Calling Dr Jones

Indiana Jones is back on the big screen in 2019. SFX unearths five legendary treasures for our whip- wielding hero to hunt…

Indy 5 is coming, but what treasure will the man in the fedora be hunting?

INDIANA JONES and the SACRED SPEAR

The Spear of Destiny is a potent mythic object in the Judeo- Christian tradition of the lost Ark and the Holy Grail. Owned by a Roman centurion named as Longinus in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, it’s the lance that pierced the side of Jesus during the crucifixion. A sensationalist 1973 book by Trevor Ravenscroft claimed Hitler was obsessed with this New Testament treasure, a relic with the power to exert a sinister influence on mankind’s destiny.

INDIANA JONES and the QUEST FOR THE LAST GODDESS

Athena Parthenos was a towering statue of the Greek goddess of art and reason, created from gold, jewels and carved ivory. The most magnificent cult image in ancient Athens, it vanished from historical record, just like the Ark of the Covenant ( one account last places it in 10th century Constantinople). Greek mythology would be fresh and thrilling territory for Indy – just imagine Spielberg homaging all those great old Harryhausen films – and the sun- struck Mediterranean landscapes could be a dazzling backdrop.

INDIANA JONES and the SWORD OF CAMELOT

Excalibur, the fabled sword of King Arthur, might be the artefact that finally lures Indy to British shores. Celebrated in 12th century verse as “the finest sword that there was, which sliced through iron as through wood”, the enchanted blade was entrusted to Arthur by Ninianne, the Lady in the Lake, and possessed the power to blind one’s enemies. Its magical scabbard was also said to prevent bleeding – useful for any archaeologist whose fieldwork involves an improbable amount of grievous bodily harm.

INDIANA JONES and the UNDERSEA KING DOM

The Man with the Hat uncovered the world’s most legendary lost civilisation in 1992 computer game Indiana Jones And The Fate Of Atlantis but there’s still sizeable cinematic potential in the drowned continent. It could also be an ace opportunity for the first aquatic Indy adventure, filled with sharks, subs and spectacular Spielbergian visuals of underwater ruins. Plato placed Atlantis “beyond the pillars of Hercules” but there are claims for its remains everywhere from Antarctica to the Bahamas to the Azores. Prime globe- hopping potential, then.

INDIANA JONES and the BOOK OF THE GODS

Indy’s never ventured into the cursed realms of Egyptology on the big screen but the Book of Thoth would be the perfect pretext for an adventure among the pyramids. The work of the ancient Egyptian god of knowledge, it’s said to contain two spells, one that allows you to understand the speech of animals – hello, Indiana Dolittle – and another that grants the reader the power to perceive the gods themselves. Bad news for our snake- averse tomb- plunderer: the book was originally guarded by Nile serpents…

Indiana Jones 5 opens on 19 July 2019.