Back in May, as the newest Indiana Jones movie was being released, Lucasfilm was also releasing a softcover coffee table book that offered a detailed look behind the scenes of the making of all four Indy films.

As a fan of the Indiana Jones films I was thrilled when I saw this one in the bookstore. And I wasn’t disappointed.

The book is called “The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films.” Even though I’ve read plenty of articles and books about these movies and seen the Making of Documentaries, this book offers lots of new information and is a terrific insight into the creative process that brought Indiana Jones to cinematic life.  

For example, did you know Steven Spielberg wanted to make a James Bond movie. But George Lucas told him he had an idea for something even better, a playboy/professor archeologist. Lucas called him “Indiana Smith.” Spielberg was hooked but asked to change the last name to Jones.

From “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (still the best film in the series, a nearly flawless, fun, action picture) through the current “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” the book delves into the all the production from the writing of the scripts to the eventual casting of Harrison Ford as Indy.

Here’s one of the scariest revelations in the book…you may know that Tom Selleck had won the part of Indy  but due to his commitment to a TV pilot called “Magnum PI” was not able to take the role. Spielberg wanted Harrison Ford. But Lucas resisted since Ford had already been in Lucas’ “American Graffitti,”"Star Wars,” and “Empire Strikes Back.” The scary part…David Hasselhoff was seriously considered for the part of Indy! AIGH! Can you imagine “The Hoff” as Indy? Ick.

The Indiana Jones author J.W. Rinzler also wrote another terrific making of book last year celebrating the 30th Anniversary of “Star Wars.” That book was even better as it concentrated just on the making of the one classic movie.

Both are a good read if you are a fan of either movie series. And the treasure trove of never before seen production photos are great.  

Read it then watch the movies again. It makes me appreciate these classics even more. 

*****

By the way, rumor is that “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray in mid-October. The rumbling is that the other Indy films will likely not be released on Blu-ray until 2009.