motorcycle chase through the college and the snake pit scene is my favorite in the whole movie. I like the character of Mutt, whether he's Indy's son or not. I thought Shia did a good job playing him and I think it was important to have a kid give Indy crap about his age because there were already fans doing the same thing before the movie came out. I like the Russians as the main bad guys and I like how they actual tie in the skull's power with the Communist ideology. And the main problem fans have with the current movie, aliens and sci-fi element are still in Darabont's script. They may be treated differently but it's still there.

 

I'd say the first 60 pages or so, Indy doesn't even remotely feel like Indy. I mean, it's a whole different person.

Personally, I didn't think the action was nearly as exciting as what we got in the actual film, especially the opening the motorcyle chase through Marshall. The lack of Spalko and idea of what she and "Red" friends would've done had they obtain the power the Crystal Skull severely kills Darabont's draft. I mean, there are about 5 or 6 characters that could've left this draft, whereas in the final film, only Mac could've really been cut. Whether or not Mutt was Indy's son or not, his character is also a missing piece in this story. I just like the character.

Other notes are that Indy doesn't even get his hands dirty in terms of the search of the Crystal Skull. He literally stumbles upon the thing. At least in the film, he actively worked to find the thing, which is much more thrilling than what Darabont wrote.

The constant references to the previous film and the two cameos of Sallah and Henry, Sr. are flat out stupid and not needed. What also doesn't even remotely work are the two snake gags. Those two moments are just totally terrible...

...and yet, Darabont handles Marion better(eventhough I've never liked her) and he does handle the mystery of the Crystal Skull and the Lost City a tad better than Koepp's draft(As much as I like the opening, Koepp and Spielberg should've never revealed to the audience the "Rosewell" aliens as soon as they did). And yet, without the character of Spalko's goals for the Skull, Koepp's plot feels a tad more menacing.

Still, Darabont's script feels more complete, at tad more polished in terms of it's flow. But, I do find the pacing worse here than the final film.

With all of that, I can see why Lucas had problems with the script. Most of the problems happen in the first 75 pages. It just sits there with a few action sequences that aren't even remotely thrilling, not to mention on being a complete rehash just amped up to the nth degree. And again, Indy doesn't feel Indy until well into the third act.

I liked the finish film more than this script...but both scripts needed another few months to polish them to perfection because the elements in both are all there.

 

Haven't read all of it...just stopped after the plane fight sequence which seemed even more implausible than anything in crystal skull. I did skim through other parts, jump to the very end, and read parts from other reviews. my thoughts:

likes
-indy was more take charge (so far in what ive read), he wasn't being captured by the commies every 5 minutes. in fact he follows the soviets to area 51 and tries to stop em.
-references to previous films. cross of coronado, sallah was at the wedding, and willie was even mentioned (not at wedding, way before)
-the ending in the alien temple was a whole lot better. u had explanations for what was going on and indy was shooting the aliens to get out of danger. much better than just standing around and jumping outta the room.
-marion has more to do


dislikes
-references to previous films: 'stealing the idol' again seems to be overdoing it, but maybe i'd like it if i saw it onscreen.
-plane fight. i had a problem with silly stuff in crystal skull, but this is even MORE ridiculous.
-swallowed by a giant snake. see above.
-indys turncoat friend is alive at the end
-singing characters. indy gets drunk and sings, sallah gets drunk and sings, indys dad gets drunk and sings. christ i get the point, drinking lowers your inhibitions!!!

not so sure
-indy no longer has a fear of snakes. kinda seems like a silly 'GOTCHA' moment for the audience. 'Oh you thought he was gonna be afraid of that snake (a small one, not the giant one), well har har he's not!' on the other hand it lets indy grow a bit.
-and...references to previous films. the indy-marion relationship starts off exactly like it did in raiders, just in reverse. indy even quotes marion from that movie a number of times. im not sure if this is just a good play on established characters, or stupid rehashing where characters remember word for word what they said 20 years earlier.