Chapter VII [1]
1984 Lucasfilm, Millennium releases
The tent pole release in 1984 was by far Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Planning for the film had started back in February ‘82, nearly a year after George Lucas’ fateful accident. The title pitched by George in his 20 page treatment had actually been “… the Temple of Death,” but in light of his passing, Steven Spielberg, director of the film, recommended they change it to “… Doom,” and Marcia Lucas agreed. It was in the original meeting, between Spielberg, Marcia, Raiders producer Frank Marshall and the writing team Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, that George’s notes were shared, many of its elements faithfully realized on screen. Several unused sequences from Raiders of the Lost Ark were incorporated into Doom. Rather than a direct sequel, the decision was made for the film to be a prequel.
There was a sense of urgency to get things moving after the wild success of E.T., the fear being Spielberg would get busy with other projects. Marcia really wanted to keep the Indiana Jones films on the same three year schedule the Star Wars films had been, but with production of First Blood and Return of the Jedi, and the loss of George, that wasn’t a certainty. Thankfully Spielberg was dedicated to the project, and signed on right when the script was finished. Harrison Ford was similarly dedicated, signing on but not before suggesting adding more humor to the script. Diane Thomas was hired for this ultimately uncredited work.
Goldie Hawn was cast as Willie Scott, the tough but unfamiliar with adventure wife of the U.S. Ambassador to China, and Drew Barrymore was cast as her daughter, only ever called “Short Round” in the film. The film kicks off as Harrison Ford’s Indy saves them from an assassination attempt by local crime boss Lao Che. The writers followed Empire Strikes Back example and made Doom considerably darker than Raiders. Although, as the characters around Indy got darker, Indy himself got lighter. Rather than motivated by treasure and reward, Indy was saving enslaved children this go around.
Roger Ebert awarded the film a perfect four-star rating and gave it a glowing review, but his appreciation was not shared by all critics. Some criticized it as too dark, and overall reviews were mixed. Despite that, Doom did incredibly well at the box office, earning a little over $450 million. Notably, it was the first Lucasfilm picture released by New World Pictures, which had been acquired by LucasArts the year previous.
Marcia left Spielberg to his own devices while working on Doom, having already found her next passion project. She had originally met Diane Thomas in 1981, when Robert Zemeckis had recommended her for work on First Blood. The work had certainly been solid, but what really intrigued Marcia was Thomas’ script Romancing the Stone, which Zemeckis had shared. It had been sold to Columbia Pictures and Michael Douglas, but had laid dormant since then. So Marcia scheduled meetings with Columbia executives and secured the rights. The price was hefty, especially as Douglas wasn’t personally keen on selling his piece, but Marcia was adamant on owning the rights outright. Ultimately he walked away with a nice roll of cash and a percentage of future gross profits.
As news of Christopher Reeve’s casting as Jack Colton rippled through Hollywood, it became clear why Lucasfilm had wanted to buy out Douglas. Since the success of Superman, Reeve had been hesitant to sign onto other action films, not wanting to be typecast. He had been considering joining the production of The Bostonians in a lead role, but after Marcia and Zemeckis personally reached out and petitioned him, he decided to join the picture. Debra Winger would be cast as Joan Wilder and Danny DeVito as Ralph. Lawrence Kasdan provided some uncredited contributions, doctoring a few scenes. Upon release, the film brought in $125 million against a $15 million budget.
Red Dragon, the rights having been secured from De Laurentiis Entertainment Group as part of a package, was shepherded by Gary Kurtz and David Lynch. Writing and directing the picture, Lynch was later quoted saying the story was “violent and completely degenerate.” No doubt it was a welcome change from the style of Return of the Jedi, which he had spent much of the previous two years developing. Harrison Ford starred as FBI Agent Will Graham, with Tom Noonan as Francis Dolarhyde, Paul Newman as FBI Agent Jack Crawford, and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lector. While Marcia was credited as a producer, much of her time was spent on other projects, but she did serve as editor, enjoying the work with Lynch. Produced on a budget of $15 million, the film brought back in $50 million.
Ridley Scott, who had signed a multi-picture deal with Lucasfilm, joined the production of Lifeforce, bringing on David Peoples to work on the script. Howard Kazanjian was assigned as producer, due to his experience on big budget films like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi, but largely stayed out of the creative side. Peoples’ edits to the script were plentiful, changes original writer Dan O’Bannon would criticize in later interviews. In a rare reply, Marcia defended the changes, saying the film wouldn’t have found such a large audience without them. Special effects work from Industrial Light & Magic was critical to the success of the picture, and Scott’s own experience with special effects on Alien and Blade Runner proved to be a major asset. Against its $25 million budget, Lifeforce performed well at the box office, bringing in just over $100 million.
At the newly created Millennium, Roger Corman was nonstop busy. The previous year had already seen the production of Screwballs, a teen comedy film inspired by Porky’s, and the pickup of Suburbia by Penelope Spheeris. 1984 saw the release of space Western Star Child, directed by David Nelson, and greatly aided by the work of ILM, as well as Love Letters by Amy Holden Jones and the pickup of Jonathan Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense. All these films were financial successes, although not universally adored by critics.
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[1] My dog passed away this week, and to be honest getting this chapter done was a bit of a slog. I hope you don’t mind the change of format away from single picture chapters, although I certainly may return to that style for future chapters. As always, all feedback is appreciate!!
1984 Lucasfilm, Millennium releases
The tent pole release in 1984 was by far Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Planning for the film had started back in February ‘82, nearly a year after George Lucas’ fateful accident. The title pitched by George in his 20 page treatment had actually been “… the Temple of Death,” but in light of his passing, Steven Spielberg, director of the film, recommended they change it to “… Doom,” and Marcia Lucas agreed. It was in the original meeting, between Spielberg, Marcia, Raiders producer Frank Marshall and the writing team Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, that George’s notes were shared, many of its elements faithfully realized on screen. Several unused sequences from Raiders of the Lost Ark were incorporated into Doom. Rather than a direct sequel, the decision was made for the film to be a prequel.
There was a sense of urgency to get things moving after the wild success of E.T., the fear being Spielberg would get busy with other projects. Marcia really wanted to keep the Indiana Jones films on the same three year schedule the Star Wars films had been, but with production of First Blood and Return of the Jedi, and the loss of George, that wasn’t a certainty. Thankfully Spielberg was dedicated to the project, and signed on right when the script was finished. Harrison Ford was similarly dedicated, signing on but not before suggesting adding more humor to the script. Diane Thomas was hired for this ultimately uncredited work.
Goldie Hawn was cast as Willie Scott, the tough but unfamiliar with adventure wife of the U.S. Ambassador to China, and Drew Barrymore was cast as her daughter, only ever called “Short Round” in the film. The film kicks off as Harrison Ford’s Indy saves them from an assassination attempt by local crime boss Lao Che. The writers followed Empire Strikes Back example and made Doom considerably darker than Raiders. Although, as the characters around Indy got darker, Indy himself got lighter. Rather than motivated by treasure and reward, Indy was saving enslaved children this go around.
Roger Ebert awarded the film a perfect four-star rating and gave it a glowing review, but his appreciation was not shared by all critics. Some criticized it as too dark, and overall reviews were mixed. Despite that, Doom did incredibly well at the box office, earning a little over $450 million. Notably, it was the first Lucasfilm picture released by New World Pictures, which had been acquired by LucasArts the year previous.
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Marcia left Spielberg to his own devices while working on Doom, having already found her next passion project. She had originally met Diane Thomas in 1981, when Robert Zemeckis had recommended her for work on First Blood. The work had certainly been solid, but what really intrigued Marcia was Thomas’ script Romancing the Stone, which Zemeckis had shared. It had been sold to Columbia Pictures and Michael Douglas, but had laid dormant since then. So Marcia scheduled meetings with Columbia executives and secured the rights. The price was hefty, especially as Douglas wasn’t personally keen on selling his piece, but Marcia was adamant on owning the rights outright. Ultimately he walked away with a nice roll of cash and a percentage of future gross profits.
As news of Christopher Reeve’s casting as Jack Colton rippled through Hollywood, it became clear why Lucasfilm had wanted to buy out Douglas. Since the success of Superman, Reeve had been hesitant to sign onto other action films, not wanting to be typecast. He had been considering joining the production of The Bostonians in a lead role, but after Marcia and Zemeckis personally reached out and petitioned him, he decided to join the picture. Debra Winger would be cast as Joan Wilder and Danny DeVito as Ralph. Lawrence Kasdan provided some uncredited contributions, doctoring a few scenes. Upon release, the film brought in $125 million against a $15 million budget.
########
Red Dragon, the rights having been secured from De Laurentiis Entertainment Group as part of a package, was shepherded by Gary Kurtz and David Lynch. Writing and directing the picture, Lynch was later quoted saying the story was “violent and completely degenerate.” No doubt it was a welcome change from the style of Return of the Jedi, which he had spent much of the previous two years developing. Harrison Ford starred as FBI Agent Will Graham, with Tom Noonan as Francis Dolarhyde, Paul Newman as FBI Agent Jack Crawford, and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lector. While Marcia was credited as a producer, much of her time was spent on other projects, but she did serve as editor, enjoying the work with Lynch. Produced on a budget of $15 million, the film brought back in $50 million.
########
Ridley Scott, who had signed a multi-picture deal with Lucasfilm, joined the production of Lifeforce, bringing on David Peoples to work on the script. Howard Kazanjian was assigned as producer, due to his experience on big budget films like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi, but largely stayed out of the creative side. Peoples’ edits to the script were plentiful, changes original writer Dan O’Bannon would criticize in later interviews. In a rare reply, Marcia defended the changes, saying the film wouldn’t have found such a large audience without them. Special effects work from Industrial Light & Magic was critical to the success of the picture, and Scott’s own experience with special effects on Alien and Blade Runner proved to be a major asset. Against its $25 million budget, Lifeforce performed well at the box office, bringing in just over $100 million.
########
At the newly created Millennium, Roger Corman was nonstop busy. The previous year had already seen the production of Screwballs, a teen comedy film inspired by Porky’s, and the pickup of Suburbia by Penelope Spheeris. 1984 saw the release of space Western Star Child, directed by David Nelson, and greatly aided by the work of ILM, as well as Love Letters by Amy Holden Jones and the pickup of Jonathan Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense. All these films were financial successes, although not universally adored by critics.
________________________________________________
[1] My dog passed away this week, and to be honest getting this chapter done was a bit of a slog. I hope you don’t mind the change of format away from single picture chapters, although I certainly may return to that style for future chapters. As always, all feedback is appreciate!!
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