The Big Picture
- Gentle Giant LTD has released a premium Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom statue, meticulously recreating the film’s iconic poster.
- The statue is intricately detailed, standing at around 15 inches tall, and comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity.
- Although the latest Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, didn’t fare well at the box office, the franchise’s legacy remains strong with continued merchandise offerings and theme park expansions.
Nearly 40 years ago, Indiana Jones first stepped into the Temple of Doom and established that the whip-cracking adventurer was here to stay. Accompanying the film was an iconic poster showing Indy standing at the mouth of the temple, a blazing orange light behind him as he stares down into the darkness that awaits beneath. At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Gentle Giant LTD debuted a new statue that commemorates the film and its poster and now Collider can exclusively offer an official look at this premium collectible. As part of the company’s Premier Collection, the statue is available to pre-order starting Thursday, September 21 at 9 p.m. PT/12 a.m. ET.
The statue nails just about every detail of the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom poster, from Indy’s ripped-open shirt to his whip and machete in hand. Beside him is a weathered, vine-covered pillar framing him as he prepares to cross the threshold into his next adventure. Standing at around 15 inches tall, the intricately detailed 1/7 scale figure also comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity inside a full-color box for collectors. At $300, it’ll cost a pretty penny for this treasure, but premium collectibles are Gentle Giant’s specialty with a wide lineup of Star Wars and Marvel collectibles among other things in their catalog.
While not viewed as fondly as its predecessor Raiders of the Lost Ark or its follow-up The Last Crusade, Temple of Doom was a crucial stepping stone for George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as they built on the success of the first outing of Harrison Ford‘s adventure franchise. Taking a darker turn, the film is still packed with memorable moments as Indy makes his way to India in search of the magical Sankara stone. In the process, it also introduced audiences to the fan-favorite, if a bit problematic, Short Round played by Ke Huy Quan who’s now enjoying a career renaissance with an excellent Oscar-winning turn in Everything Everywhere All At Once and Loki Season 2 on the horizon.
‘Indiana Jones’ Has Finally Retired From Adventuring
This year finally brought Indy’s adventures to an end with James Mangold‘s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Attempting to right the ship and give Ford a proper sendoff after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the film featured the adventurer fighting Nazis once again in a race to retrieve the titular dial which could change the course of history forever. Phoebe Waller-Bridge came along for the ride as Dr. Jones’s goddaughter as they squared off against Jürgen Voller played in a delightful villainous turn by Mads Mikkelsen.
While the final adventure featured plenty of nostalgia and its own fair share of fun sequences like a ride through the Apollo-11 ticker tape parade, it marked another bomb at the box office for Disney while earning a lukewarm reception from critics and audiences alike. The explorer’s legacy is far from complete, however. Earlier this month, Disney announced a massive expansion to its theme park plans that would include Indiana Jones among other prominent IPs like Frozen and Encanto. Like a bad penny, Indy will always turn up whether through new collectibles, re-releases, or celebrations of the iconic franchise’s legacy.
Gentle Giant’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Premier Collection statue is limited to only 1,000 pieces, so you’ll have to act fast to land one for your collection. Orders are expected to ship in Q2 2024. Check out a few shots of the statue below.