We’re getting a fifth Indiana Jones movie, but Shia LaBeouf won’t be a part of it. Are either of those things good news? That’s what we tried to answer on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with breaking down the new trailer for The Magic School Bus Rides Again, and celebrating 25 years of Batman: The Animated Series.
Nerdist editors Alicia Lutes, Kyle Anderson, and Amy Ratcliffe went digging with host Jessica Chobot on today’s show. They were on the hunt for what we can learn from Indiana Jones 5 screenwriter David Koepp’s announcement that LaBeouf’s Mutt Williams won’t appear in the fifth movie, even though he wasn’t necessarily part of fans’ problems with the last movie.
But did The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull have any elements that made us want a fifth Indiana Jones, featuring an almost 80-year-old Harrison Ford? That’s how old he’ll be when the film hits theaters in 2020. Or should the franchise leave the action-adventure corner to other media, like the Uncharted games? They also talked about who might take up Indy’s mantle after this film, since LaBeouf doesn’t seem to be an option, and whether that person should use a whip.
From there they jumped on the Magic School Bus to break down Netflix’s new trailer for the reboot. But are today’s kids ready for Ms. Frizzle and her super irresponsible field trips? Will they like Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s songs or understand why a bus running on magic is so focused on real science? And if they like this classic kid’s show, what other series should also be brought back?
Finally, on the 25th (25th!) anniversary of Batman: The Animated Series, they tried to answer where Kevin Conroy ranks all-time on the best Batman list, and whether the series would have been as good if the Joker had been played by Tim Curry instead of Mark Hamill, which almost happened. Since plenty of you are likely to celebrate by watching the show, what are the series’ best and must-watch episodes?
(Note: This week on our Alpha series Talkin’ Toons, Andrea Romano, who was a casting and voice director on Batman: The Animated Series, will reveal some of the behind-the-scenes decisions that led producers to go with Hamill over Curry. And next Tuesday on Alpha’s Comic Book Club, B:TAS producer and creator of Harley Quinn, Paul Dini, will be coming by to talk Batman: Year One. So keep your eyes out for lots more great Batman talk, because we’re just getting started.)
And don’t forget, you can join the conversation with us every weekday when Nerdist News Talks Back airs live at 1:00p.m. PST on our YouTube and Alpha channels. Because if you won’t speak up for Shia LaBeouf, fedoras, and whips, who will?
Are you looking forward to another Indiana Jones movie? Or did The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull prove to you that the franchise has run its course? We want to hear what you think about that, and the rest of today’s topics, in our comments section below.
Want more Indiana Jones 5 news?
- Indiana Jones 5 gets an official release date.
- George Lucas won’t be involved with the movie.
- Indy isn’t going to die in the fifth movie.
- Probably because Disney says a sixth movie is already planned.
Images: Paramount Pictures, Fox, Netflix
