October 21, 2025 • 7 mins
When we look at iconic movies, we can’t imagine them being different in any way from what we finally see on the screen. But making movies is an evolutionary process. Turns out Raiders of the Lost Ark almost didn’t get made and the role of Indiana Jones almost went to another very popular actor.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, There's been some unsubstantiated talk in the last
few years, and especially the last few months about the
possible return of Indiana Jones to the big screen. But
the fifth flick in the series, Indiana Jones and the
Dialute Destiny, out in twenty twenty three, was the final
episode with Harrison Ford in the lead. So how do
(00:21):
you replace him? I mean, nobody but Harrison Ford can
play that role, or can they? Forty five years ago,
Harrison Ford wasn't actually the first choice. I'm Patty Steele,
who almost played Indiana Jones. How did the movie almost
not get made? And who could play India in the future.
(00:41):
That's next on the backstory. The backstory is back first.
I gotta thank backstory listener and movie fan Steve Kingston
for suggesting this episode, Raiders of the Lost Arc change
the movies in so many great ways. In nineteen eighty one,
it sealed Harrison Ford's rep as a superstar, following his
(01:05):
iconic role in Star Wars in nineteen seventy seven. But
even though we see these flicks as masterpieces carved in
cinematic stone, in the run up to production, they weren't
always sure thing all right, let's go back to the
summer of nineteen seventy seven. George Lucas, a super private
guy who never liked attention, was now the hottest thing
(01:28):
in Hollywood. He had just released Star Wars. He loved
creating it, but he despised the Hollywood publicity machine, the
cameras being trained on him rather than the actors, the
push for the next big thing from him. He found
it all suffocating, so Lucas took off for a quiet
beach in Hawaii Nice. He just wanted to take some
(01:50):
time to reflect and escape the noise. He asked his
pals Steven Spielberg to come hang with him. Spielberg had
just had his own huge moment in the sun with
the release of Jaws a couple years earlier. The two
movie nerds sat on the beach together and started brainstorming
their next big thing. Well, you know those moments when
(02:12):
you're relaxing with a really good friend and you say,
you know what I'd really love to do, Well, they
had that moment. Spielberg, laying in the sun, says to Lucas,
you know, I've always wanted to make a James Bond movie.
In that moment, Lucas has an inspiration. He looks at
Spielberg and he says, I've got something better than James Bond.
(02:36):
It was an idea for a character a little bit
Bond like that had been marinating in his brain for years.
He saw this guy, an adventurous archaeologist inspired by the
short serial films of the nineteen thirties and forties that
played at movie theaters during Saturday matinees. The guy would
be smart, ruggedly, handsome, and tough, capable of dealing with
(02:58):
bad guys, booby traps, and snakes. Lucas called him Indiana Smith.
Spielberg loved the premise, but he didn't quite love the name.
He liked Indiana, which Lucas chose as suggested by his
wife in honor of their dog, who was a big,
fluffy Alaskan malmute named Indiana. The pup, by the way,
(03:20):
also inspired the look of Chewbacca in Star Wars, but
Spielberg thought Smith was too common of a last name,
and they went with the only slightly less common Jones.
Not terribly exotic, but hey, it works. Over the next
few weeks they fleshed out that first film. They were
inspired by Charlton Heston's character in the nineteen fifty four
(03:42):
movie Secret of the Incas. They loved the idea of
a tough intellectual, a professor in a leather jacket cracking
a whip out in the wild. After several weeks they
had the beginnings of Raiders of the Lost Dark. Lawrence Kasden,
a great screenwriter, turned Indy into a wise cracking, funny,
sardonic character. Now, the problem is, Raiders of the Lost
(04:06):
Ark almost fell apart before it got made. The original
studio executives weren't exactly thrilled by the whole premise. They
thought audiences wouldn't care about an archaeologist from back in
the nineteen thirties, but Lucas and Spielberg had the power
to push it forward, which they did. Then another problem,
(04:26):
Lucas really wanted Tom Selik to play Indie. Tom did
a screen test, he was offered the part, and he
accepted it, but he also told him he'd done a
pilot for a new TV show, which turned out to
be Magnum p I. Selik asked if he could do
both projects. While Lucas and Spielberg said yes, CBSTV said no.
(04:49):
Selik now says that was the one that got away,
so anyway, they decide to move on. Spielberg really wanted
Harrison Ford, but Lucas not too crazy about the idea
of his Hans solo being morphed into Indy. Spielberg pushed
back and Lucas finally agreed. Raiders of the Lost Art
(05:10):
premiered in nineteen eighty one, and it was a massive
hit that really returned adventure flicks to the forefront of
movie blockbusters. It gave us a new kind of anti
hero star who was funny, smart, but flawed, making him
so much more relatable to audiences and more likable as well.
(05:30):
All of that from a simple beach convo between two pals.
So who's being talked about as the next star in
the franchise? While no production plans have been made public
and Lucasfilm is saying it's going to be a while,
other sources say an announcement could come early next year,
there has been some chatter. Chris Pratt seems to get
(05:52):
the most mentioned, thanks to his roles in the Marvel
Universe movies and the Jurassic World flicks. Another red hot
name on the list is Glenn Powell. From Top Gun, Maverick, Hitman, Twisters,
Anyone but You and others, and other names getting tossed
around include John Krasinski, Pedro Pescal and even Phoebe waller Bridge.
(06:13):
She played Indy's goddaughter Helena Shaw in the Last flick
Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, so they may
consider her for a spin off. Meantime, The Muse who
inspired characters in both Star Wars and the First Indiana
Jones Lucas's dog Indiana. He actually got a nod in
the prologue of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade as
(06:36):
Indy's childhood pet, the Knine. Indy lived long enough to
see both Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark
become blockbusters, in part thanks to him. Thanks again to
Steve Kingston for suggesting this great episode idea. I hope
you're enjoying the backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave a
(06:56):
review and follow or subscribe for free to get new
episodes delivered automatically, and feel free to dm me if,
like Steve, you have a story you'd like me to cover.
On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty
Steele I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia,
(07:18):
Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions.
Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jay Kushner. We
have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to
reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions
on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at
Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele,
(07:40):
the pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.
All right, There's been some unsubstantiated talk in the last
few years, and especially the last few months about the
possible return of Indiana Jones to the big screen. But
the fifth flick in the series, Indiana Jones and the
Dialute Destiny, out in twenty twenty three, was the final
episode with Harrison Ford in the lead. So how do
(00:21):
you replace him? I mean, nobody but Harrison Ford can
play that role, or can they? Forty five years ago,
Harrison Ford wasn't actually the first choice. I'm Patty Steele,
who almost played Indiana Jones. How did the movie almost
not get made? And who could play India in the future.
(00:41):
That's next on the backstory. The backstory is back first.
I gotta thank backstory listener and movie fan Steve Kingston
for suggesting this episode, Raiders of the Lost Arc change
the movies in so many great ways. In nineteen eighty one,
it sealed Harrison Ford's rep as a superstar, following his
(01:05):
iconic role in Star Wars in nineteen seventy seven. But
even though we see these flicks as masterpieces carved in
cinematic stone, in the run up to production, they weren't
always sure thing all right, let's go back to the
summer of nineteen seventy seven. George Lucas, a super private
guy who never liked attention, was now the hottest thing
(01:28):
in Hollywood. He had just released Star Wars. He loved
creating it, but he despised the Hollywood publicity machine, the
cameras being trained on him rather than the actors, the
push for the next big thing from him. He found
it all suffocating, so Lucas took off for a quiet
beach in Hawaii Nice. He just wanted to take some
(01:50):
time to reflect and escape the noise. He asked his
pals Steven Spielberg to come hang with him. Spielberg had
just had his own huge moment in the sun with
the release of Jaws a couple years earlier. The two
movie nerds sat on the beach together and started brainstorming
their next big thing. Well, you know those moments when
(02:12):
you're relaxing with a really good friend and you say,
you know what I'd really love to do, Well, they
had that moment. Spielberg, laying in the sun, says to Lucas,
you know, I've always wanted to make a James Bond movie.
In that moment, Lucas has an inspiration. He looks at
Spielberg and he says, I've got something better than James Bond.
(02:36):
It was an idea for a character a little bit
Bond like that had been marinating in his brain for years.
He saw this guy, an adventurous archaeologist inspired by the
short serial films of the nineteen thirties and forties that
played at movie theaters during Saturday matinees. The guy would
be smart, ruggedly, handsome, and tough, capable of dealing with
(02:58):
bad guys, booby traps, and snakes. Lucas called him Indiana Smith.
Spielberg loved the premise, but he didn't quite love the name.
He liked Indiana, which Lucas chose as suggested by his
wife in honor of their dog, who was a big,
fluffy Alaskan malmute named Indiana. The pup, by the way,
(03:20):
also inspired the look of Chewbacca in Star Wars, but
Spielberg thought Smith was too common of a last name,
and they went with the only slightly less common Jones.
Not terribly exotic, but hey, it works. Over the next
few weeks they fleshed out that first film. They were
inspired by Charlton Heston's character in the nineteen fifty four
(03:42):
movie Secret of the Incas. They loved the idea of
a tough intellectual, a professor in a leather jacket cracking
a whip out in the wild. After several weeks they
had the beginnings of Raiders of the Lost Dark. Lawrence Kasden,
a great screenwriter, turned Indy into a wise cracking, funny,
sardonic character. Now, the problem is, Raiders of the Lost
(04:06):
Ark almost fell apart before it got made. The original
studio executives weren't exactly thrilled by the whole premise. They
thought audiences wouldn't care about an archaeologist from back in
the nineteen thirties, but Lucas and Spielberg had the power
to push it forward, which they did. Then another problem,
(04:26):
Lucas really wanted Tom Selik to play Indie. Tom did
a screen test, he was offered the part, and he
accepted it, but he also told him he'd done a
pilot for a new TV show, which turned out to
be Magnum p I. Selik asked if he could do
both projects. While Lucas and Spielberg said yes, CBSTV said no.
(04:49):
Selik now says that was the one that got away,
so anyway, they decide to move on. Spielberg really wanted
Harrison Ford, but Lucas not too crazy about the idea
of his Hans solo being morphed into Indy. Spielberg pushed
back and Lucas finally agreed. Raiders of the Lost Art
(05:10):
premiered in nineteen eighty one, and it was a massive
hit that really returned adventure flicks to the forefront of
movie blockbusters. It gave us a new kind of anti
hero star who was funny, smart, but flawed, making him
so much more relatable to audiences and more likable as well.
(05:30):
All of that from a simple beach convo between two pals.
So who's being talked about as the next star in
the franchise? While no production plans have been made public
and Lucasfilm is saying it's going to be a while,
other sources say an announcement could come early next year,
there has been some chatter. Chris Pratt seems to get
(05:52):
the most mentioned, thanks to his roles in the Marvel
Universe movies and the Jurassic World flicks. Another red hot
name on the list is Glenn Powell. From Top Gun, Maverick, Hitman, Twisters,
Anyone but You and others, and other names getting tossed
around include John Krasinski, Pedro Pescal and even Phoebe waller Bridge.
(06:13):
She played Indy's goddaughter Helena Shaw in the Last flick
Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, so they may
consider her for a spin off. Meantime, The Muse who
inspired characters in both Star Wars and the First Indiana
Jones Lucas's dog Indiana. He actually got a nod in
the prologue of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade as
(06:36):
Indy's childhood pet, the Knine. Indy lived long enough to
see both Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark
become blockbusters, in part thanks to him. Thanks again to
Steve Kingston for suggesting this great episode idea. I hope
you're enjoying the backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave a
(06:56):
review and follow or subscribe for free to get new
episodes delivered automatically, and feel free to dm me if,
like Steve, you have a story you'd like me to cover.
On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty
Steele I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia,
(07:18):
Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions.
Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jay Kushner. We
have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to
reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions
on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at
Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele,
(07:40):
the pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.
Elvis Duran and the Morning Show ON DEMAND News
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.