Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg ‘Were Not 100% on Board’ with “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”

The actor and director didn't want George Lucas to add aliens to the story

NEED TO KNOW

• Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg were not totally onboard with making 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull because aliens were a major part of the plot
• George Lucas said that ultimately they compromised and changed the aliens to beings from another dimension
• Producer Kathleen Kennedy said that ultimately Ford was invested in making 2023’s The Dial of Destiny because he wanted to end the franchise in a different way

Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg collaborated on three very successful Indiana Jones films, but the fourth was a sticking point.

Some of Spielberg's collaborators spoke to Vulture in an oral history published June 10. The Indiana Jones franchise began with 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ford, 83, had worked with George Lucas (who had the original idea for the script) on Star Wars and Lucas had the idea for the series. 

“George sent the script to my house,” Ford told the outlet. “I read it and reported to George that I thought it was fantastic. There was a kind of tongue-in-cheek aspect to it. I knew that it referred to older films of a certain ilk that had a freedom and joy.”

Spielberg, 79, teamed with Ford and Lucas for the first three films: Raiders, 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Decades later, the trio reunited for 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but there were problems from the start.

David Koepp, who wrote the script, tried hard to mimic Lawrence Kasdan, who had written Raiders, and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński struggled to recreate the work of Douglas Slocombe, who had done the first three films.

Producer Kathleen Kennedy told Vulture, “Crystal Skull was a tough production for Janusz. Steven was struggling with that movie. Harrison was struggling with the movie.” The reason? “They didn't want to do a Raiders movie that involved aliens, and they kind of got into a fight with George about it.”

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In the early drafts of Crystal Skull, Indiana meets his secret son, Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), whom he had unknowingly conceived with Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). The movie sees Indiana, Mutt and Marion face off against the Soviets, who are looking for a crystal skull. They believe it's alien in origin — and that it can be used to spread Soviet propaganda into American minds. 

Lucas, 82, said, “I wanted it to be kind of a War of the Worlds sort of thing. Harrison said, ‘I'm not going to do another science-fiction movie.' And Steven said, ‘I'm not going to do another science-fiction movie.' ” Lucas told Spielberg that it was “perfect” because “flying saucers” were all the rage in the 1950s, when the film was set. Spielberg stayed firm.

“We did about five scripts, and finally Steve and I compromised: ‘Look, what if they're not aliens but from another dimension,' ” Lucas said. 

“They ended up all of them doing what George wanted to do, which was probably the right thing,” Kennedy, 73, said. “But Harrison and Steven were not 100% on board. That's why the movie, out of the four that Steven made, is the weakest.”

Kennedy said that Crystal Skull led Ford to be “deeply committed” to making one more film, 2023's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. “He didn't want that to be the end,” she said. 

Lucas noted that Spielberg did ultimately put a “flying saucer” in the movie, rationalizing that they had to have some means of traveling between the dimensions. He added, “He did make a science-fiction movie after that, and Harrison did an alien movie.”

Ford took part in 2011's Cowboys & Aliens before returning to the world of Star Wars with 2015's The Force Awakens. Spielberg, meanwhile, made another science-fiction film, 2018's Ready Player One and his newest movie, Disclosure Day, is also about aliens. 

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull received mixed reviews from critics, but made over $786 million at the box office. For 2023's Dial of Destiny, Ford and Allen both returned, but Spielberg ultimately handed directing duties to James Mangold. That film made $384 million at the box office and received similar reviews from critics.

Ford told WSJ. Magazine in 2025 that he didn't regret making The Dial of Destiny despite its lackluster box office. “S–t happens,” he said. “I was really the one who felt there was another story to tell. When [Indy] had suffered the consequences of the life that he had to live, I wanted one more chance to pick him up and shake the dust off his ass and stick him out there, bereft of some of his vigor, to see what happened."

He added, "I'm still happy I made that movie.”

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