Raiders of the Lost Ark by Walter Simonson

Spielberg had something to prove post-1941, so he approached the film’s production in a lean-and-mean manner. Raiders of the Lost Ark is the rare example where every single element, in front of the camera and behind it, is working at the peak of its powers. Lucas finally relented and Ford was given the role. Unfortunately for him, CBS refused to let him take time off from the TV series he was starring in, Magnum, P.I. Other actors were considered, and tested, with Tom Selleck eventually getting the nod. On the casting front, Spielberg wanted Harrison Ford from the beginning, but Lucas thought he was too familiar as Han Solo.

Specifically, it would be producer Lucas’ job to rein in director Spielberg (who was just coming off the expensive flop 1941) to ensure there weren’t too many runaway costs while shooting. Eventually - thankfully - Paramount Pictures decided to fund it, after it was stipulated that the production would have to remain tightly under control. When informed of this, Lucas suggested to his pal he had something even better, a character based on the 1940s and ’50s movie serials that the two industry titans had grown up on, as well as a mix of other pop-culture influences.ĭespite the pedigrees of Spielberg and Lucas, most of the major movie studios had no interest in making a big-budget tribute to an archaic film genre. Spielberg had long wanted to direct a 007 installment, but was supposedly turned down by the producers. Hatched on a beach in Hawaii by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Smith (rechristened Jones on the first day of production) was conceived to be their version of James Bond. Rather, on the occasion of its 35 th anniversary, I’m taking time out to reflect on what makes this movie so enduringly great, as well as take a look at the Marvel Comics adaptation published simultaneously. I am not going to waste any time recapping the film’s plot, since I am sure that 100 percent of you reading this know it by heart. Thirty-five years ago today, on June 12, 1981, many millions of moviegoers’ minds were blown when they first saw a little film called Raiders of the Lost Ark. New looks at old flicks - and their comic-book adaptations.

Raiders of the Lost Ark by Walter Simonson