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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a 2008 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp, based on a story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson. It is the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones film series and a sequel to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Set in 1957, it pits Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) against Soviet KGB agents led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) searching for a telepathic crystal skull located in Peru. Jones is aided by his former lover, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), and their son, Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). Ray Winstone, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent are also part of the supporting cast.

Jeb Stuart, Jeffrey Boam, Frank Darabont, Lucas, and Nathanson wrote drafts before Koepp's script satisfied the producers. The filmmakers intended to pay tribute to the science fiction B movies in the 1950s. Shooting began on June 18, 2007, at various locations in New Mexico, New Haven, Connecticut, Hawaii, and Fresno, California, as well as on sound stages in Los Angeles. To maintain aesthetic continuity with the previous films, the crew relied on traditional stunt work instead of computer-generated stunt doubles, and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński studied Douglas Slocombe's style from the previous films.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had its premiere at the 61st Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2008, and was released in the United States on May 22, by Paramount Pictures. It received generally positive reviews from critics but mixed responses from audiences. The film was also a financial success, grossing over $786 million worldwide which makes it the franchise's highest-grossing film (when not adjusted for inflation) as well as the second-highest-grossing film of 2008.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the last film in the Indiana Jones franchise to be distributed by Paramount, as the Walt Disney Studios acquired rights to future films following the parent company's acquisition of Lucasfilm in October 2012, with Paramount still retaining the rights to the original four films and receiving "financial participation" from any additional properties. It is also the last film in the series for which Spielberg and Lucas are credited with the direction and story, respectively. A sequel concluding the saga, titled Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was released on June 30, 2023.

Plot
In 1957, Soviet agents led by Colonel Doctor Irina Spalko kidnap American archeologist Indiana Jones and his partner George "Mac" McHale. They infiltrate Hangar 51 in Nevada and use Jones to locate a mummified alien from the Roswell incident. Jones locates the mummy before being double-crossed by Mac, but escapes to a nearby model town at the Nevada Test Site, minutes before an atomic bomb test. He survives the blast in a lead-lined refrigerator in one of the town's mock houses before being rescued and interrogated by the FBI.

Returning to Marshall College, Jones discovers he has been placed on an indefinite leave of absence. Mutt Williams, a young greaser, approaches Jones and informs him that his former colleague, Harold "Ox" Oxley, found a crystal skull in Peru in search of the mythical city Akator. Soviet agents attempt to capture them, but the two escape and travel to Peru. There, they find carvings made by Ox which lead the pair to the grave of Francisco de Orellana, which contains an elongated crystal skull. Leaving the grave, the two are captured by the Soviets and taken to a camp in the Amazon rainforest. They are reunited with Mac, Spalko, an addled Ox, and Mutt's mother, Marion Ravenwood, who informs Jones that Mutt is his son. Spalko tells Jones that the skulls are alien in origin and intends to use them to project Soviet propaganda into the minds of Americans. Jones has a brief telepathic connection to the skull, which commands him to return it to Akator. Jones realizes that Ox is attempting to communicate through automatic writing, discovering a route to the city.

While en route to Akator, Jones retakes the skull from the Soviets and escapes from them alongside Marion, Ox, Mutt and Mac, who claims to be a double agent, all the while leaving a trail for Spalko. Jones and his companions locate Akator, where they learn that the skull belonged to one of thirteen "interdimensional beings" whom the early Ugha tribes worshipped as deities and have since become motionless crystal skeletons. Spalko catches up and places the skull onto the one alien skeleton, who offers Spalko the reward of omniscience. As an interdimensional portal opens above the chamber, abducting Mac and Spalko’s remaining soldiers, the skeletons combine into a reanimated alien, who transfers an overwhelming amount of knowledge into Spalko's mind, vaporizing her. Jones, Ox, Marion and Mutt escape the crumbling city as a flying saucer rises from the ruins and departs for another dimension. As Ox regains his sanity, Jones and his party return to the United States where he is reinstated at Marshall College and promoted to associate dean. He and Marion marry.

Cast

 * Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones; To prepare for the role, the 64-year-old Ford spent three hours a day at a gym, practiced with the bullwhip for two weeks, and relied on a high-protein diet of fish and vegetables. Ford had kept fit during the series' hiatus anyway, as he hoped for another film. He performed many of his own stunts because stunt technology had become safer since 1989, and he also felt it improved his performance. Ford felt his return would also help American culture be less paranoid about aging (he refused to dye his hair for the role), because of the film's family appeal: "This is a movie which is geared not to [the young] segment of the demographic, an age-defined segment [...] We've got a great shot at breaking the movie demographic constraints." He told Koepp to add more references to his age in the script. Spielberg said Ford was not too old to play Indiana: "When a guy gets to be that age and he still packs the same punch, and he still runs just as fast and climbs just as high, he's gonna be breathing a little heavier at the end of the set piece. And I felt, 'Let's have some fun with that. Let's not hide that. Spielberg recalled the line in Raiders, "It's not the years, it's the mileage," and felt he could not tell the difference between Ford during the shoots for The Last Crusade and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
 * Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko, a villainous Soviet agent. Screenwriter David Koepp created the character. Frank Marshall said Irina continued the tradition of Indiana having a love-hate relationship "with every woman he ever comes in contact with". Blanchett had wanted to play a villain for a "couple of years", and enjoyed being part of the Indiana Jones legacy as she loved the previous films. Spielberg praised Blanchett as a "master of disguise", and considers her his favorite Indiana Jones villain for coming up with much of Irina's characteristics. Irina's bob cut was her idea, with the character's stern looks and behavior recalling Rosa Klebb in From Russia with Love. Blanchett learned to fence for the character, but during filming, Spielberg decided to give Irina "karate chop" skills. LaBeouf recalled Blanchett was elusive on set, and Ford was surprised when he met her on set outside of costume. He noted, "There's no aspect of her behavior that was not consistent with this bizarre person she's playing."
 * Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood (under the married name of Marion Williams). Frank Darabont's script introduced the idea of Marion Ravenwood returning as Indy's love interest. Allen was not aware her character was in the script until Spielberg called her in January 2007, saying, "It's been announced! We're gonna make Indiana Jones 4! And guess what? You're in it!" Ford found Allen "one of the easiest people to work with [he's] ever known. She's a completely self-sufficient woman, and that's part of the character she plays. A lot of her charm and the charm of the character is there. And again, it's not an age-dependent thing. It has to do with her spirit and her nature." Allen found Ford easier to work with on this film, in contrast to the first film, where she slowly befriended the private actor.
 * Ray Winstone as George "Mac" McHale, a British agent whom Indy worked alongside in World War II, but has now allied with the Russians due to his financial problems. The character acts as a spin on Sallah and René Belloq – Indy's friend and nemesis, respectively, in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Spielberg cast Winstone as he found him "one of the most brilliant actors around", having seen Sexy Beast. Winstone tore his hamstring during filming. "I keep getting these action parts as I'm getting older," he remarked. Like John Hurt, Winstone wished to see the script prior to committing to the film. In interviews on British TV Winstone explained that he was only able to read the script if it was delivered by courier, who waited while he read the script, and returned to the US with the script once Winstone had read it. His reasoning for wanting to read the script was, "If I'm gonna be in it, I want to be in it." He gave suggestions to Spielberg, including the idea of Mac pretending to be a double agent. He also stated that once filming was completed he had to return the script, such was the secrecy about the film. He was later presented with a copy of the script to keep.
 * John Hurt as Harold 'Ox' Oxley, Mutt's surrogate father and an old friend of Indiana, whom he lost contact with in 1937. Six months prior to the events of the film, he went insane after discovering the crystal skull, which commanded him to return it to Akator. Frank Darabont had suggested Hurt when he was writing the screenplay. The character is inspired by Ben Gunn from Treasure Island. Hurt wanted to read the script before signing on, unlike other cast members who came on "because Steven—you know, 'God'—was doing it. And I said, 'Well, I need to have a little bit of previous knowledge even if God is doing it.' So they sent a courier over with the script from Los Angeles, gave it to me at three o'clock in the afternoon in London, collected it again at eight o'clock in the evening, and he returned the next day to Los Angeles."
 * Jim Broadbent as Dean Charlie Stanforth, Dean of Marshall College and friend of Indy. Broadbent's character stands in for Marcus Brody, as actor Denholm Elliott had died in 1992. As a tribute to Elliott, the filmmakers put a portrait and a statue on the Marshall College location, and a picture on Indy's desk, saying he died shortly after Henry.
 * Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams/Henry Jones III, a young, motorcycle-riding greaser and Indy's sidekick and son. The concept of Indiana Jones having offspring was introduced in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Old Indy is shown to have a daughter. During development of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, this idea was incorporated into Frank Darabont's script, with Indiana and Marion having a 13-year-old daughter. However, Spielberg found this too similar to The Lost World: Jurassic Park, so a son was created instead. Koepp credited the character's creation to Jeff Nathanson and Lucas. Koepp wanted to make Mutt into a nerd, but Lucas refused, explaining he had to resemble Marlon Brando in The Wild One; "he needs to be what Indiana Jones's father thought of [him]—the curse returns in the form of his own son—he's everything a father can't stand". LaBeouf was Spielberg's first choice for the role, having been impressed by his performance in Holes. Excited at the prospect of being in an Indiana Jones film, LaBeouf signed on without reading the script and did not know what character he would play. He worked out and gained 15 lb of muscle for the role, and also repeatedly watched the other films to get into character. LaBeouf also watched Blackboard Jungle, Rebel Without a Cause and The Wild One to get into his character's mindset, copying mannerisms and words from characters in those films, such as the use of a switchblade as a weapon. Lucas also consulted on the greaser look, joking that LaBeouf was "sent to the American Graffiti school of greaserland". LaBeouf pulled his rotator cuff when filming his duel with Spalko, which was his first injury in his career, an injury which worsened throughout filming. He later pulled his groin.

Additionally, Igor Jijikine portrays Russian Colonel Antonin Dovchenko, Spalko's second-in-command. His character stands in for the heavily built henchmen that Pat Roach played in the three previous films, as Roach died in 2004 from throat cancer. Joel Stoffer and Neil Flynn have minor roles as FBI agents Taylor and Paul Smith interrogating Indiana in a scene following the opening sequence. Alan Dale plays General Ross, who protests Indiana's innocence. Andrew Divoff and Pasha D. Lychnikoff play Soviet agents Grant and Roosevelt, respectively. Spielberg cast Russian-speaking actors so their accents would be authentic. Ilia Volok and Dimitri Diatchenko play Russian Suit and Spalko's right-hand man Dimitri who battle Indiana at Marshall College. Diatchenko bulked up to 250 pounds to look menacing, and his role was originally minor with 10 days of filming. When shooting the fight, Ford accidentally hit his chin, and Spielberg liked Diatchenko's humorous looking reaction, so he expanded his role to three months of filming. Ernie Reyes Jr. plays a cemetery guard. Chet Hanks plays Student in Library.

Sean Connery turned down an offer to cameo as Henry Jones Sr., as he found retirement too enjoyable. Lucas stated that in hindsight it was good that Connery did not briefly appear, as it would disappoint the audience when his character would not join the film's adventure. Ford joked, "I'm old enough to play my own father in this one." Connery later admitted that his true reason for turning the part down was that it was too small, stating: "It was not that generous a part, worth getting back into the harness and go for. And they had taken the story in a different line anyway, so the father of Indy was kind of really not that important. I had suggested they kill him in the movie, it would have taken care of it better." The film addresses Connery's absence by Indiana implying that both Henry, Sr. and Marcus Brody (played in the previous films by Denholm Elliott, who died in 1992) died before the film's events, and briefly shows Connery as Henry Jones Sr. in a picture in Indiana Jones's office. Connery later stated that he liked the film, praising it as "rather good" but also "rather long." Michael Sheard, who portrayed Adolf Hitler in the third film, expressed interest in appearing in the film, but he died in August 2005.

John Rhys-Davies was asked to reprise his role as Sallah as a guest in the wedding scene. He turned it down as he felt his character deserved a more substantial role.

Development
In 1979, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg made a deal with Paramount Pictures for five Indiana Jones films. Following the 1989 release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lucas let the series end as he felt he could not think of a good plot device to drive the next installment. He chose instead to produce the prequel television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. The following year, Harrison Ford would express his feelings that, while he was uncertain on if the Indiana Jones character had been fully explored or not, he had the impression that Last Crusade would be the final Indiana Jones film and that, as much he enjoyed playing Jones, he felt that a trilogy was enough, though he wouldn't rule out working with Lucas and Spielberg again. Comic book writer Lee Marrs claimed in a 2023 interview with the IndyCast podcast that Lucasfilm Ltd. was considering to make a continuation to the film series by bringing River Phoenix back as a younger Indy, hence why Dark Horse Comics hoped to keep running their Indiana Jones comic book line, though Phoenix's death in 1993 put an end to such possibility.

As Young Indy aired, Ford played Jones in one episode, narrating his adventures in 1920 Chicago from 1950 Wyoming. When Lucas shot Ford's role in December 1992, he realized the scene opened up the possibility of a film with an older Indiana set in the 1950s. The film could reflect a science fiction 1950s B-movie, with aliens as the plot device. Just like how the 1930s Saturday matinée serials inspired the first three Indiana Jones films as well as Star Wars, Lucas felt that B-movies such as The Thing from Another World (1951), It Came from Outer Space (1953) and Them! (1954) could give them a whole new film genre to play with and add a new texture to the story, giving him the idea of using extraterrestrials. Meanwhile, Spielberg believed he was going to mature as a filmmaker after making the trilogy and felt his role in any future installments would be relegated to that of mere producer. Ford told Lucas, "No way am I being in a Steven Spielberg movie like that." Spielberg himself, who depicted aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), resisted it.

Perceiving that Ford and Spielberg opined that the film was too much an obvious Lucas-Spielbergian idea, Lucas personally felt that Ford and Spielberg didn't fully understand the franchise's malleability; instead of doing the exact same movie all the time, all they had to do was to test different genres with each installment and it wouldn't stop being an adventure of the title character looking after some artifact as long it were a believable MacGuffin with an archaeological or historical background. He came up with a story, which Jeb Stuart turned into a script from October 1993 to May 1994. (Stuart had previously written 1993's The Fugitive, which starred Ford.) Lucas wanted Indiana to get married, which would allow Henry Jones, Sr. to return, expressing concern over whether his son is happy with what he has accomplished. After he learned that Joseph Stalin was interested in psychic warfare, he decided to have Soviets as the villains and the aliens to have psychic powers. Following Stuart's next draft, Lucas hired Last Crusade writer Jeffrey Boam to write the next three versions, the last of which was completed in March 1996. Three months later, Independence Day was released, and Spielberg told Lucas he would not make another alien invasion film. Lucas decided to focus on the Star Wars prequels.

In a 2000 interview, Spielberg said that his children constantly asked when he would make the next Indiana Jones film, and that the project would soon be revived. The same year, Ford, Lucas, Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy met during the American Film Institute's tribute to Ford, and decided they wanted to enjoy the experience of making an Indiana Jones film again. Spielberg also found returning to the series a respite from his many dark films during this period, such as A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Minority Report (2002), and Munich (2005). Lucas convinced Spielberg to use aliens in the plot by saying they were not "extraterrestrials", but "interdimensional", with this concept taking inspiration in the superstring theory. Spielberg and Lucas discussed the central idea of a B-movie involving aliens, and Lucas suggested using the crystal skulls to ground the idea. Lucas found those artifacts as fascinating as the Ark of the Covenant, and had intended to feature them for a Young Indiana Jones episode before the show's cancellation. M. Night Shyamalan was hired to write for an intended 2002 shoot, but he was overwhelmed writing a sequel to a film he loved like Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and claimed it was difficult to get Ford, Spielberg and Lucas to focus. Stephen Gaghan and Tom Stoppard were also approached.

Frank Darabont, who wrote various Young Indiana Jones episodes, was hired to write in May 2002. His script, entitled Indiana Jones and the City of Gods, was set in the 1950s, with ex-Nazis pursuing Jones. Spielberg conceived the idea because of real life figures such as Juan Perón in Argentina, who protected Nazi war criminals. Darabont claimed Spielberg loved the script, but Lucas had issues with it, and decided to take over writing himself. Lucas and Spielberg acknowledged the 1950s setting could not ignore the Cold War, and the Soviets were more plausible villains. Spielberg decided he could not satirize the Nazis after directing Schindler's List (1993), while Ford noted, "We plum[b] wore the Nazis out."

Jeff Nathanson met with Spielberg and Lucas in August 2004 and turned in the next drafts in October and November 2005, titled The Atomic Ants. David Koepp continued on from there, giving his script the subtitle Destroyer of Worlds, based on the J. Robert Oppenheimer quote. It was changed to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as Spielberg found it more inviting a title and actually named the plot device of the crystal skulls. Lucas insisted on the Kingdom part. Koepp's "bright [title] idea" was Indiana Jones and the Son of Indiana Jones, and Spielberg had also considered having the title name the aliens as The Mysterians (1957), but dropped that when he remembered that was another film's title. Koepp collaborated with Raiders of the Lost Ark screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan on the film's "love dialogue."

Filming
Unlike the previous films, Spielberg shot the entire film in the United States, stating he did not want to be away from his family. Shooting began on June 18, 2007, in Deming, New Mexico. An extensive chase scene set at the fictional Marshall College was filmed between June 28 and July 7 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut (where Spielberg's son Theo was studying). To keep in line with the fact the story takes place in the 1950s, several facades were changed, although signs were put up in between shots to tell the public what the store or restaurant actually was. Afterwards, they filmed scenes set in the Amazon jungle in Hilo, Hawaii until August. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the biggest film shot in Hawaii since Waterworld (1995), and was estimated to generate US$22 million to $45 million in the local economy. Because of an approaching hurricane, Spielberg was unable to shoot a fight at a waterfall, so he sent the second unit to film shots of Brazil's and Argentina's Iguazu Falls. These were digitally combined into the fight, which was shot at the Universal backlot.

Half the film was scheduled to shoot on five sound stages at Los Angeles: Downey, Sony, Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal. Filming moved to Chandler Field in Fresno, California, substituting for Mexico City International Airport, on October 11, 2007. After shooting aerial shots of Chandler Airport and a DC-3 on the morning of October 12, 2007, filming wrapped. Although he originally found no need for re-shoots after viewing his first cut of the film, Spielberg decided to add an establishing shot filmed on February 29, 2008, in Pasadena, California.

Design
Spielberg and Janusz Kamiński, who has shot all of the director's films since Schindler's List, reviewed the previous films to study Douglas Slocombe's style. "I didn't want Janusz to modernize and bring us into the 21st century", Spielberg explained. "I still wanted the film to have a lighting style not dissimilar to the work Doug Slocombe had achieved, which meant that both Janusz and I had to swallow our pride. Janusz had to approximate another cinematographer's look, and I had to approximate this younger director's look that I thought I had moved away from after almost two decades." Spielberg also hired production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas after admiring his design work for Superman Returns (2006). Spielberg did not want to fast cut action scenes, relying on his script instead for a fast pace, and had confirmed in 2002 that he would not shoot the film digitally, a format Lucas had adopted for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). Lucas felt "it looks like it was shot three years after Last Crusade. The people, the look of it, everything. You'd never know there was 20 years between shooting." Kamiński commented upon watching the three films back-to-back, he was amazed how each of them advanced technologically, but were all nevertheless consistent, neither too brightly or darkly lit.

While shooting War of the Worlds (2005) in late 2004, Spielberg met with the film's stunt coordinator and second unit director Vic Armstrong, who doubled for Ford in the previous films, to discuss three action sequences he had envisioned. However, Armstrong was busy filming second unit footage under Rob Cohen for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) during shooting of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, so Dan Bradley was hired as second unit director instead. Bradley and Spielberg used previsualization for all the action scenes, except the motorcycle chase at Marshall College, because that idea was conceived after the animators had left. Bradley drew traditional storyboards instead, and was given free rein to create dramatic moments, just as Michael D. Moore did when directing second unit for the original trilogy, such as the truck chase in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Spielberg improvised on set, changing the location of Mutt and Spalko's duel from the ground to on top of vehicles.

The Ark of the Covenant is seen in a broken crate during the Hangar 51 opening sequence. Lucasfilm used the same prop from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Guards were hired to protect the highly sought-after piece of film memorabilia during the day of its use. A replica of the staff carried by Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (1956) was also used to populate the set to illustrate the hangar's history.

Effects
Marshall stated in 2003 that the film would use traditional stunt work so as to be consistent with the previous films. CGI was used to remove the visible safety wires on the actors when they did their stunts, such as when Indy swings on a lamp with his whip. Timed explosives were used for a scene where Indiana drives a truck through crates. During the take, an explosive failed to detonate and landed in the seat beside Ford. It did not go off and he was not injured.

Spielberg stated before production began that very few CGI effects would be used to maintain consistency with the other films. During filming significantly more CGI work was done than initially anticipated as in many cases it proved to be more practical. There ended up being a total of about 450 CGI shots in the film, with an estimated 30% of the film's shots containing CG matte paintings. Spielberg initially wanted brushstrokes to be visible on the paintings for added consistency with the previous films, but decided against it. The script also required a non-deforested jungle for a chase scene, but this would have been unsafe and much CGI work was done to create the jungle action sequence. Visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman, who worked on Lucas' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) as well as Spielberg's War of the Worlds and Munich, traveled to Brazil and Argentina to photograph elements that were composited into the final images. Industrial Light and Magic then effectively created a virtual jungle with a geography like the real Amazon.

The appearance of a live alien and flying saucer was in flux. Spielberg wanted the alien to resemble a Grey alien, and also rejected early versions of the saucer that looked "too Close Encounters". Art director Christian Alzmann said the esthetic was "looking at a lot of older B-movie designs—but trying to make that look more real and gritty to fit in with the Indy universe." Other reference for the visual effects work included government tapes of nuclear tests, and video reference of real prairie dogs shot in 1080p by Nathan Edward Denning.

Music
John Williams began composing the score in October 2007; 10 days of recording sessions wrapped on March 6, 2008, at Sony Pictures Studios. Williams described composing for the Indiana Jones universe again as "like sitting down and finishing a letter that you started 25 years ago". He reused Indiana's theme (The Raiders March) and also Marion's from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and also composed five new motifs for Mutt, Spalko and the skull. Williams gave Mutt's a swashbuckling feel, and homaged film noir and 1950s B-movies for Spalko and the crystal skull respectively. The movie's first scene is accompanied by Elvis Presley's 1956 version of "Hound Dog", arguably the biggest hit of the movie's era, and an RIAA-certified 4× Platinum recording. As an in-joke, Williams incorporated a measure and a half of Johannes Brahms' "Academic Festival Overture" when Indiana and Mutt crash into the library. The soundtrack features a Continuum, an instrument often used for sound effects instead of music. The Concord Music Group released the soundtrack on May 20, 2008.

Release
The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2008, a couple of days ahead of its worldwide May 21–23 release. It was the first Spielberg film since 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to premiere at Cannes. The film was released in approximately 4,000 theaters in the United States, and dubbed into 25 languages for its worldwide release. More than 12,000 release prints were distributed, which is the largest in Paramount Pictures' history. Although Spielberg insisted his films only be watched traditionally using a film projector at theaters, Paramount chose to release the film in digital cinemas as part of a scheme to convert 10,000 U.S. cinemas to the format. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is also notable for being the last film in the series to be distributed by Paramount, as Walt Disney Studios released the fifth film on June 30, 2023, since its parent company's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012.

Secrecy
Frank Marshall remarked, "In today's information age, secrecy has been a real challenge. ... People actually said, 'No, we're going to respect Steven's vision.'" Prior to release, moviegoers on the Internet scrutinized numerous photos and the film's promotional Lego sets in hope of understanding plot details. Spielberg biographer Ian Freer wrote, "What Indy IV is actually about has been the great cultural guessing game of 2007/08. Yet, it has to be said, there is something refreshing about being ten weeks away from a giant blockbuster and knowing next to nothing about it." To distract investigative fans from the film's title during filming, five fake titles were registered with the Motion Picture Association of America; The City of Gods, The Destroyer of Worlds, The Fourth Corner of the Earth, The Lost City of Gold and The Quest for the Covenant. Lucas and Spielberg had also wanted to keep Karen Allen's return a secret until the film's release, but decided to confirm it at the 2007 Comic-Con.

An extra in the film, Tyler Nelson, violated his nondisclosure agreement in an interview with the Edmond Sun on September 17, 2007, which was then picked up by the mainstream media. It is unknown if he remained in the final cut. At Nelson's request, The Edmond Sun subsequently pulled the story from its website. On October 2, 2007, a Superior Court order was filed finding that Nelson knowingly violated the agreement. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. A number of production photos and sensitive documents pertaining to the film's production budget were also stolen from Spielberg's production office. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department set up a sting operation after being alerted by a webmaster that the thief might try to sell the photos. On October 4, 2007, the seller, 37-year-old Roderick Eric Davis, was arrested. He pleaded guilty to two felony counts and was sentenced to two years and four months in prison.

Marketing
Howard Roffman, president of Lucas Licensing, attributed the film's large marketing campaign to it having been "nineteen years since the last film, and we are sensing a huge pent-up demand for everything Indy". Marketing relied heavily on the public's nostalgia for the series, with products taking inspiration from all four films. Paramount spent at least $150 million to promote the film, whereas most film promotions range from $70 to 100 million. As well as fans, the film also needed to appeal to younger viewers. Licensing deals include Expedia, Dr Pepper, Burger King, M&M's, Snickers, Lunchables, and Papa John's. Paramount along with Blockbuster sponsored an Indiana Jones open wheel car for Marco Andretti in the 2008 Indianapolis 500, and his racing suit was designed to resemble Indiana Jones's outfit. Andretti would go on to finish third in the race. The distributor also paired with M&M's to sponsor the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, with NASCAR driver Kyle Busch behind the wheel, in the 2008 Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway. Kyle Busch and the No. 18 team won the race and visited victory lane with Indiana Jones on the car. With the film's release, producer Frank Marshall and UNESCO worked together to promote conservation of World Heritage Sites around the world. Disneyland hosted "Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries" to promote the film's release.

The Boston-based design studio Creative Pilot created the packaging style for the film's merchandise, which merged Drew Struzan's original illustrations "with a fresh new look, which showcases the whip, a map and exotic hieroglyphic patterns". Hasbro, Lego, Sideshow Collectibles, Topps, Diamond Select, Hallmark Cards, and Cartamundi all sold products. A THQ mobile game based on the film was released, as was a Lego video game based on the past films. Lego also released a series of computer-animated spoofs, Lego Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick, directed by Peder Pedersen. Stern Pinball released a new Indiana Jones pinball machine, designed by John Borg, based on all four films. From October 2007 to April 2008, the re-edited episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles were released in three DVD box sets.

Random House, Dark Horse Comics, Diamond Comic Distributors, Scholastic, and DK published books, including James Rollins's novelization of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a two-issue comic book adaptation written by John Jackson Miller and drawn by Luke Ross (Samurai: Heaven and Earth), children's novelizations of all four films, the Indiana Jones Adventures comic book series aimed at children, and the official Indiana Jones Magazine. Scholastic featured Indiana and Mutt on the covers of Scholastic News and Scholastic Maths, to the concern of parents, though Jack Silbert, editor of the latter, felt the film would interest children in archaeology.

Home media
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in North America on October 14, 2008, and in the UK on November 10. This THX certified release includes a two-disc special-edition DVD, a two-disc special-edition Blu-ray, and a single-disc edition DVD. The film made its worldwide television premiere on USA on December 9, 2010. On September 18, 2012, it was re-released on Blu-ray as part of Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures.

In 2021, a remastered 4K version of the film was released by Paramount and Lucasfilm on Ultra HD Blu-ray, produced using scans of the original negatives. It was released as part of a box set for the then four films in the Indiana Jones film series.

As of October 16, 2013, the film has made $117,239,631 in revenue through home media.

Box office
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is distributed by one entity, Paramount, but owned by another, Lucasfilm. The pre-production arrangement between the two organizations granted Paramount 12.5% of the film's revenue. As the $185 million budget was larger than initially expected, Lucas, Spielberg and Ford turned down large upfront salaries so Paramount could cover the film's costs. For Paramount to see a profit beyond its distribution fee, the film had to make over $400 million. At that point, Lucas, Spielberg, Ford, and those with smaller profit-sharing deals would also begin to collect their cut.

The film was released on May 22, 2008, in the United States and Canada, playing at 4,260 theaters. At that time, it achieved the third-highest number of screenings, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Spider-Man 3. For its opening day, the film grossed $25 million domestically, making it the fourth-highest Thursday opening, behind Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, The Matrix Reloaded and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. In its opening weekend, it grossed an estimated $101 million and ranked number one at the box office. The film would go on to set opening weekend records for both a Steven Spielberg film and Harrison Ford film, breaking the previous records held by The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Air Force One simultaneously. Within its first five days of release, it grossed $151.1 million, combined with $126 million from the four-day opening weekend. It ranked as the second-biggest Memorial Day weekend release, after Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. During Memorial Day, the film had already generated a total of $26.7 million, becoming the second-highest Monday gross of any film, trailing only behind Spider-Man 2. It was the third-most-successful film of 2008 domestically, behind The Dark Knight and Iron Man, respectively, and the year's second-highest-grossing film internationally, behind The Dark Knight. In February 2010, it was the 25th-highest-grossing film of all time domestically, and 44th-highest-grossing worldwide, as well as the most financially successful Indiana Jones film when not adjusted for inflation of ticket prices.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, of  critic reviews are positive and the average rating is. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though the plot elements are certainly familiar, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull still delivers the thrills and Harrison Ford's return in the title role is more than welcome." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars out of four, the same rating he gave The Last Crusade, finding it "same old, same old", but what "I want it to be", particularly as "a lover of pulp fiction": "What I want is goofy action—lots of it. I want man-eating ants, swordfights between two people balanced on the backs of speeding jeeps, caverns of gold, vicious femme fatales, plunges down three waterfalls in a row, and the explanation for flying saucers. And throw in lots of monkeys." Leonard Maltin also gave the film 3½ stars out of 4, more than he gave Temple of Doom and Last Crusade, and wrote that "Indy returns with the same brand of high adventure that marked the original Raiders of the Lost Ark." Empire's Damon Wise criticized the use of CGI but praised Ford's performance and wrote that "It won't change your life but, if you're in the right frame of mind, it will change your mood: you might wince, you might groan, you might beg to differ on the big, silly climax, but you'll never stop smiling."

James Berardinelli gave the film 2 stars out of 4, calling it "the most lifeless of the series" and "simply [not] a very good motion picture." Margaret Pomeranz of At the Movies gave the film 2½ stars out of 5, saying that the filmmakers "had 19 years since the last Indiana Jones movie to come up with something truly exciting and fresh, but I feel there's a certain laziness and cynicism in this latest adventure." Associated Press reported that J. Sperling Reich, writing for FilmStew.com, said: "It really looked like they were going through the motions. It really looked like no one had their heart in it." USA Today stated reviews were "mixed" and reviewers felt the "movie suffers from predictable plot points and cheesy special effects."

International reaction
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation called for a ban on the film, accusing the production team of "demonizing" the Soviet Union. Spielberg responded: "When we decided the fourth installment would take place in 1957, we had no choice but to make the Russians the enemies. World War II had just ended and the Cold War had begun. The U.S. didn't have any other enemies at the time."

The film's depiction of Peru also received criticism from the Peruvian and Mexican public, as it jumbles elements of Precolumbian cultures from those countries (like references to Maya that never lived in Perù).

Audience reception and legacy
Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average rating of "B" on an A+ to F scale, down from the previous film's "A". According to Associated Press, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull received a "respectful" but "far from glowing" reception from Indiana Jones fans, and that "some viewers at its first press screening loved it, some called it slick and enjoyable though formulaic, some said it was not worth the 19-year wait." South Park parodied the film in the episode "The China Probrem", broadcast five months after the film's release. The episode parodied the negative fan reaction, with the characters filing a police report against Lucas and Spielberg for "raping Indiana Jones".

Some disappointed Indiana Jones fans used the term "nuking the fridge", a reference to the scene in which Jones survives a nuclear blast by hiding in a refrigerator, to denote the point when a franchise crosses into the absurd, similar to "jumping the shark". This phrase has appeared across the internet, and was chosen as No. 5 on Time magazine's list of "top ten buzzwords" of 2008. Asked about the scene and phrase, Spielberg said: "Blame me. Don't blame George. That was my silly idea ... I'm proud of that. I'm glad I was able to bring that into popular culture." Lucas denied this, saying Spielberg was "trying to protect" him. According to Lucas, he had assembled a dossier of research data to convince Spielberg; Lucas stated that his research claimed the odds of surviving in the refrigerator are about "50-50."

The mixed fanbase reaction did not surprise Lucas, who was familiar with mixed response to the Star Wars prequels, and predicted that "we're all going to get people throwing tomatoes at us." According to Lucas, fans are "always going to be upset. 'Why did he do it like this? And why didn't he do it like this?' They write their own movie, and then, if you don't do their movie, they get upset about it". David Koepp said: "I knew I was going to get hammered from a number of quarters [but] what I liked about the way the movie ended up playing was it was popular with families. I like that families really embraced it." Although Spielberg said "I'm very happy with the movie. I always have been", he also said "I sympathize with people who didn't like the MacGuffin [the interdimensional beings] because I never liked the MacGuffin." Koepp also disliked the inclusion of aliens and had made a failed suggestion to use a different story idea. Reflecting on the film in 2022, producer Kathleen Kennedy said "we may not have had as strong a story as we wanted".

At the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, LaBeouf told Los Angeles Times he had "dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished" and felt that "the movie could have been updated ... we just misinterpreted what we were trying to satiate." In 2011, in response to LaBeouf's comments, Harrison Ford said: "I think I told [LaBeouf] he was a fucking idiot ... As an actor, I think it's my obligation to support the film without making a complete ass of myself. Shia is ambitious, attentive and talented—and he's learning how to deal with a situation which is very unique and difficult." LaBeouf said he regretted his comments and their effect on his relationship with Spielberg: "He told me there's a time to be a human being and have an opinion, and there's a time to sell cars. It brought me freedom, but it also killed my spirits because this was a dude I looked up to like a sensei."

Film critic Matt Zoller Seitz praised the film despite its alienation of fans, understanding that the film was "more an ensemble piece" compared to the previous films in the series, but adding that "there was a point to this approach: Crystal Skull was Spielberg's immense and spectacular version of an Old Man movie.... rather like the films Howard Hawks and John Ford were making in the mid- to late '60s". Seitz also considers the "nuke the fridge" scene as one of the series' best, stating that "It brings Indy forward into the world that birthed Steven Spielberg and his Boomer-fueled fantasies of earlier generations. And the construction of it, the shots and cuts, is brilliant. The ramping up. The satirical touches. And the 'nuclear family' pun at the heart of it." Rewatching the film 15 years later, Jeff Ames at ComingSoon said his initial like of the film had been because it was an Indiana Jones sequel, but he said it now "feels like a missed opportunity".

Accolades
The film was nominated for Best Action Movie at the 2009 Critics' Choice Awards. The Visual Effects Society nominated it for Best Single Visual Effect of the Year (the valley destruction), Best Outstanding Matte Paintings, Best Models and Miniatures, and Best Created Environment in a Feature Motion Picture (the inside of the temple). The film ranks 453rd on Empire's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. It was nominated at the Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Costumes and Best Special Effects. It won Best Costumes. At the 51st Grammy Awards, John Williams won an award for the Mutt Williams theme.

In 2008, the film won the Razzie Award for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel. Comcast voted it the 11th-worst film sequel of all time. Paste magazine ranked the movie 10th on its list "The 20 Worst Sequels to Good Movies". Listverse.com ranked the film 8th on its list of the "Top 10 Worst Movie Sequels".

Lawsuit
In late 2012, the director of the Institute of Archaeology of Belize, Dr. Jaime Awe, sued Lucasfilm, Disney, and Paramount Pictures on behalf of the country Belize for using the Mitchell-Hedges skull's "likeness" in the film. (Awe claimed that if the Mitchell-Hedges skull was actually found in Belize, then it had been stolen from his country, and the defendants were profiting off its likeness.)

Sequel
On March 15, 2016, Walt Disney Studios announced that Spielberg and Ford would both return for a fifth Indiana Jones film, initially scheduled for release on July 19, 2019. After multiple delays, this was finally changed to June 30, 2023. In February 2020, it was revealed that Spielberg had stepped down as the film's director and that James Mangold had entered negotiations to direct. The fifth film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was released by Disney on June 30, 2023.


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The 37th Mandala

The 37th Mandala is a horror novel written by Marc Laidlaw and published in 1996. The story centres on cynical New Age writer Derek Crowe, who uses an ancient mystical text containing a series of Mandalas as the basis for his latest work, The Mandala Rites. Crowe privately believes that the subjects he writes about are superstitious nonsense but soon realises his new book will unleash a lurking interdimensional horror endangering both his witless fans and the world.

Reception
Kirkus Reviews gave an extremely positive review, stating that the work was "far more fine-grained than Heinlein's (The Puppet Masters) and nearly as compelling as Lovecraft's". On the other hand, Publishers Weekly was more mixed in its appraisal, describing it as "a superior tale of human beings in thrall to occult forces, but one whose reach exceeds its grasp."

The 37th Mandala earned Laidlaw the 1996 International Horror Guild Award for "Best Novel". It was also nominated for World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1997.

In popular culture
In the Valve computer game Half-Life, on which Laidlaw served as lead writer, this book is one of two seen on a shelf in the personal locker of the game's protagonist Gordon Freeman with the other being Laidlaw's 1994 novel The Orchid Eater. Another locker in the room is also marked with the name "Laidlaw". Harry S. Robins, known for voicing Dr Kleiner in the Half-Life series, worked with Laidlaw on the illustrations within the book.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: The 37th Mandala


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User talk:Edwarf~enwiki

Wall Street

LA bourse de New York, Wall Street est la première bourse de valeur au monde, signe particulier de la puissance des Etats Unis d'amérique

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Talk:Economic indicator

Question about meaning
There is no discussion about indicators in detail, where to get information about the meaning and relationship between indicators. For instance, jobs created per month and total jobless claims? This statistic "weekly jobless claims" is given but not defined.

"Average weekly jobless claims for unemployment insurance - The CB reverses the value of this component from positive to negative because a positive reading indicates a loss in jobs." — Preceding unsigned comment added by RichardKatz (talk • contribs) 15:36, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Don't merge Leading Indicator
Leading Indicator: "It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Economic indicator. (Discuss)" - Not a good idea- 'Leading Indicators' is an indicator released for practically all economies. Although it is a composite indicators put together with government and non-government data, it still is cited by policy makers and analysts. thus I'd put it into the same catagory and U Of Mich Conf and ISM Surveys; although not really a govt indicator, still important to following the economcy. -

Suspected Consumer Metrics Institute link spam
See my comments here. --JHP (talk) 04:29, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Merge proposals
I am reopening the merge proposal. This article already discusses leading, lagging, and coincident economic indicators, so I suggest moving those short articles into this one. All four articles discuss economic indicators. The only thing special about a leading indicator is that it leads. The only thing special about a lagging indicator is that it lags. The only thing special about a coincident indicator is that it reflects current economic performance. All these properties can easily be covered in this article. --JHP (talk) 20:14, 30 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Merges implemented. -- Beland (talk) 05:16, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

Doctor Copper
"Doctor Copper" is an old reference to copper as an economic indicator, but no mention on wikipedia. Too obscure, or does this warrant a mention? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.194.80.30 (talk) 04:53, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

Baltic Dry Index
Baltic Dry Index is defined as a leading economic indicator in the Baltic Dry Index article. However it is not mentioned under the leading economic indicators in this article... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.217.103.193 (talk) 09:05, 21 January 2016 (UTC)

Dr. Gibbs's comment on this article
Dr. Gibbs has reviewed this Wikipedia page, and provided us with the following comments to improve its quality:

"Suggest you add some sources for non-US economic indicators in second paragraph, which is currently only US. Possible sources are OECD (already in "External Links"), UN, World Bank, IMF & CIA."

We hope Wikipedians on this talk page can take advantage of these comments and improve the quality of the article accordingly.

Dr. Gibbs has published scholarly research which seems to be relevant to this Wikipedia article:

 * Reference : Gibbs, Michael & Merchant, Kenneth A. & Van der Stede, Wim A. & Vargus, Mark A., 2004. "Performance Measure Properties and Incentives," IZA Discussion Papers 1356, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).

ExpertIdeasBot (talk) 13:06, 7 June 2016 (UTC)

Dr. Platen's comment on this article
Dr. Platen has reviewed this Wikipedia page, and provided us with the following comments to improve its quality:

"The article is worth reading and gives good information. An expert in economic indicators should be able to give a few missing references to make the article complete."

We hope Wikipedians on this talk page can take advantage of these comments and improve the quality of the article accordingly.

Dr. Platen has published scholarly research which seems to be relevant to this Wikipedia article:

 * Reference 1: Eckhard Platen, 2004. "Capital Asset Pricing for Markets with Intensity Based Jumps," Research Paper Series 143, Quantitative Finance Research Centre, University of Technology, Sydney.

 * Reference 2: Ashkan Nikeghbali & Eckhard Platen, 2008. "On Honest Times in Financial Modeling," Research Paper Series 229, Quantitative Finance Research Centre, University of Technology, Sydney.

ExpertIdeasBot (talk) 14:57, 24 June 2016 (UTC)

title: Talk:Economic indicator


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User:Sascha Claus

de:Benutzer:Sascha Claus

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Metallo

Metallo is the name of different supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of Superman.

The George Grant version of Metallo was a man in a powered suit of armor made from "the most powerful metal on Earth" as well as a "strength serum".

The John Corben version of Metallo is usually depicted as a cyborg with a Kryptonite power source in his heart which he uses as a weapon against Superman.

The Roger Corben version of Metallo was the brother of John Corben who was turned into a cyborg by the organization SKULL at the time when John was apparently killed.

In 2009, Metallo was ranked as IGN's 52nd-greatest comic book villain of all time.

Publication history
There was an earlier "Metalo" who appeared in World's Finest #6 (Summer 1942). This version was a man named George Grant who discovered the most powerful metal on Earth and invented a strength serum.

John Corben and Metallo first appeared in the Superman comic strip storyline "The Menace of Metallo", which ran from 15 December 1958 to 4 April 1959. The character debuted in comic books in Action Comics #252 (May 1959), in a story by Robert Bernstein and Al Plastino.

The Roger Corben version of Metallo debuted in Superman #310 and was created by Curt Swan and Martin Pasko.

George Grant
Metalo (alternate spelling) is the identity of an inventor/scientist named George Grant who had built a powered suit of armor made from "the most powerful metal on Earth" as well as a "strength serum" that made him a near-match for Superman. To draw him out, Metalo captured Lois Lane. At the end of their battle, Metalo fell into a crevice to what Superman assumed would be his death. Metalo was revealed to the reader to have "narrowly escaped destruction" and vowed to take revenge.

Nearly 40 years would pass before the character reappeared in print to challenge Superman again. Metalo had improved his armor and serum and also exposed Superman to a ray that reduced his power significantly, giving Metalo superior strength in their first battle. Superman engaged in a lengthy regimen of exercise and training to restore his powers and returned to easily defeat Metalo.

Jor-El's Robot
A different Metallo appeared as Jor-El's robot to battle Superboy.

John Corben
John Corben was originally a journalist (and secretly a thief and murderer) who had just committed what he thought was the perfect murder. While fleeing from the scene of the crime, he suffered a near-fatal accident that mangled his body beyond repair. An elderly scientist, Professor Vale, happened to come upon him and used his scientific skill to transfer Corben's brain into a robotic body covered by a flesh-like artificial skin. Corben discovered that his power source, a capsule of uranium, would only last one day, but was told by Vale that kryptonite would provide him an indefinite power supply.

After obtaining a job with the Daily Planet, Corben briefly tried to romance Lois Lane, while deciding that he would use his powers to eliminate Superman, the one person who might expose his criminal deeds. After setting a kryptonite death-trap for Superman, Corben stole what he thought was another sample of kryptonite from a museum as a new power supply, not knowing it was a fake prop; this mistake caused him to die just as he was about to kill Lois Lane for discovering that he was not Superman (as he had pretended to be, being super-strong and invulnerable as a cyborg). Superman eventually escaped from the kryptonite trap and arrived just after Metallo (John Corben) had died.

After John Byrne rewrote Superman's origins in the 1986 miniseries The Man of Steel, Metallo was also given an altered backstory. In this version, John Wayne Corben was a small-time con man who was fatally injured in a car crash, but thanks to luck, Professor Emmet Vale happened to pass by. Vale was a pioneer in robotics and erroneously believed that Superman was the first in a wave of superpowered Kryptonian invaders after recovering Superman's ship and mistranslating Jor-El's message to his son. Vale transplanted Corben's brain into a robotic kryptonite-powered robot body and instructed him to kill Superman. Metallo, now Corben's new moniker, thanked Vale by snapping his neck and killing him.

Despite ignoring Vale's commands, Metallo came into conflict with Superman on various occasions, largely due to his continued activities as a petty thug. Metallo later lost his kryptonite heart to Lex Luthor, though back-up life support systems allowed him to reactivate himself and escape. He remained a thorn in Superman's side and was powerful enough to cripple the Doom Patrol. Still, the Indian-born hero who called herself Celsius did blow him apart with her thermal powers. Metallo later received a major upgrade via an unholy bargain with the demon Neron. As a result, Metallo could morph his body into any mechanical shape he could imagine (such as turning his hands into guns or "growing" a jet pack from his back) and project his consciousness into any technological or metallic device. He could also grow to monstrous size. During one battle, his gigantic fists were separated and later turned into housing by other superheroes. In another incident, Metallo was rendered more insane by the Joker and used his height to destroy an elevated train of commuters.

As Superman and others learned on various occasions, the most effective way to neutralize Metallo was to remove his (largely invulnerable) head and isolate it from other metallic items.

In Superman/Batman #2 (November 2003), Lex Luthor fabricated evidence implicating John Corben as the criminal who shot and killed Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne instead of Joe Chill.

Superman: Secret Origin
In the 2009–10 miniseries Superman: Secret Origin, which retells the origins of Superman and his supporting cast, Metallo is Sgt. John Corben and serves under Lois Lane's father, General Sam Lane. General Lane is trying to push his daughter, Lois into a relationship with Corben. Though they had one date, she does not return his feelings for her. Corben is next seen signing up for a military option to neutralize Superman (ostensibly with the help of a powersuit built by LexCorp). However, in his first encounter with Superman, a stray bullet hit the Kryptonite rock inside the suit, leading to a disastrous energy cascade within the battlesuit which almost killed Corben. Through the efforts of Lex Luthor and a crack team of scientists, Corben survived, part-man, part-machine, with the Kryptonite rock functioning as his new heart. Driven by a hatred for this alien invader, he became the villain known as Metallo. Metallo, now wearing a green, orange and red armor, subsequently attacked Superman again in a rampage which endangered not only the citizens of Metropolis, but his own fellow soldiers. He was defeated by Superman once more.

The New 52
In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, John Corben is under the command of General Sam Lane. General Lane tells him to talk to Lois Lane, when she keeps questioning where Superman is. It is implied that Corben and Lois once had a relationship. When Superman escapes from the military's custody, Corben is seen enlisting in what appears to be a military project co-opted by Lex Luthor, General Lane, and young scientist Dr. John Henry Irons—"Project Steel Soldier"—to go against Superman. Corben is seen in the experimental Metal-Zero/"Metal 0" suit with scientists, mostly Irons, trying to help him. He continues believing that he did it for the affection of Lois and when the robotic needles are in his head, Coined "Metallo", he takes control and his heart bursts, then screams "Where is Superman?" Although the attack on Superman succeeds, Metallo is revealed to have been subverted by Brainiac as part of his own plans, and his rampage is defeated when Doctor Irons uses an armored suit of his own to fight Corben and upload a computer virus that he designed in the event of such a situation. After escaping, and still under Brainiac's control, Corben continued to fight Superman until he was able to reason with Metallo and to fight Brainiac's influence because of his feelings for Lois Lane. In doing so, Corben attacked Brainiac until Superman could defeat the villain, but he subsequently fell into a coma and was taken back by the army.

It was revealed during the "Forever Evil" storyline that the armor was keeping him alive thanks to alien technology, but without a heart he would soon die. General Lane told his scientists to find a way to save him since he helped to save Metropolis. He was later given a kryptonite heart to keep him alive since it was the only energy compatible with his cybernetics. After 31 months in a vegetative state, Corben was brought back with a shard of kryptonite to active duty in the U.S. Army. Since his actions caused the deaths of hundreds of civilians, General Lane tried to kill him by exploding the plane he was being carried in. He survived and sought vengeance against Lane at his base, only to be confronted by an upgraded soldier like himself "Metal-2.0". When Corben proves too much, Metal-2.0 activates his self-destruct mechanism, hoping to destroy Corben along with himself. However, he is saved by the Scarecrow and offered a place in the Secret Society of Super Villains, now calling himself Metallo. Ultraman later rips off his kryptonite heart, because of his addiction to the mineral.

Corben was eventually seen again incarcerated in John Henry's isolated super-prison, eventually drafted by the U.S. government again shortly afterwards, but is only brought back into their service by compunction from Lois once more (who was secretly under Brainiac's influence). Given the present danger he represents as Doomsday was taking him over, Lois convinced Metallo to run Superman down in a kryptonite bombing run and was summarily incinerated by the blast; all that was left of him being the Metal Zero exo-mantel fused to his charred remains. Lois, now completely subsumed by the Brainiac consciousness inside of her, is able to recreate Corben's essential self by downloading her memory of the man he was into what's left of the old Metal-0 suit, said facsimile of the now-deceased military sergeant a loyal echo of whom he once was, obedient to Lane's every whim. He would serve as her bodyguard while Dox's influence compelled her to cripple military defense systems around the world. He would immediately switched sides once Lois is freed from the Coluan's control, however, and aided her in combating the extraterrestrial threat to their world. As Superman and Lois departed to stop Brainiac, Metallo was left on Earth to defend Metropolis in their stead. After the crisis is resolved, Corben is later seen standing guard over Metropolis with Krypto, seemingly contented with his current position.

In the wake of Superman's identity being outed to the world as the hero began losing his powers, many an investigation was undertaken into his identity, contacts and motives by collective interests. Seeing as her life was in more danger than ever before, Metallo stuck close to his love as she went and did some investigating of her own in the meantime. While Vandal Savage made his play for ultimate power, Lois and Metallo were close by on the scene where Superman kept his warship from crushing a small town. While aiding Superman, as Lois refused to leave his side during the battle with Savage's empowered progeny, John's bionic shell was badly damaged. Looking to make good with all the bad in his life, he willingly offered his kryptonite heart to Superman (the depowered hero having discovered a treatment for his loss of powers that essentially involved giving himself chemotherapy with kryptonite), knowing full well that he could not survive without it.

DC Rebirth
In DC Rebirth, Metallo is briefly a member of a new version of the Superman Revenge Squad, also consisting of General Zod, Mongul, the Cyborg Superman, the Eradicator, and Blanque. After Superman is temporarily blinded, they are defeated when Lex Luthor, Supergirl, Superwoman, Kong Kenan, and Steel come to Superman's aid and Zod betrays the rest of the team for his own ends.

Roger Corben
Roger Corben is the brother of John Corben. This Metallo was created by a secret organization named "SKULL" that transferred Roger's brain into a new robotic body so that he could get revenge on Superman for his brother's apparent death. Like the previous Metallo, this one was also powered by kryptonite, although this newer version wore orange and green armor, as well as a green helmet to conceal the "new" identity he had created using plastic surgery (which turned out to be WGBS Staffer Martin Korda).

This version of Metallo returned throughout the Bronze Age. His final appearance was featured in Alan Moore's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" (1986).

Powers and abilities
Metallo's metallic body offers him a high degree of protection from physical and energy attacks. He has enhanced abilities and no longer needs to eat, sleep, or breathe. His brain is hermetically sealed inside a shielded alloy skull that has its own power supply. When he was first created, he was powered by a kryptonite heart; losing that, he subsisted on plutonium instead. Additionally, because of his cyborg body, Metallo possesses superhuman strength and speed, enough to pose a challenge and even a threat to opponents such as Superman (in that case, he also takes advantage of the weakening power of kryptonite besides his own strength).

Over the course of his criminal career, Metallo's body would be decimated constantly by various circumstances. As such he would receive numerous upgrades or whole new chassis' to replace his damaged parts, such as by the obscure supervillain organization Cerberus, which modified him with a vastly superior body, one with lead-lined skull-plating and an anatomic layer that even Superman could not demolish. This gave him greatly enhanced strength and durability, coupled with moderate mechanical regeneration to repair internal damage. He was later outfitted with a larger LexCorp tech body, which gave him laser vision and further augmented his physical abilities. Soon after it was destroyed, Corben had received a new body from a fellow Kryptonite-powered supervillain Conduit; which gave Metallo radioactive blasts from his hands and could utilize geomagnetism to make him physically immovable, even by the Man of Steel, so long as he stood on solid ground or flooring within a building complex.

Metallo would eventually sell his soul (or what was left of it) to the archdemon Neron in return for increased power, gaining the abilities to mentally control and absorb any mechanical or metal object he focuses on and transforming any technology (himself included) into an extension of his exoskeleton (an ability similar to Cyborg Superman).

In experimenting with his newfound abilities, Metallo found he could alternate differing energy frequencies for harnessing and redistributing it from various power sources. Brainiac 13 upgraded Metallo to tap into various light spectra to better utilize his kryptonite-charged abilities. His mechanical body was also upgraded to be able to grow towards monolithic proportions. He is also occasionally portrayed as having a liquid metal-based endoskeleton, possessing the ability to morph parts of his body, specifically his limbs, into different weapons or tools, such as chainsaws, shovels, hammers, etc. While not a genius like Lex Luthor or Brainiac, Corben's time spent with machines has given him a gifted understanding of how they work, enabling him to tinker with their mechanical functions even before gaining his technomorphing capabilities.

During the publishing of Salvation Run it is revealed Metallo also boasts a high-calculus cyber-mind with which to run the numbers of possible and probable outcomes as well as success ratios through. In the previous continuity, the Pre-Flashpoint Lex Luthor modified Corben to holster and utilize different forms of kryptonite; boasting mutagenic red-k, inverted blue-k and lastly, artificial depowering gold-k on top of the green he already possessed. He could even power a great many anti-Kryptonian armaments developed by Luthor through it.

Other versions

 * Metallo appeared in Superman: Red Son as a project (among many others) invented by Dr. Lex Luthor for the US government to combat Superman, leader of the USSR.
 * The Silver Age Metallo appears in the series Justice.
 * In Art Baltazar's Superman Family Adventures, Jack Corben was an astronaut who became sick after flying through a Kryptonite asteroid field. Lex Luthor manipulates him into believing that it was all Superman's fault and that he can help Jack if he defeats Superman. Jack gets the upper hand in the fight with his Kryptonite, but the Superman family is aided by John Henry Irons into trapping Jack in a lead case. This version is not a cyborg, but instead wields metallic armor that contains all his Kryptonite poisoning.
 * Juan Cordero, an alternate Latino version of Metallo appeared in the comic series Young Justice: Targets as a member of Onslaught.
 * Metallo appears as the main antagonist in Superman '78: The Metal Curtain, a comic continuation of the Christopher Reeve Superman films. This version is Maxim Nikolaev, a decorated soldier from the Soviet Union who is ordered by General Viktor Morosov to defeat Superman and prove their might to the world. However, constant exposure to Kryptonite makes him more prone to anger. After witnessing Superman rescue Russian civilians during their battle in Moscow, Nikolaev sacrifices himself to destroy the Metallo armor and ensure the Kryptonite would not be used to harm others again.

Live-action

 * The Roger Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in Superboy, portrayed by Michael Callan. This version is a bungling bank robber who suffers from chest pains. In the episode "Metallo", he tries to rob an armored car despite his condition. Superboy arrives and apprehends the bank robber, but Corben has a heart attack and is taken to a hospital. After a lengthy recuperation, he murders his doctor and escapes, but suffers another heart attack, crashes his car, and is assumed dead. A mentally-unbalanced doctor subsequently recovers his body, turns him into a cyborg, and replaces his ailing heart with Kryptonite. As Metallo, Corben returns in the episodes "Super Menace", "People Vs. Metallo", the two-part episode "Threesome", and "Obituary for A Super-Hero".
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in a self-titled episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, portrayed by Scott Valentine. This version is Lucy Lane's boyfriend and a petty criminal. After being shot during a holdup gone wrong, former LexCorp scientist Emmett Vale rebuilds Corben into a Kryptonite-powered cyborg with help from his brother Rollie Vale. Using his new form, Metallo wreaks havoc in Metropolis and fights Superman, who eventually defeats him. Emmett is captured, but Rollie escapes with Metallo's kryptonite, leaving the latter to deactivate.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in Smallville, portrayed by Brian Austin Green in the ninth season and an uncredited actor in the tenth season. This version is a former war reporter who works at the Daily Planet alongside Lois Lane and despises the "Blur" - Clark Kent - because he rescued a prisoner who went on to murder Corben's sister. In the episode "Metallo", Corben is hit by a truck and experimented on by Major Zod's Kandorian soldiers, receiving bionic appendages and an artificial kryptonite-powered heart. Corben targets the Blur to seek revenge for his sister, but Kent uses a lead plate to defeat him before Corben is recovered by LuthorCorp CEO Tess Mercer. In the episode "Upgrade", Corben's prior insanity is explained as a flaw in his kryptonite heart while Mercer's scientists turn him into a mindless weapon. After defeating Major Zod and a red kryptonite-infected Kent, Corben regains his free will, receives a red kryptonite heart from Lane that restores his sanity, and goes underground after parting ways on good terms with her and Kent. In the episode "Prophecy", he returns to villainy and using a green Kryptonite heart after Toyman recruits him into his company, "Marionette Ventures". In the comic book continuation Smallville Season 11, it is revealed that Corben's change of heart happened due to him becoming a mercenary and his biology rejecting the red kryptonite heart. During this time, a dictatorship tasked him with subduing and eliminating the rebel forces' protector: a kryptonite-powered Lana Lang. Toyman gave him his new green kryptonite heart as well as the ability to absorb meteor energy signatures to strengthen himself. After absorbing Lang's kryptonite-powered nanites, Corben gains the ability to assimilate metallic or mechanical constructs. After Lang and Lane remove his power source, the U.S. government defeats and incarcerates Corben.

Arrowverse
Six different incarnations of Metallo appear in media set in the Arrowverse:

 * John Corben appears in the Supergirl episode "The Adventures of Supergirl", portrayed by Frederick Schmidt. He is initially hired by the incarcerated Lex Luthor to assassinate his half-sister Lena Luthor to prevent her from rebranding LuthorCorp, but Corben's first two attempts fail due to Supergirl and Superman's intervention. During his third attempt, Corben is foiled by Lena and Alex Danvers, with the former shooting him after he takes the latter hostage. While being sent to the hospital, Corben is intercepted by Project Cadmus, who convert him into the first Metallo. After meeting Cadmus' leader, later revealed to be Lex's mother Lillian Luthor, Corben fights Supergirl and Superman alongside another Metallo (see below), with Supergirl and Danvers defeating Corben by removing his power source. Corben is sent to jail, but Hank Henshaw smuggles in an artificial Kryptonite "heart" to help him break out of jail and frames Lillian for it. Due to the artificial Kryptonite's instability however, Corben slowly undergoes a radiological meltdown and ultimately self-destructs despite Supergirl's best efforts.
 * To assist Corben, Lillian converts unwilling Cadmus scientist named Dr. Gilcrist (portrayed by Rich Ting) into a second Metallo. During his fight with Superman, Martian Manhunter removes Gilcrist's Kryptonite heart, deactivating him.
 * An alternate universe incarnation of Metallo appears in the four-part crossover "Crisis on Earth-X", voiced by Frederick Schmidt. This version is an automaton used by the Nazi regime of Earth-X, who send Metallo to take several of Earth-1's heroes captive. It is eventually destroyed by the combined efforts of the Flash, Black Canary, Killer Frost, Citizen Cold, the Ray, the Atom, Firestorm, Heat Wave, Zari Tomaz, Vibe, and Vixen.
 * The fourth incarnation of Metallo appears in the fourth season of Supergirl. Introduced in the season premiere "American Alien", Otis Graves (portrayed by Robert Baker) is a member of Ben Lockwood's anti-alien activist group the Children of Liberty. Following his apparent death in the episode "Ahimsa", Otis returns in the episode "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", having been resurrected with Kryptonite and converted into a Metallo before Lockwood kills Otis. The "Metallo Procedure" itself is depicted in flashbacks in the episode "Crime and Punishment".
 * A fifth Metallo appears in the Supergirl episode "All About Eve", portrayed by an uncredited actor. This version is an unnamed security guard at Eve Teschmacher's lab in National City University.
 * Another alternate universe incarnation of Metallo appears in the Supergirl episode "It's a Super Life". This version is the Lena Luthor (portrayed by Katie McGrath) of a universe where she never met Supergirl, suffered a failed attempt on her life carried out by Lex that left her gravely injured, was converted into a Metallo by Lillian and Cadmus, and subsequently conquered National City.

Animation

 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in The Batman two-part episode "The Batman/Superman Story", voiced by Lex Lang. This version's kryptonite heart is located where a person's actual heart would be and has a back-up power source.
 * The Roger Corben incarnation of Metallo makes a cameo appearance in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Battle of the Superheroes!".
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in the Justice League Action short "True Colors", voiced by Chris Diamantopoulos.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in Harley Quinn, voiced by Jim Rash. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.
 * Metallo makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Kite Man: Hell Yeah!.
 * Metallo appears in My Adventures with Superman. Introduced in the episode "Fullmetal Scientist", this version is a series of drones created by AmerTek before being acquired by Lex Luthor and Amanda Waller for Task Force X's use. Throughout further appearances, Luthor upgrades the Metallos with Kryptonite power sources, but Brainiac takes control of them amidst his invasion of Earth.

DC Animated Universe
The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), primarily voiced by Malcolm McDowell.
 * Corben first appears in Superman: The Animated Series. Introduced in the pilot episode "The Last Son of Krypton", this version was originally an English mercenary who worked with Lex Luthor to stage the theft of an experimental armored war suit from LexCorp and give it to the nation of Kaznia in the hopes of prompting the U.S. government to pay Luthor. However, Corben is eventually caught by Superman and incarcerated at Stryker's Island. In the episode "The Way of All Flesh", Luthor and prison physician Doctor Vale infect Corben with a rare, fatal retrovirus and manipulate him into transferring his consciousness into an indestructible, Kryptonite-powered robot body in exchange for helping them kill Superman. Initially, Corben uses a special skin covering to appear human. However, he is horrified to discover that he no longer has human senses, goes insane, and partially tears off the skin, dubbing himself "Metallo".
 * Metallo returns in the Justice League episode "Hereafter", voiced by Corey Burton. He joins the Superman Revenge Squad in an attempt to achieve their titular goal, but are defeated by the Justice League.
 * Metallo returns in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Chaos at the Earth's Core", voiced again by McDowell. As of this series, he has joined Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society. Metallo and Silver Banshee are sent to Skartaris to obtain Kryptonite, but are defeated by the Justice League. He attempts to tell them about the Society, but his brain is fried by a protocol that Grodd created to prevent the Society's secrets from reaching the League. Nonetheless, Martian Manhunter probes what is left of his mind for information.

Film

 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, voiced by John C. McGinley. This version is President Lex Luthor's bodyguard. After a failed meeting with Superman and Luthor, Metallo fights Superman and Batman before being killed by Major Force, who frames Superman for it.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo makes a cameo appearance in All-Star Superman as an inmate of Stryker's Island.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in Justice League: Doom, voiced by Paul Blackthorne. This version is a member of Vandal Savage's Legion of Doom and possesses shapeshifting abilities. Despite mocking Savage's plan to destroy the Justice League, Metallo takes part in it by disguising himself as a suicidal Daily Planet employee to lure in Superman and shoot him with a Kryptonite bullet, though the latter survives. When the Justice League storm the Hall of Doom, Metallo fights Superman once more, but is killed by him.
 * Metallo was initially considered to appear in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel sequel, but the project was eventually cancelled in favor of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It was then revealed that Metallo was going to appear in an earlier draft of Dawn of Justice, using the body of Wallace Keefe (portrayed by Scoot McNairy). It was also rumored that Metallo was going to be in the final fight between Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman instead of Doomsday, but this was never confirmed. Despite this, the character's creator, Emmet Vale, appears in Dawn of Justice, portrayed by Ralph Lister.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo makes a cameo appearance in The Death of Superman.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One.

Video games

 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears as the final boss of Superman: Shadow of Apokolips, voiced again by Malcolm McDowell.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears as a boss in Superman 64. This version is a member of the Superman Revenge Squad.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears as a boss in Superman: The Man of Steel, voiced by Roger L. Jackson.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears as a boss in Superman Returns, voiced by Joey Camen. This version can create robotic minions and assimilate metal to increase his size and strength.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Ryan Wickerham.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears as a non-player character (NPC) in Injustice: Gods Among Us via the Stryker's Island stage.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by Travis Willingham.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced again by Travis Willingham.

Miscellaneous

 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in Dirk Maggs' 1990 BBC Radio adaptation of The Man of Steel, played by Simon Treves. This version wears a suit of battle armor. While fighting Superman, Corben is left in a vegetative state due to the suit's unstable psionic interface, which Luthor sabotaged to hide his role in empowering Corben. Subsequently, Corben is taken by Doctor Schwarz, a disgruntled former LexCorp employee who had been tracking the capsule that brought the infant Superman to Earth and stole it from Jonathan and Martha Kent's farm. After building him an android body powered by the capsule's kryptonite power source, Schwarz and Corben plot to kill Luthor and Superman. However, Metallo betrays and kills Schwarz. Kidnapping Lois Lane and holding her hostage at Two Mile Island's power station, he awaits and eventually fights Superman until Luthor intervenes and tears out Metallo's kryptonite heart.
 * An original incarnation of Metallo named Juan Cordero appears in Young Justice: Targets. This version is a metahuman with self-healing abilities. After Lex Luthor gives his family jobs and education, Cordero decides to serve him out of gratitude, subsequently being manipulated into becoming a cyborg to oppose Superboy.
 * The John Corben incarnation of Metallo appears in Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #20 as a disguise of Tharok.

Merchandise
The John Corben incarnation of Metallo received a "Collect and Connect" figure in Wave 5 of the DC Universe Classics line.

title: Metallo


text: Category:New Brunswick provincial highways


text:
Talk:Huntingdon Life Sciences

Tony Blair visits to India unwittingly influenced the major crackdown on protestors?
I have heard (from a BBC documentary) that whilst visiting India as PM, Tony Blair was approached by Indian govt officials etc praising all the Science scare stories in The Daily Mail (possibly thinking Blair was behind them) - since such influential scare stories were (believed by Indian politicians) to be hindering subsequent scientific investigations in the UK (to the automatic benefit of India whose own experiments were proceeding unimpeded). It was on Blair's realisation of that fact and return to Britain that the subsequent big crackdown on the HLS protestors started - to maintain Britain's scientific advantage. If that is true then it should go into the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mr gobrien (talk • contribs) 19:56, 29 June 2019 (UTC)

Proposed changes to the page
I made many changes to the Huntingdon Life Sciences page which were then reversed by RafikiSykes with the advice to gain consensus on the talk for proposed changes prior to adding them again. So here I am.

I know this is old stomping ground for this page but I feel that it is not an article about Huntingdon Life Sciences but more an article on the campaign against them. Looking at other companies on Wiki (including those that are deemed controversial) there is more information about those companies than appear on this page. I am merely trying to redress this. But I am not trying to ignore the campaign against HLS - there is still a great deal of information on that in the page.

You can see my most recent change at version (13:50, 8 February 2012 Jbraygun). I don't want to be long-winded and boring but briefly the reasons for my changes are:

 * Intro section:
 * I tried for a very brief intro and to include who and what HLS is and why they are known to the general public. Without wanting to fan the flames I changed contract-animal testing company to Contract Research Organisation as the first is not a true description of the industry; it's like saying that NASA is in the booster rocket industry - it is a method used along with many others to gain the end result.

 * Company info box:
 * This is the company's logo and a more acurate description of their industry.

 * History:
 * The history on the page was a two paragraph entry that said very little about a company that is 60 years old. My changes give a far more detailed history.

 * Core industries:
 * I admit only came from looking at other company pages

 * Staff numbers, Trade bodies and Awards:
 * I included these as I believed they give a more rounded description of the company and where they sit in the business world.

 * Use of animals:
 * One of the most contentious issues with this company - if they are happy to publicise their numbers then it should be included.

 * Controversy, Protest and intimidation, Effect of campaign; Government response:
 * I have changed these very little. I have tidied up and put it all under one heading.

I would like to have this page describe the company and also include the campaign against it but in a fair and balanced way. So back to what RafikiSykes asked me to do, I need concensus....

Jbraygun (talk) 17:07, 8 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Note, approximate animal numbers were mentioned in a parliamentary debate in 1997, cited in the summing up of the injunctive relief request from BEAVQ later that year, or earlier the next year. Rich Farmbrough, 22:27, 23 August 2012 (UTC).

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text:
Georgia and Florida Railway (2005)

The Georgia and Florida Railway is a short line railroad operating in Georgia and Florida, and is a subsidiary of OmniTRAX. The railroad spans 297 mi over numerous different rail lines, most of which radiate out of Albany, Georgia.

Primary commodities include corn, scrap metal, chemicals, ethanol, cement, paper, cottonseed, clay wood pulp, peanuts, fertilizer, beer, aggregates and others, generating 21,000 annual carloads.

History
Upon its start on April 14, 1995 the railroad was named the Georgia and Florida Railroad and was a Gulf & Ohio subsidiary operating over two lines: Albany to Sparks, and Valdosta to Nashville over former Norfolk Southern (NS) trackage.

Initially the railroad consisted of approximately 130 mi of track over two separate branches, including trackage rights over NS to link the disconnected lines. The railroad initially hauled grain, peanuts, fertilizer, woodchips, and beer, totaling around 10,000 carloads.

Albany-Sparks
The Albany-Sparks route consists of two different routes meeting at Moultrie. The Albany-Moultrie portion was completed by the Georgia Northern Railway in 1905. In 1966, the Southern acquired the Georgia Northern and it was merged with the Albany & Northern Railway subsidiary.

The second section from (Moultrie-Sparks) was originally constructed by the Sparks Western Railway, however, the railroad was acquired by the Georgia & Florida Railway (G&F) in 1910, with the line being completed in 1911. The G&F became a subsidiary of the Southern in 1963. Both sections officially became part of NS in 1990 and were leased to G&F in 1995.

Valdosta-Nashville
The Valdosta-Nashville section was built by the Douglas, Augusta & Gulf Railway and became part of G&F around 1906. G&F later became part of the Southern in 1963 and NS in 1990.

In early 2005 changes came to the branch as the Georgia Department of Transportation purchased the line from G&F, including an additional section of exempted track from Nashville to Willacoochee, 16.6 mi, owned by the city of Willacoochee. Under the agreement, G&F would continue to operate the line from Valdosta to Willachoochee. Cater Parrott Railnet now operates this line.

Live Oak, Perry & South Georgia
Starting around 1896 the South Georgia Railroad built a line south from a point near Adel to Quitman. The line was extended further to Greenville, Florida in 1901 where it met the South Georgia & West Coast Railway, which ran from Greenville to Perry, Florida. The entire line was later reorganized as the South Georgia Railway. In 1971 the Southern Railway acquired the line and merged it with a separate line, the Live Oak, Perry and Gulf, to form the Live Oak, Perry, and South Georgia.

On December 15, 1995 the LOP&SG was purchased as a subsidiary of Gulf & Ohio. The railroad ran from Adel, Georgia to Foley, Florida, 80 mi, and was operated by the Georgia & Florida.

Consolidation and Acquisition by RailNet
On January 21, 1999 Gulf & Ohio consolidated its holdings in the region under a single entity and sold the new network - including the two branches of the neighboring Atlantic & Gulf railroad - to RailNet. The new railroad was renamed Georgia and Florida RailNet.

OmniTRAX
OmniTRAX acquired the entire Georgia & Florida RailNet in 2005, renaming the railroad Georgia and Florida Railway.

A boon came to the railroad in 2006 as an ethanol plant was planned for Camilla, Georgia. The new facility was expected to generate significant traffic for the line when it opened in late 2008. However, due to financial difficulties experienced by the facility, it is unclear whether the effect on the G&F railroad will remain.

2019 Shots Fired Incident
On May 17, 2019, a Georgia and Florida train was fired upon by a group of juveniles in the vicinity of the Flint River bridge in Albany, Georgia. One round struck a cab window, causing approximately $300 in damage. The juveniles are still being sought by the Albany Police Department.

title: Georgia and Florida Railway (2005)