‘I was enraged': Former Paramount CEO slams George Lucas over ‘Indiana Jones' dispute
Former Paramount Pictures CEO Barry Diller is opening up about his bitter argument with George Lucas during the development of the 'Indiana Jones' franchise in the 1980s.
The San Francisco-born businessman explained in his recent memoir, 'Who Knew,' that Lucas betrayed his trust by demanding more money for the series' second film despite previously agreeing to no new negotiations.
'I hadn't expected to find that the Hollywood-bashing, take-the-high-ground George Lucas was actually a sanctimonious, though supremely talented … hypocrite,' he wrote in the book, which was released Tuesday, March 20.
Financial concerns began when Diller contemplated greenlighting the franchise's first film, 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' which Lucas co-wrote and executive produced. Despite loving the script, Diller was worried about steep production costs. So, he came up with a compromise.
'I insisted we had the right to make sequels on the same terms as ('Raiders of the Lost Ark'), given that the terms on the (movie) were so much higher than anyone else had ever received. I wanted to retch once, and then not have to regurgitate in a new negotiation if the film was a success,' he wrote. 'I wanted it in the clearest, most unambiguous language that all the parties agreed to and understood; there would be no new negotiating if George Lucas wanted to do a sequel.'
He was particularly careful to lay out the terms to avoid being in the same situation as 20th Century Fox, which gave Lucas ' Star Wars ' merchandising and sequel rights when they had negotiated the deal for 'A New Hope' (1977).
After the 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' became a massive hit upon its release in 1981, Diller and Lucas regrouped to plan out the sequel, 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.' By then, Lucas was on the heels of 1980's 'The Empire Strikes Back,' the second installment of his 'Star Wars' franchise, and seemed to have a new idea of his worth as a filmmaker.
'I was enraged,' Diller wrote. 'We had made such a big deal out of never having to be put in this position, and yet that was exactly what was happening. I couldn't believe it.'
Speculating that the push for more money could have come from lawyers egging Lucas on to renegotiate for their own benefit, he wrote that he decided to call the filmmaker.
The Modesto native 'responded with cold clarity,' according to Diller, and stated that the current terms were not 'worth it.'
'But you made a legal and moral commitment to honor these sequel terms. Here you are, someone who doesn't live in Hollywood because you loudly decry the amoral atmosphere of the company town, and then you blithely renege on an agreement made in good faith,' Diller responded.
Standing his ground, Lucas reiterated that the project wouldn't be worth it for him unless he received more money. Diller eventually gave in and renegotiated the film, but he has clearly not forgotten the dispute.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
Pianists reach finals in Van Cliburn competition
One of the world's most prestigious classical music competitions will crown its new winner in Fort Worth this weekend. State of pianists: The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is held in Fort Worth every four years to showcase young musicians considered to be the top emerging talent in the world. This year's competition featured 28 pianists chosen out of 340 applicants from 45 countries and regions. Zoom in: The six finalists range from ages 22 to 30, representing Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Russia and the U.S. Finalist performances start Tuesday and continue Wednesday and Friday nights at Bass Performance Hall. The final concert is Saturday. The finalists: Los Angeles-born Angel Stanislav Wang, the youngest finalist, comes from a family of musicians and started taking piano lessons when he was 5. Vitaly Starikov, 30, who is representing Russia and Israel, also comes from a family of musicians and has traveled the world for his recital and chamber music. Aristo Sham, 29, was featured in a U.K. documentary about the world's greatest musical prodigies and has performed for King Charles. Philipp Lynov, 26, studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory before moving to Germany. Carter Johnson, 28, grew up in Canada and is highlighting lesser-known works of Polish composers. Evren Ozel, 26, debuted at 11 with the Minnesota Orchestra and has been a featured soloist with several U.S. orchestras. The intrigue: The gold medalist will receive $100,000 and three years of comprehensive career management, including concert tours, an album and performance attire from Neiman Marcus.
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
Weinstein retrial nears end as lawyers argue: sexual predator or #MeToo 'poster boy'?
NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein 's lawyer portrayed him as the falsely accused 'original sinner' of the #MeToo era, while a prosecutor told jurors at his sex crimes retrial Tuesday that the former movie mogul preyed on less-powerful women he thought would never speak up. The two sides took very different tones in their closing arguments, which are due to conclude Wednesday. Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, veered into folksy jokes and theatricality — sometimes re-enacting witnesses' behavior — as he contended that his client engaged in a 'courting game,' not crimes. Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg, as direct as Aidala was discursive, urged jurors to focus on Weinstein's accusers and their days of grueling testimony. 'This was not a 'courting game,' as Mr. Aidala wants you to believe. This was not a 'transaction,'' she told jurors. 'This was never about 'fooling around.' It was about rape.' The majority-female jury is expected to start deliberations at some point Wednesday, inheriting a case that was seen as a #MeToo watershed when Weinstein was convicted five years ago. It ended up being retried, and reshaped, because an appeals court overturned the 2020 verdict. Weinstein, the former Hollywood honcho-turned-#MeToo outcast, has pleaded not guilty to raping a woman in 2013 and forcing oral sex on two others, separately, in 2006. Aidala argued that everything that happened between the ex-producer and his accusers was a consensual, if 'transactional,' exchange of favors. The attorney accused prosecutors of 'trying to police the bedroom' and zeroing in on the man seen as 'the poster boy, the original sinner, for the #MeToo movement.' 'They tried to do it five years ago, and now there's a redo, and they're trying to do it again,' he told jurors. His hours-long summation touched on matters from the acclaimed, Weinstein-co-produced 1994 film 'Pulp Fiction' to his own marriage and his grandmother's Italian gravy, at times playing for — and getting — laughs from jurors and Weinstein. Aidala depicted the former studio boss as a self-made New Yorker, while painting Weinstein's accusers as troubled and canny 'women with broken dreams' who plied him for movie opportunities and other perks, kept engaging with him for years and then turned on him to cash in on his #MeToo undoing. All three received compensation through legal processes separate from the criminal trial. Blumberg countered that Weinstein interpreted a sexual 'no' as a cue to 'push a little bit more, and if they still say no, just take it anyway.' She argued that his accusers stayed in friendly contact with Weinstein because they were trying to work in entertainment, and they feared their careers would be squashed if they crossed him. 'He chose people who he thought would be the perfect victims, who he could rape and keep silent,' the prosecutor said. 'He underestimated them.' Weinstein had a decades-long run as one of the movie industry's most influential people. In 2017, allegations of sexual assault and harassment tanked his career and catalyzed the #MeToo movement, which seeks accountability for sexual misconduct. He was subsequently convicted of sex crimes and sentenced to prison in New York and California. His California appeal hasn't been decided. Since the New York retrial opened April 23, prosecutors have brought in more than two dozen witnesses. The prosecution centered on Weinstein's three accusers, who each faced days of questions. In often graphic and sometimes tearful testimony, the women said the Oscar-winning producer used his showbiz stature as a hook to prey on them. Jessica Mann, who accused Weinstein of rape, was a hairstylist hoping to make it as an actor when she met him. The sexual assault accusers also were trying to build careers in entertainment: Miriam Haley was a production assistant and producer, and Kaja Sokola was a teenage model who wanted to get into acting. Prosecutors added Sokola's allegations to the case for the retrial. But some other accusers from the first trial weren't part of the second. The appeals court said it was prejudicial to include their accusations, which never resulted in charges. Weinstein, 73, decided not to testify. His attorneys presented a few witnesses to cast doubts on certain aspects of the accusers' accounts. But Weinstein's defense also relied heavily on questioning prosecution witnesses — even surprising Sokola with her own private journal — to try to undermine their credibility. The Associated Press generally does not identify people without their permission if they say they have been sexually assaulted. Sokola, Mann and Haley have agreed to be named.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Long hair and hot dogs: Meet the Japanese baseball stars making their mark on the Cubs
CHICAGO — Last year, Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga wowed fans when he took the mound at Wrigley Field for Chicago's home opener before going on to have a stellar season — Imanaga's first in the majors. The pitcher, also known as the 'Throwing Philosopher,' went 15-3 for the Cubs in 2024, racking up 174 strikeouts to go along with a 2.91 ERA. The 31-year-old had previously played professionally in Japan from 2016 to 2023. Advertisement In the States, Imanaga soon became a fan favorite not only for how well he pitched, but also for his charisma, sense of humor, and his long, flowing hair. 'You're saying I have the best hair?' a laughing Imanaga told NBC News through a translator when asked about his free-flowing locks. 'My teammates, if I'm drying my hair, if I'm combing my hair, they compliment me, telling me I have beautiful hair,' Imanaga said. 'But my mom and my friends are like, it's probably time to cut your hair.' It's not only the hair that's helped Imanaga endear himself to the Wrigley faithful. During his rookie year, the pitcher decided on 'Chelsea Dagger' as his walk-up song, a tune more famously known in Chicago as the goal song for the NHL's Blackhawks, dating back well over a decade to the hockey team's heyday. Advertisement 'When I first got to the Cubs, I think a lot of the fans were, 'Who is this pitcher?'' Imanaga said. 'And so for me, it was really important to get acclimated with the team, with the fans. What was important was to pick something that all the Chicago fans love.' Imanaga's countryman, outfielder Seiya Suzuki, employs a similar ethos when asked about his favorite ballpark food, saying he would have to go with hot dogs, 'especially' considering the team he plays for. Suzuki joined the Cubs in 2022 after a nine-year career in Japan, and he and Imanaga have since played key roles in helping turn around the team's fortunes. After back-to-back losing seasons, Chicago posted two winning records in each of the last two years. Suzuki and Imanaga have become global stars in the process and are part of a growing Japanese presence in Major League Baseball. In April, the Cubs opened the season in Tokyo against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who feature three Japanese-born players in Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. Advertisement 'When I was younger, I watched baseball in the U.S., and I thought it was really cool,' Suzuki said. 'So if when I'm playing and the fans in Japan, even if it's one extra person gets to watch, and they want to come to the U.S. to enjoy baseball or something like that, I think that'd be great.' While both Suzuki and Imanaga have pushed the right buttons with their home fans, Chicago's current objective is to get Imanaga back on the mound. He hasn't started a game since May 4, when he left a start against the Brewers with a hamstring injury. The Cubs placed Imanaga, whose jersey is the team's most popular this season, on the 15-day injured list the next day. He's currently progressing toward a return in early June, ramping up his rehab with some bullpen work. Chicago is currently first in the NL Central. This article was originally published on
