

However, Spielberg rejected the idea of a ghost story, having recently wrapped on the supernatural horror film Poltergeist.Ĩ. One particular script treatment proposed by Lucas, titled Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, followed Indy on an adventure to Scotland, where he encountered a shroud of ghouls inside a haunted castle before embarking on an expedition to Africa in search of the Fountain of Youth. Before moving forward with the father-son rescue mission to retrieve the Holy Grail, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas reviewed several different draft iterations for the main storyline as part of an extended development process.

The Last Crusade featured everything from cars to camels but it also very nearly included ghosts, too. Several Early Drafts Of The Screenplay Involved A Haunted Castle The producers reportedly ordered the disease-free rodents from the same company that previously supplied snakes and critters on set, and then substituted them out for mechanical rats during the torching scene.ĩ. In actual fact, the underground tunnels are infested with rats – thousands of them – all of which were specially bred for this skin-crawling scene. Elsa Schneider, who initially assists in his quest to locate the Holy Grail, but as they venture down into the ancient catacombs of Venice, they quickly discover there is more than just chemistry between them.

2,000 Rats Were Specially Bred For The Venetian Catacombs SceneĪfter receiving his father’s secret journal in the post, Indy heads straight for Italy to meet up with the brazenly flirtatious Dr. So dust off your fedoras, crack your bullwhips, and pass us your “tickets please” as we invite you to duck and weave your way through this Holy Grail list of behind-the-scenes secrets and surprises ( but hopefully no snakes) from the original trilogy-capper.ġ0. With a production budget of $48 million, The Last Crusade spanned across multiple continents during its breakneck filming schedule, with a substantial portion of the expenses going towards a variety of vehicles and elaborate set pieces that the franchise has become known for. The third installment of director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas’ collaborative adventure series may have taken five years to get off the ground but it soared to all-new heights upon its release in 1989, as it quickly became the highest-grossing movie worldwide that year. Believe it or not, it has been over 30 years since Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade swung on to the big screen for the first time with its spirited adventure abounding with daring stunts, thrilling special effects, and a myriad of exotic locations.
