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By JAYMES SONG, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 35 minutes ago
HILO, Hawaii - He may be 65, but Harrison Ford still fits into Indiana Jones'
tight trousers.
Many fans are curious to see if, 18 years after "Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade," Ford can live up to the physical rigors of the globe-trotting
archaeologist in the long-awaited fourth installment of the epic series. The
actor's 65th birthday was Friday.
Producers of the adventure, currently being filmed on Hawaii's Big Island, say
there's no need to worry. Ford is as fit as ever.
"I have to say, he looks amazing," said Kathleen Kennedy, the film's
co-executive producer, along with George Lucas. "He looks fantastic in the
outfit."
Actually, Ford knew the hat would still fit but wondered if he could still
squeeze into the pants. He did.
The action star, who first introduced the fedora-wearing, bullwhip-cracking
Indiana Jones in the 1981 classic "Raiders of the Lost Ark," is actually doing
many of his own stunts in the latest film.
"He's doing them, he just has a few more ice packs and a few more massages,"
Kennedy said.
"And a lot of Celebrex," producer Frank Marshall added.
The movie just completed the first of three weeks of filming in Hawaii, after
spending a week each in New Mexico and Connecticut. The lush areas surrounding
Hilo are filling in as a South American rain forest.
Lucas and director Steven Spielberg have not released the title of the film,
scheduled for release May 22, 2008.
The filming has created a buzz on this normally sleepy island, known for
macadamia nuts and premium Kona coffee. It's the most action since nearby
Kilauea volcano rumbled to life in 1983.
The film's biggest action sequences are being filmed in Hawaii. Marshall
compared one scene to the thrilling, white-knuckled truck chase in the desert
in "Raiders."
"It's that level," he said.
Hawaii will be featured in about 20 percent of the film. About half will be
from sets in Los Angeles. The Aloha State was also the backdrop for portions of
"Raiders of the Lost Ark."
Ford, Lucas, Spielberg, Kennedy and Marshall all worked together on the first
three films, so this latest is a homecoming of sorts.
"We're having a great time. It's so much fun being together," said Marshall,
who has produced more than 50 films, including "Poltergeist," "Gremlins," "The
Goonies," "The Color Purple," "Back to the Future" trilogy, "The Sixth Sense"
and the "Bourne" trilogy.
"Nobody's worried about their careers any more," he said.
The latest Indy adventure is set in the 1950s and, in addition to Ford, stars
Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone and Jim Broadbent. One popular
character not in the lineup is Sean Connery, who played Indy's father.
"We would've loved to have Sean do a cameo-type part in this but he's very much
enjoying retirement," Kennedy said.
She promised movie fans, who have patiently waited since the 1989 "Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade," would get the same level of excitement as the
previous three films.
"The cleverness, the humor and the tone of Indiana Jones is very much alive and
well in this movie," Kennedy said.
The producers are being very tightlipped about the movie, and the remote sets
are well guarded, leading to rampant rumors on blogs and chat sites.
It took some time to get to the fourth film, partly because of the schedules of
Spielberg, Lucas and Ford. Plus, they knew they had to deliver another hit.
"The bar was pretty high," Kennedy said.