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“Dial of Destiny” Director Hurt By Reaction

posted 2 months ago by bozo_500 (13384)
11 replies | jump to latest

https://www.darkhorizons.com/dial-of-destiny-director-hurt-by-reaction/

James Mangold’s currently out there promoting his Timothee Chalamet-led Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” his first film since last year’s “Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny” launched to mixed reviews and disappointing box-office.

That fifth and final “Indiana Jones” film grossed a disappointing $384 million worldwide from a budget said to be around $329 million – racking up over $130 million in losses for Disney. Its box-office haul was just half of what 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” pulled in.

Looking back on why the film failed, Mangold tells Deadline that he puts it down to audiences not wanting to see their hero as an 81-year-old man:

“You have a wonderful, brilliant actor who’s in his eighties. So I’m making a movie about this guy in his eighties, but his audience on one other level doesn’t want to confront their hero at that age. And I am like, I’m good with it. We made the movie. But the question is, how would anything have made the audience happy with that, other than having to start over again with a new guy?”

Mangold says he’s still proud of the movie, calling it a “joyous experience, but it hurt” in terms of the reaction from critics and audiences. He adds that he “really wanted audiences to love [Ford] as he was and to accept that that’s part of what the movie has to say – that things come to an end, that’s part of life.”

As for what’s next for Mangold, he’s not sure. Offering an update on his “Star Wars” film “Dawn of the Jedi,” he says: “My partner and I have been writing it. I don’t know what’s next because we haven’t gotten to the end of that process… we’re trying to finish a draft.”

[–] Melton (5549) 2 months ago

Mangold dishonestly pretending that Ford’s age was the problem with the film. It wasn’t. Phoebe Waller Bridge was the problem.

[–] johnmiller (4011) 2 months ago

Bingo! Hiring the popular TV actress of the moment was an unintelligent, random move.

[–] bozo_500 (13384) 2 months ago

Crazy when you consider all the movie actresses similar age who likely would've jumped at the chance to be in Indiana Jones movie, Haylee Atwell, Felicity Jones, Emilia Clarke, (both who have lucasfilm connections with star wars), Emily Blunt etc

I'm guessing PWB also contributed to certain aspects of the script (like bond)

Notice she doesn't seem to have too much lined up after (a supporting role in Margot Robbies next movie, the Tomb Raider stream show) which is strange considering she was effectively colead in this (had it been a huge hit like Crystal Skull maybe would've have tons of stuff upcoming)

[–] FootOfDavros (8692) 2 months ago

Exactly.

Was reading through his comments above thinking exactly that. From the first moment her casting was announced, the project - in financial terms - was always going to be screwed.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (15100) 2 months ago

No, Mr. Mangold, it was a shitty film from beginning to end, and frankly, even a rushed, revised ending that didn't kill off Indy and have Phoebe Wall-to-Wall Bitchface take over wasn't gonna save it. It was nothing more than a cash grab using an old, worn-out actor and a horrible, unlikeable, Limey Swine like Phoebe. Don't kid yourself, pal. It was a dumpster fire and you know it!

[–] mikethemartian (6992) 2 months ago

I didn’t have a problem with an older Indy since from the beginning his character wasn’t just an action star but also intelligent.

I never watched the TV show. How good was Sean Patrick Flannery at playing the role?

[–] johnmiller (4011) 2 months ago

Hey, Mangold, the check cleared, right?

[–] ADBruno1985 (3577) 2 months ago

I feel like it wasn't well-received because people decided to not like it before they saw it. A lot of that had to do with no Spielberg and Lucas, and Disney.

I was born in 85 and have long loved these movies. But it's one of those franchises where nothing will be the original.

I'll never say this movie is my favorite of the franchise, but I don't really see why people hate on it. I'm not big on time travel as a plot device, even though so many of the things I love seem to arrive there. But I enjoy this movie, it's a fun adventure for a few hours, and it's a solid finale to me.

[–] stevewyzard (1749) 2 months ago

^^^Fully agree with the above^^^

This movie is not perfect, but it certainly doesn't deserve the contempt that's been poured upon it. If anything, Dial of Destiny proved emphatically that Spielberg's and Lucas's fingerprints do not need to be on everything Indy-related. As mentioned above, the original series has become so iconic that even if Dial of Destiny was the most flawless movie ever made, it would still be hated simply because the characters have aged and didn't return decades ago. I'll take Dial of Destiny over Temple of Doom EVERY time.

[–] AnthonySocksss (1564) 2 months ago

Mangold is a very pleasant Hollywood hack

[–] Darren (1456) 2 months ago

What the hell did he expect? They made a movie where Indiana Jones -- the resourceful hero who may not have been the toughest or strongest man around, but who always won in the end because he was clever, resourceful, and he never, ever quit -- is turned into a wretched shell of his former self, who's lost his son and whose wife has left him, he's made into into a depressed, broken, suicidal old man who feels he has nothing left to live for. All so he can be replaced with another fucking woke girlboss at the end of the movie.

Yeah, no one wanted to see that movie. No one asked for that movie. People are sick and tired of seeing their childhood heroes torn down, and no one wanted to see it done to Indiana Jones. Why he ever thought it wouldn't bomb is the mystery here.