Fans of the Indiana Jones movies have to be excited because the fourth installment of the series will hit theatres on May 22nd. The first three Indiana Jones movies were wildly popular and many movie experts expect Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to be just as successful.

The original Indiana Jones movie, known as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, was released in 1981. It was a gigantic hit, with a gross revenue of almost $400 million. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark was directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas and starred Harrison Ford. In the original, Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford) takes on the Nazis, who are looking for the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant would have made the Nazi army unbeatable. Besides Ford, the film also featured other actors including Paul Freeman, Rene Belloq, John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliott. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark cost only $20 million to make, so the nearly $400 million gross revenue was extremely impressive and somewhat unexpected.

Three years later, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released in theatres. This 1984 film was also directed by Steven Spielberg and featured Harrison Ford. Unlike the original, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was created to be more of a horror movie. While Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom wasn’t quite as successful as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, it still grossed about $350 million.

In 1989, the third Indiana Jones film was released in theatres. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas and starred Harrison Ford. Other actors in the film included Sean Connery, River Phoenix, Julian Glover, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliott. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was a worldwide hit, with worldwide gross revenue approaching $500 million. Like Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones was pitted against the Nazis.

After the 1989 release of the third installment of the Indiana Jones series, it took nearly 20 years for all the parties involved to agree to make a fourth Indiana Jones movie. Originally, there was supposed to be five Indiana Jones movies, however after the third one the writers had a difficult time figuring out how the characters could continue. Finally, in the last decade, the pieces started coming together for the fourth installment. It took Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford agreeing to a plot for the movie to become a reality.

Part of the reason why it was difficult to figure out how to make the jump from the third film to the fourth film is Harrison Ford’s age. The script would have to accommodate the now 65-year-old actor. When the first film was produced, Harrison was approximately 39-years-old.

Throughout the years, Ford has become one of the most well-known actors in the world. Besides the four Indiana Jones movies, Ford has also appeared in the Star Wars trilogy, Blade Runner, Air Force One and The Fugitive. According to a few lists published over the last decade, Ford is arguably the most successful actor of all-time. In fact, all of his films combined have grossed more than $3 billion in the United States and about $6 billion worldwide. In recent years, Ford has appeared in movies such as Firewall, Hollywood Homicide and K-19: The Widowmaker.

Speaking of successful people in the movie industry, Steven Spielberg has to be near the top – if not on the top of the list. His movies have totaled approximately $8 billion in worldwide gross. A recent report has put Spielberg net worth at about $3 billion. He’s undoubtedly one of the most influential people in the movie industry. In addition to the Indiana Jones series, Spielberg has been responsible for smash successes such as Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List and many, many others. At 61-years-old, Spielberg’s career is still going strong.

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George Lucas is the third very powerful person involved in the Indiana Jones series. Lucas has a net worth of more than $3.5 billion. In addition to the Indiana Jones series, he’s responsible for the Star Wars series. His role with Star Wars has made him an international superstar. Lucas, like Spielberg, is amazingly powerful in the movie industry and has millions of fans watching his every move.

In Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Spielberg returns as the director and Ford returns as the lead actor. Lucas is a co-writer and an executive producer on this film. It’s estimated that this film will need to gross around $400 million to make a profit – which goes to show how much money was spent on the film.

In the film, which is set in the late 1950’s, Indiana Jones (played by Ford, obviously) is pitted against the Soviet Union. Jones and the Soviet Union battle over the acquisition of a crystal skull. The adventure takes Jones around the world, from the United States to Peru. In the movie, whoever can acquire the crystal skull will get increased power and will have the edge in the Cold War. Jones, who is on the side of the United States, tries to stop the Soviet Union from getting the Cold War advantage.

To prepare for his role, Harrison Ford said he spent three hours a day at the gym and followed a strict diet. Although he might be up in age, Ford wanted to show the world that he was still physically fit enough to fully engage in the typical Indiana Jones maneuvers. Ford has stated that part of the reason he wanted to do the film was to make the world less paranoid about the aging process.

Shia LaBeouf is another actor in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He plays a motorcycle-riding sidekick of Indiana Jones. He helps Jones throughout the movie and the odd couple gets close as they fight off the villains.

Speaking of villains, Cate Blanchett plays the role as the head agent for the Soviet Union. She is Indiana Jones’ arch nemesis in the film and tries to foil Jones’ attempt at acquiring the crystal skull. Blanchett’s character wants to acquire the crystal skull to make the Soviet Union more powerful.

Karen Allen plays a role of a character found in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ray Winstone plays the role of a character who at times is an enemy of Indiana Jones and is at times a friend of Indiana Jones. John Hurt plays the role of an Indiana Jones associate who is lost when looking for the crystal skull. Jim Broadbent plays a role as a colleague of Indiana Jones from Yale University. Igor Jijikine plays the role of a Soviet Union henchman.

If you are a fan of the first three Indiana Jones films, you should definitely check out the fourth installment. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull promises to be one of the biggest hits of 2008 – if not the biggest hit. With the legion of dedicated fans awaiting its release, the hundreds of millions put into the production of the film, the huge names associated with the project and the success of the previous three installments, this Indiana Jones promises to become a classic.