Sons of Darkness: Bogus


	Sons of Darkness: Bogus by Micah Johnson

First, the rumors said Indy's new adventures would take him to Roswell, New Mexico in a storyline more befitting Fox Mulder, than our whip-wielding hero. Then there were reports that Kevin Costner would play Indy's never-mentioned brother. Now, in the most promising rumor yet, a script has surfaced, courtesy of an unscrupulous courier. Is Indiana Jones and the Sons of Darkness the product of an ambitious fan or is it real?

The Evidence Bogus Not Bogus

166 pages. Although a huge effort for a hoax, it's happened before. The precedent was set by an ambitious Star Wars fan, who authored the now infamous Fall of the Republic script. A huge undertaking with no obvious motive. Since Boam's name is on the script, a mystery writer would get absolutely no recognition.

Lucasfilm requested that the script be removed from the 'Net. If a forgery, it is in Lucasfilm's interest to remove it, so they are not misrepresented. If real, they obviously want to minimize its spread.

The archaeological find is Noah's Ark. Noah's Ark has already been the focus of a Lucasfilm-approved novel, Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge, which takes place 20 years before the script. The two stories are incompatible. It can be argued that the novels are not canon. Noah's Ark is a major Judeo-Christian artifact, which fits nicely with searches for the Grail and the Ark of the Covenant in previous movies.

In an interview by Charles Deemer, an aspiring screenwriter, Robert Smith, claims responsibility for the Sons of Darkness script. The whole "courier" story was a fabricated, an (ill-conceived, IMHO) attempt to gain attention from Lucasfilm. When I first read the interview, I considered the possibility that the man was delusional, stepping forward to gain a bit of fame, net or otherwise. So I did a little research and found evidence of Robert Smith's association with an Indy screenplay prior to the late May posting to the Internet. According to Donie A. Nelson, Ref. 82 on her Q/A page was posted January 21, 1996. In the posting, he asks about getting his Indy screenplay read by Lucasfilm. Donie responds in Ref.88.

The Evidence	Bogus	Not Bogus
166 pages.	Although a huge effort for a hoax, it's happened before. The precedent was set by an ambitious Star Wars fan, who authored the now infamous Fall of the Republic script.	A huge undertaking with no obvious motive. Since Boam's name is on the script, a mystery writer would get absolutely no recognition.
Lucasfilm requested that the script be removed from the 'Net.	If a forgery, it is in Lucasfilm's interest to remove it, so they are not misrepresented.	If real, they obviously want to minimize its spread.
The archaeological find is Noah's Ark.	Noah's Ark has already been the focus of a Lucasfilm-approved novel, Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge, which takes place 20 years before the script. The two stories are incompatible.	It can be argued that the novels are not canon. Noah's Ark is a major Judeo-Christian artifact, which fits nicely with searches for the Grail and the Ark of the Covenant in previous movies.
In an interview by Charles Deemer, an aspiring screenwriter, Robert Smith, claims responsibility for the Sons of Darkness script. The whole "courier" story was a fabricated, an (ill-conceived, IMHO) attempt to gain attention from Lucasfilm.	When I first read the interview, I considered the possibility that the man was delusional, stepping forward to gain a bit of fame, net or otherwise. So I did a little research and found evidence of Robert Smith's association with an Indy screenplay prior to the late May posting to the Internet. According to Donie A. Nelson, Ref. 82 on her Q/A page was posted January 21, 1996. In the posting, he asks about getting his Indy screenplay read by Lucasfilm. Donie responds in Ref.88.

Site Author: Micah Johnson
Page Author: Micah Johnson
Created: June 1996
Last modified: June 1, 1998