David Koepp is now working on the Indy IV script!
Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - Gilles V
Steven Spielberg told Roger Friedman, from Fox News, at a post-Oscar party that he is taking 2006 off from directing after a particularly stressful year making War of the Worlds and Munich back-to-back. Spielberg will spend the time continuing to develop his Abe Lincoln biopic as well as Indiana Jones IV.
And now for the bigger news, Spielberg has hired yet another writer to work on the Indy IV script. His close friend/writer David Koepp will be taking over Jeff Nathanson's job and hopefully finish the script for good.
Friedman: "George Lucas told me recently that there?s a script and he?s happy with the story."
Spielberg: "George Lucas isn?t the director. I am."
"I have David Koepp on it now, and he?s my 'closer,'" Spielberg said, using a baseball reference to the pitcher who comes in during the 9th inning and finishes up a winning ball game.
"He wrote Spider-Man and War of the Worlds," Spielberg said, "so he?ll get it done."
I have wondered why they didn't go for David Koepp earlier. Koepp is a great screenplay writer who knows how to write excellent adventure films! David Koepp's earlier work includes films like Jurassic Park, Carlito's Way, Mission: Impossible, Stir of Echoes, Panic Room, Spider-Man, War of the Worlds and also the recent Zathura, which was a modest but very fun film for the whole family!
An extra bit of trivia: David Koepp has a great cameo role in Spielberg's The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Koepp is the man that is eaten by the T-Rex next to the video store in San Diego!
You can read Roger Fiedman's original news message at FOXNews.com.