Indiana Jones and the Great Circle tells a great story without relying on past Indiana Jones plots, but one film that never came to be could be a great source of inspiration for the next video game experience. With five films released across the span of over forty years, it's no surprise that some plot treatments didn't end up making it all the way to the big screen. What might not be good for a movie can still be good for a game, and diverting from the established formula might be a fun way to follow up The Great Circle.
Unmade Indiana Jones film concepts run the gamut in genre and style, with the only real unifying element being an interest in pulpy material. The sci-fi elements of Indiana Jones and the Saucermen from Mars ended up filtering into Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, while the concept for a dinosaur-filled hidden valley in China runs closer to Jurassic Park than any of Indy's own adventures. One direction that Lucas considered was much more macabre, and it could be the most interesting for a video game to explore.
A Haunted Castle Could Be A Great Indiana Jones Game Setting
An Atmospheric, Contained Adventure
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom has a lot in common with the "old dark house" genre of classic horror, and that might be due to a scrapped concept of a sequel that would take place in a Scottish haunted castle. On the heels of Poltergeist, Spielberg wasn't interested in more horror, so the idea never came to fruition. As a follow-up to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, however, sending Indy into a contained, supernaturally spooky environment could be an interesting change of pace.
The Great Circle Could Get A Standalone Expansion
Indy's Haunted Castle Adventure Wouldn't Need To Be Huge
A proper DLC expansion called The Order of Giants, but considering how long a full-fledged sequel could take, an Old Blood-like game could still be a perfect bridge.
Disney “Wants More Indiana Jones" Games After The Great Circle’s Success
Leaks online suggest that Disney is keen on more Indiana Jones games thanks to the positive reception from MachineGames' The Great Circle.
Although some unmade Indiana Jones concepts might not have fit the character, the haunted castle idea being rejected mostly for timing reasons makes a comeback appropriate. Raiders of the Lost Ark took plenty of inspiration from Uncle Scrooge comics by Carl Barks, and the concept of a Scottish haunted castle mystery already worked out just as well in a Scrooge story as the adventure involving a rolling boulder did. It's still too early to know whether Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will get a follow-up at all, but a haunted castle could make for a great one.
