Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Indiana Jones star Karen Allen has expressed disappointment that Marion’s role in Dial of Destiny was reduced to a cameo, as her character was much more involved in the adventure in the original script.
Since Marion and Indy got married in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in late 2008, fans may have been expecting a bigger role for Allen in Dial of Destiny. But instead we find the couple separated and in the process of getting a divorce, having been consumed by grief at the death of their son (who was killed in combat in Vietnam).
Allen told the Hollywood Reporter that certain story choices determined the size of her role in Dial of Destiny, such as her fractured relationship with Indy preventing her from becoming involved in his antics.
“I think they had some issues with the story to work out, since Shia LaBeouf wasn’t coming back, and they decided to make up this story where Mutt was killed in the war and that split a wedge between Marion and Indy,” explained all . “I mean, when I read it, I could have been blown away. But I was really happy that they ended up getting back together.”
At the end of the film, Marion shows up and goes to Indy’s apartment with the groceries. Indy can’t believe his estranged wife has returned, and what unfolds next between them is a throwback to a memorable scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but instead of physical wounds, it’s emotional wounds they deal with this time have.
While Allen appreciated the poignancy of the intimate moment between the two, she was also frustrated by the limited screen time she had on Dial of Destiny, which wasn’t always the case.
“As Steven [Spielberg] “I was still in the process of directing the movie, I didn’t get a chance to read any of those scripts, although I know Marion was a lot more involved in the story at that point,” Allen revealed. “I knew James [Mangold] I had hired new writers and that there would be a whole new approach with a new director and new writers, but I was really venturing into the unknown.
“The next thing I knew I was reading a script that narrated it [Dial of Destiny’s] And of course I was disappointed,” she added. “I had thought that I would have a major role in the film, but that just wasn’t the direction they wanted to go.”
Director James Mangold previously opened up about the concerns surrounding Indy’s final hurray and how he wanted to give the beloved character a fitting ending. Ultimately, instead of dwelling on the past, he decided to bring the series’ titular hero back to the present with a new focus on the future.
Harrison Ford was supportive of the film’s narrative choices and was pleased with the way his final appearance went before he hung up his fedora. “Most of his issues have been resolved and dealt with. He’s back in the form we’d like to see him in I think,” he told EW. “And I think it’s a wonderful final scene…I really like it.”
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hit theaters on June 30 and went on to hit the worldwide weekend box office with box office sales of $130 million. Many moviegoers have enjoyed this final adventure; However, the film’s IGN review gave it a 4/10, noting that it “doesn’t regain Spielberg’s magic.”
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.