At last month’s Star Wars Celebration Europe, the Lucasfilm presentation featured a thrilling showcase of the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, including a chase sequence through the streets of Tangier, in which Harrison Ford‘s Indy and Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s Helena pursue Nazi villain Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) through the Moroccan city of Tangier.
Jez Butterworth and his brother John-Henry Butterworth are the co-writers on the film, and the pair have been explaining to Empire Magazine the process of walking that tight-rope between hitting action beats, and making sure the strength and wit of the characters continues to shine through. And for the pair, Ford was always the focal point of their ideas. “We’d be sitting there behind the eight-ball,” and the thing that would get us out every time was just how much fun it is to think about Harrison doing these things,” said Jez Butterworth. “We’d think, ‘What awful situation do we want to put him in and watch him get out of?’ He does it better than absolutely anyone, I think, in the history of cinema.”
How Difficult is it to Put Together Insane Action Sequences?
As Jez explains, the process of constructing an action sequence, with so many moving pieces, can be the most challenging aspect of any film shoot. “They are so hard to keep track of. I’d rather write you a three-act tragedy than write you three action sequences. It’s got to feel like you’re not just rehashing something. It’s got to feel as fresh as can be.” Adds John-Henry:
“They’re character. They’re all character. They’re not just chopsocky. It was an extremely old-school endeavour. Dollies and track and sliders and anamorphic lenses. Old-school lighting and beautiful sets and travelling around the world and physical stunts. And one shot at a time. “It’s lovely making a movie where you’re never going to have that meeting where they’re like, This has got too expensive. That doesn’t happen on an Indy movie.”
Indy’s short temper, and classic wit, have always been staples of the character – something which hasn’t forgotten in the making of the film. In the Morocco scene, this manifests as mid-mayhem bickering between Indy and Helena – “Go left!” Jones is instructed, prompting him to immediately turn right and growl, “I know Tangier.” Ford’s on-screen grumpiness delighted the Celebration crowds, proving the team behind the film were onto a winner.
Directed by James Mangold, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30. You can check out the official trailer for the movie down below:
