Indiana Jonesin'

My brother and, no doubt, most men between the ages of 18-45 are nervously quaking over all this talk about George Lucas’ upcoming Indiana Jones sequel.

And you know what? The guys aren't alone. I'm flipped out too. Hey, was anyone ever sexier than Indiana Jones? Okay, maybe Han Solo. 

So, let's recap the recent buzz. Screenwriter David Koepp certainly has the track record to write Indy. He did Spider-Man, War of the Worlds...okay, okay. He has chops. I'm just a little bummed, because I know a couple people who got their paws on Frank Darabont's script, which focused on the Garden of Eden. And these people, who generally sneer at everything, were really into it. I can't help but feel like Darabont was the man for the job. Hey, he wrote for the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. He was an Oscar nominee for his adaptation of Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption.

Why Lucas and Steven Spielberg won't use his script is... 

It hurts too much. Let’s talk about something good.

Firewall survivor Harrison Ford is reportedly pumping iron three hours a day, even though there's no set start date just yet. He's obviously excited to show that that he's still got it. And I bet he does. But man, Indy is such a lone ranger. I really don't want to think of him as a dad.

But if the rumors are true, and we are gonna meet Indy's son, well, I couldn't be happier about the casting. They say Shia LaBeouf is taking on the role. I say good. Here's why: 

Transformers Will Be a Warm-Up:  Seriously guys. Have faith. The Michael Bay movie really is a great welcome-to-masses calling card for Shia. Omigod. Can you imagine how pissed Bay must be that his movie now seems like the warm-up??!! LOL.

Shia's Not Josh Hartnett:  I mean, seriously. We’re not talking about casting the cover of Tiger Beat. We’re talking about Indy Jr. here, people, which can't just be about a cute dopplegänger to Ford. We need oodles of charisma. So, yay.

He's Passionate:  Ask Shia to talk about politics, and he goes on and on. But it’s not annoying. He’s not condescending, à la Sean Penn. He knows his facts, and he doesn’t rub them in your face. This kind of intelligence will serve a young Indy well.

He's Paid His Dues:  He put in years on the Disney Channel series Even Stevens. And he's made interesting choices as an actor. In Emilio Estevez's Bobby, Shia's character takes LSD (from Ashton Kutcher's dealer) for the first time. We see him naked. We see him silly. And he had to run around in tighty-whities knowing that castmates like Anthony Hopkins and Laurence Fishburne were watching his dailies. Solid prep for working with a powerhouse like Harrison Ford, I'd certainly say.

If this whole item felt a little, well Tiger Beat, you gotta forgive me. Hey, I did used to whip words for that rag. And if anything, talking about Shia is a great way for me to stop worrying about whether or not Karen Allen will be back with Indy. Please, please, let her be.