Opening this weekend is writer/director Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Legacy.  For those unfamiliar with the franchise reboot, this time around, a government task force led by Edward Norton‘s character is assassinating all their genetically-modified assets to prevent another Bourne situation.  However, one member of the program, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), manages to escape with a scientist (Rachel Weisz), and the two go on the run for their lives.  The film also stars Oscar Isaac, Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Albert Finney, Stacy Keach, Scott Glenn, Corey Stoll, and Donna Murphy.  For more on the film, here’s five clips.

At the recent Los Angeles press day, I landed an exclusive interview with producer Frank Marshall (insane resume here).  During our wide ranging conversation, we talked about  making The Bourne Legacy, deleted scenes, extended cuts, test screenings, and more.  In addition, since Marshall has produced so many awesome movies, we also talked about how close Who Framed Roger Rabbit came to getting a sequel, the likelihood of Indiana Jones 5 happening, Jurassic Park 3D and Jurassic Park 4, whether anyone has talked about rebooting the Back to the Future movies, the amazing Nike Back to the Future sneakers, The Secret Life of Houdini, the remake of Tell No One, and so much more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

Frank Marshall is a hell of a producer.  His resume reads like a best-of list: The Goonies, Back to the Future, The Sixth Sense, the Bourne series, etc.  One of the most beloved franchises that he’s been a part of, however, is Indiana Jones.  Though the long-awaited fourth entry, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was greeted with a rather lackluster response, fans remain curious about the prospect of Indiana Jones 5.

Steve recently got to speak with Marshall in anticipation of the release of The Bourne Legacy, and Marshall gave a somewhat pessimistic (depending on how you look at it) update on the status of a fifth Indiana Jones film.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

It’s time for your semi-regular update on the development of another Indiana Jones movie.  Earlier in the month, Steven Spielberg declared, “We have already agreed on the genre of the fifth movie.  We already have a concept in mind.”  According to series co-creator George Lucas, that concept is so far only the genre and the shell of a story.  Lucas followed up with Vulture:

“I told [Spielberg] about the story, but I really haven’t found the MacGuffin yet. I mean, I know what it’s about, but I just have to find a MacGuffin that fits into the arena we’re working in.”

I don’t think anyone will mind if Spielberg and Lucas take their time on this.  Well, maybe Paramount, since Kingdom of the Crystal Skull grossed $787 million worldwide and all that.  But for the rest of us, absence makes the heart grow fonder.  I am genuinely curious to see what Lucas comes up with for the MacGuffin, but I will be even curiouser a couple years down the road.  To try and ascertain some detail about the story, Vulture asked if Indy’s family would be featured.  Lucas laughed and replied, “Yeah, we’ll see!”  I’ll let you interpret that.

Director Steven Spielberg has two very different movies coming out this holiday season. One is a fun, animated action-adventure (The Adventures of Tintin), while the other is a very serious drama about World War I (War Horse). In anticipation of the release of those films, The Beard recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly. His full interview will run in the latest issue, but the director made some comments regarding Michael Bay returning for a fourth Transformers pic and gave an update on Indiana Jones 5, both of which are now available. In addition, he addressed recent discouraging comments he made about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Hit the jump to see what he had to say. 

Steven Spielberg is making the press rounds for The Adventures of Tintin, and naturally he’s being asked the future of his franchises, specifically Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones.   In June, we reported that Spielberg was brainstorming ideas with screenwriter Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) on how to reboot the Jurassic Park.  In a recent interview with Empire, Spielberg provided an update on the project:

“The screenplay is being written right now by Mark Protosevich. I’m hoping that will come out in the next couple of years. We have a good story. We have a better story for four than we had for three…”

Perhaps there will be less of a reliance on raptor whistles this time around.  Hit the jump for what Spielberg had to say about the shortcomings of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the status of Indiana Jones 5.

So does anyone want to talk to Shia LaBeouf about his role in John Hillcoat’s upcoming Prohibition-era drama The Wettest County in the World?  Of course not!  We want to hear about sequels both real and imagined.  Let’s start with the imagined: LaBeouf tells MTV that he thinks Indiana Jones 5 is “not so far off” because—wait for it—Harrison Ford is going to the gym and George Lucas is ruminating on a MacGuffin.  Wow.  I’m amazed cameras haven’t already started rolling with that kind of pre-production movement.

In slightly more substantial but not wholly surprising sequel news, LaBeouf says he won’t return for a fourth Transformers film and he doesn’t expect director Michael Bay to return either.  I imagine you can only yell “Optimus!” so many times before it starts to sound silly.  Speaking to MTV, LaBeouf says, “It still is a hot property, I think, especially coming out of the third one. So I imagine they’ll reboot it at some point with someone else.”  Transformers: Dark of the Moon opens in 3D on June 29th.

If Indiana Jones 5 ever comes to pass, it will likely be the last time Harrison Ford ever picks up the hat and whip.  But the manner of that exit is important and sources tell Showbiz Spy that “Harrison thinks it would be good for Indy to die and pass on his hat to his son in the next one.”  That would also involve bringing back Shia LaBeouf, who publicly admitted that he didn’t think much of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  Showbiz Spy’s sources also say that while producer George Lucas is resistant to the idea, Steven Spielberg is considering  it.  While I would like to say that I’m okay with killing off Indy as long as it’s done with dignity, Crystal Skull indicated that “dignity” really has no place in the future of this franchise.  Indiana Jones will most likely die while strapped to a rocket that’s being shot into the moon.

Of course, you can file this one under “rumor” for right now, but I’m sure Ford can’t wait to be asked about it eight billion times if/when he does press for Cowboys & Aliens, which opens July 29, 2011. [Update: Speaking to The Huffington Post, representatives for Ford deny Showbiz Spy's story and say that reports of the actor wanting to kill off the character are false]

Indiana Jones rumors are like tabloids. You can’t stop reading them even though most of the time they’re wrong.  Well, the latest rumor circling the web about Indiana Jones 5 is that it will be about, or set in, the Bermuda Triangle and start filming next year.  An anonymous source claimed: “George [Lucas] and Steven [Spielberg] have been working on a script and it’s almost there.”

Like most rumors, you’ve got to take this with a grain of salt. Lucas has been producing Red Tails and Spielberg has been attached to, well, a million things so who knows when either would have the time to work on a script.  Then again, Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf have each dropped hints in recent months that could point to the Triangle.

For more possible information on the sequel and the Bermuda Triangle, hit the jump. [UPDATE: Producer Frank Marshall tweeted "The rumor about INDY 5 is completely false. Nothing has changed, we are not shooting next year and still in the research phase..."]

Harrison Ford told the BBC that there is now an official idea for the plot to Indiana Jones 5.

“Steven [Spielberg] and George [Lucas] and I are sort of agreed on a germ of an idea and we’re seeing what comes of it,” the star said.

What does this mean? Well, first things first, it means our nightmares have come true. An unnecessary follow up to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is imminent. But it could take a while.

“The process works like this,” Ford continued. “We come to some basic agreement and then George goes away for a long time and works on it. Then Steven and I get it in some form, some embryonic form. Then if we like it, we start working with George on it and at some point down the line it’s ready and we do it.”

Hit the jump to read where this statement puts us, production hurdles for the filmmakers and more.