IN early February 2020, Steven Spielberg, the sole director of the Indiana Jones films for the past 39 years, stepped down from helming the fifth film.
Opting to bring in someone new with a fresh perspective, Spielberg chose James Mangold, who at that point had already carved out an impressive filmography as an eclectic filmmaker, from the neo-noir Cop Land to the gritty, almost anti-superhero Logan, and recently, the riveting sports drama Ford vs. Ferrari.
During a press junket with Mangold that included theSun, the writer-director spoke at length about the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which will be the fifth and last film in the franchise.
“I don’t think you can make an Indiana Jones movie just because it has the name ‘Indiana Jones’ on it,“ Mangold said, calling himself old-fashioned for needing a story.
He was referring to the film’s script prior to his joining, which needed substantial rewrites because it was not up to par with what Mangold wanted or saw in its potential.
“The first order of business became ‘You cannot make a movie without a story’, and we had to figure out the story before we started talking about making the movie”.
Going old-school
From the beginning, Mangold knew if he took on the project, there needed to be something new to say about Harrison Ford’s iconic character.
In The Dial of Destiny, there are two time periods covered: 1944, right before the Nazis lost World War 2, and 1969, when Ford’s Indiana Jones is an ageing professor dealing with the realities of his age.
“I love Indy’s existential question in trying to figure out what his purpose is anymore. A man who has been so purposeful and driven finds himself without something to do each day,“ Mangold said.
Another important aspect that Mangold had to tackle was action filming.
Though he had done these films according to modern filmmaking rules,“ such as The Wolverine and Logan, for The Dial of Destiny, Mangold had to have a different approach altogether.
“So many of the action and adventure films of the last 30 or 40 years are quite brutalistic and rough, with an absence of humanity. So many guns firing, so much blood, so many explosions, and cars rolling over I’m no longer even impressed when I see cars and buses rolling and helicopters crashing into skyscrapers because it’s just Money,“ he explained.
To Mangold, Indiana Jones represents intentional character development and golden age-style filmmaking, which his own film had to be a love letter to.
“[It had to be] less about shooting with seven cameras and cutting every two seconds and more about staging, the wit, and the balletic quality of the action in the film”.
In The Dial of Destiny, Mangold’s style for this particular form of filmmaking is evident, such as in the extended chase sequence on tuk tuks through the streets of Morocco, where even if the CGI is dodgy at times, the choreography, planning, and integration of the classic Indiana Jones humour are still top-notch.
Adjusting as necessary
According to Mangold, it is part of the job to hold the audience’s attention with characters they enjoy and circumstances that are intriguing.
“When you’re making an Indiana Jones movie, it is necessary to fulfil the expectations everyone has of scale, size of sets, amount of travel to exotic locations, and visual effects,“ Mangold said in response to a question over how much more he was able to do with the film’s budget.
The Dial of Destiny reportedly cost almost US$300 million to shoot, making it both the most expensive film in the franchise and one of the most expensive films ever made.
The film definitely seems bigger, but Mangold also elaborated that it wasn’t just due to being big; it was due to something else faced by production.
“We were making the movie in a time of a global pandemic, so many of the expenses in the movie that made it cost more were because we were trying to make a film that needed to be shot around the world, filled with extras and action, and at the same time, you’re dealing with a world where everyone is wearing a mask and hiding in apartments. It was a very unique circumstance”.