Indiana Jones Returns! (Nineteen Years Later)
By: Julia Boorstin | CNBC Media and Entertainment Reporter
There are only a handful of franchises that can take a 19 year hiatus and return stronger than ever. I have very high hopes for Indy. The new trailer for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" debuted on "Good Morning America" today. Joining Harrison Ford are Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf as the sidekick.
And of course, there's the killer combination of Steven Spielberg (directing) and George Lucas (Executive Producer and "Story By" credit). They spun gold for Paramount with the first three films, and I'd be surprised if they didn't do it again. (They get everyone who remembers the franchise, plus the younger, Shia LaBeouf fans).
The potential for this to become a fresh franchise for Paramount pictures yet again, is precisely why Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone and CEO Phillipe Dauman can't--or shouldn't--risk jeapordizing the relationship between the studio and Spielberg. A relationship that was reportedly on the rocks last year, looking forward to the contract negotiation between Spielberg's DreamWorks and Viacom.
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