Indiana Jones 2023 - Rumors & Discussion

[Alegrispa]

I mean, yeah, it's racist and poorly designed, but they're only thinking of that now?!

Personally I couldn't care less, but it is kinda strange and stupid how far into production sets can go these days before they're being pulled.

And I agree that it's odd that they're drawing the line at racist caricatures (which is good- and anyone who disagrees can go to hell), but they're not above creating a Nazi warplane? 

Edited February 21, 2023 by Alegrispa

[Kaijumeister]

33 minutes ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

…are you kidding me. 2023 is souring on me VERY quickly 

Not trying to sound hyperbolic, but after what’s happening with Star Wars and most of Marvel, I think we can both agree this year just feels especially meh. Just bad decisions across the board.

If the ToD set really is held off, the initial wave of Indiana Jones sets is going to feel ridiculously weak. Wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Lego just released the Dial of Destiny sets with the initial wave, the film only releases 2 months after April anyway.

I’m curious as to why the set is being withheld though. ‘Delay’ makes me think there’s some sort of design / structural issue to the model, but then cancelling it outright implies it’s for other reasons.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Kaijumeister

[Brickity]

36 minutes ago, Retro Brick Reviews said:

Temple of Doom, by contrast, has been infamous for being incredibly violent and incredibly racist for nearly 40 years. There's no excuse for putting it into production and then deciding to cancel it in the 11th hour.

I see. Oh well, never watched ToD myself but my rage over the cancellation made me overlook the most important aspect of it. F*ck racism. Still, why cancel it now? I feel so confused.

I’d be happy just getting short round, Willie and Indy.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Otherworld

[THELEGOBATMAN]

Bruh, this would be genuinely hilarious.

2023 sounded like the best year ever for LEGO, and I feel like there are as many disappointments as the good stuff.

[Metanoios]

Think of all the already produced temple of doom sets that will end up in a landfill somewhere in Hungary, China or Mexico now, where they will pollute the environment for hundreds of years without ever having been touched or played with... maybe an archeologist will dig them out a few centuries later

[Actor Builder]

uh oh !!

[Brickity]

I wonder if leaving out the controversial aspects of the set would’ve been a contradiction in itself, equalling to not designing it in the first place.

Perhaps just the trio, the cart and the tracks? 

[Legofan2001]

 

13 minutes ago, Metanoios said:

Think of all the already produced temple of doom sets that will end up in a landfill somewhere in Hungary, China or Mexico now, where they will pollute the environment for hundreds of years without ever having been touched or played with... maybe an archeologist will dig them out a few centuries later

If it truly is cancelled I hope all the factory workers just take  whatever figures and sets have been made and sell themselves. Like what a waste if true. 

[Retro Brick Reviews]

11 minutes ago, Otherworld said:

Perhaps just the trio, the cart and the tracks? 

Make that just Indy and Willie, the character of Short Round is just as offensive as the Thuggees (to the point where his actor quit acting for 35 years afterward).

Again, them not wanting to release a Temple of Doom set is understandable. The problem is that if it violates their guidelines they never should've released it at all.

 

(Then again, imo LEGO can't claim to be against bigotry and racist caricatures while still continuing to profit from Harry Potter, but that's just me.)

 

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by Retro Brick Reviews

[Portal Out]

Lego designing a set that violates their own standards, sitting on it for two years, panicking when they realize that they're making a children's toy with a human sacrifice altar, then canceling it a month before release would be the most in-character blunder they've ever made and one of the funniest things they've ever done.

In retrospect, it's still kind of baffling in the first place that they had the opportunity to make a fun minecart set with their super popular roller coaster system, a car chase set with a bunch of cute old-timey cars, or even a playset base on the iconic bridge scene, and they chose the borderline racist option 

[hachiroku]

2 minutes ago, Retro Brick Reviews said:

Make that just Indy and Willie, the character of Short Round is just as offensive as the Thuggees (to the point where his actor quit acting for 35 years afterward).

Again, them not wanting to release a Temple of Doom set is understandable. The problem is that if it violates their guidelines they never should've released it at all.

 

So just like the Osprey or the TNT City set. This is not the first time something like this happens (if it has been cancelled and the guidelines are the reason).

I can't understand why they cancel sets so late (literally week before release).

[The Stud]

Bruh, this was probably my favorite of all the leaked sets thus far, even though Temple of Doom is my least favorite of the original films. If it really is for reasons related to racism/cultural insensitivity, I’m glad that it’s at least getting (potentially) delayed/cancelled for a good reason, though I don’t think there’s anything inherently racist about what’s included in the set itself. The movie itself? Sure. But as for the set itself, they avoid the sacrificial and heart-stealing element. Maybe the Kali statue was deemed to be inappropriate.

What aggravates me the most is Lego’s incompetence in this situation. Once again, they somehow go through the entire process of designing and manufacturing a set before realizing “huh, maybe we shouldn’t make this.” This happened with the Technic Ospery and that Lego City set with the dynamite factory and possibly other times that don’t come to mind. It’s just flat-out idiotic and because they’re so inept about preventing leaks, the fans already know about these things before they cancel/delay these things anyway. It’s just baffling how they decide to arbitrarily draw their lines in the sand after the fact, rather than before.

 

Something to keep in mind is that this is just a rumor and it’s not definitively getting cancelled or delayed, it’s just a possibility. Like @Kaijumeister pointed out, I don’t know what delaying the set is going to do, unless they need to change something with the actual design of the set. Maybe they’re considering just focusing on the mine cart portion of the set?

That being said, with Lego’s track record recently, I wouldn’t be surprised if they just cancel the thing. Lego has gotten immensely more sloppy over the last few years and it feels like they’re on a hot streak of making disappointing decisions as of late.

Edited February 21, 2023 by The Stud

[RedHoodPug]

22 minutes ago, Metanoios said:

Think of all the already produced temple of doom sets that will end up in a landfill somewhere in Hungary, China or Mexico now, where they will pollute the environment for hundreds of years without ever having been touched or played with... maybe an archeologist will dig them out a few centuries later

Why would any of it get landfilled? Non specific parts can be instantly recycled into other sets and specific parts, instructions, boxes and anything else can be actually recycled.

[sammy_zammy]

2 minutes ago, The Stud said:

I believe the original set included that without any problem. 

The original didn’t have the statue.

[Alexandrina]

38 minutes ago, Kaijumeister said:

but after what’s happening with Star Wars

I'm out of the loop: what's happening with Star Wars?

[Retro Brick Reviews]

2 minutes ago, hachiroku said:

So just like the Osprey or the TNT City set. This is not the first time something like this happens (if it has been cancelled and the guidelines are the reason).

I can't understand why they cancel sets so late (literally week before release).

Not really. The Osprey was cancelled because an anti-war group complained, and the TNT Hideout was cancelled because LEGO didn't want to release a police raid set in the political climate of 2021 - two happenings that couldn't have been predicted when the sets were being developed.

That's what's baffling here: This is hardly the first time LEGO's cancelled the set, but before it's always been because of unprecedented controversy, whereas here the controversy is pretty much the most well-known part of the movie

[The Stud]

1 minute ago, sammy_zammy said:

The original didn’t have the statue.

Yep, you’re right. It’d been a while since I’d seen pictures of the original.

[Retro Brick Reviews]

Just now, Alexandrina said:

I'm out of the loop: what's happening with Star Wars?

$200 Buildable Chewbacca statue and $15 mechs

2 minutes ago, sammy_zammy said:

The original didn’t have the statue.

Oh, that's a good point. I suppose directly depicting a god could very the point of issue, couldn't it?

Hopefully they can release the set later this year if they nix the statue, it was the worst part of the build anyway

[The Stud]

12 minutes ago, Retro Brick Reviews said:

Make that just Indy and Willie, the character of Short Round is just as offensive as the Thuggees (to the point where his actor quit acting for 35 years afterward).

 

I don’t disagree with a lot of what you say, but the Short Round bit is inaccurate. Ke Huy Quan stopped acting due to lack of opportunities and he himself disagrees with anyone who claims that his character and the film are racist. He’s also very open to playing the character again.

Edited February 21, 2023 by The Stud

[Mandalorianknight]

1 hour ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

…are you kidding me. 2023 is souring on me VERY quickly 

Yup. this is absurd

1 hour ago, Legofan2001 said:

If the temple of doom is ACTUALLY cancelled because “it fails to meet guidelines” just cancel the entire Indiana Jones wave at that point because almost everything Indiana Jones goes against the “guidelines” this is just beyond pathetic from lego.

EXACTLY. Lego's guidelines are so stupid.

1 hour ago, Retro Brick Reviews said:

The difference there is that nobody had taken offense to Jabba's Palace prior to the LEGO set, so the backlash was unprecedented. It was stupid, but LEGO's decision there was understandable.

Temple of Doom, by contrast, has been infamous for being incredibly violent and incredibly racist for nearly 40 years. There's no excuse for putting it into production and then deciding to cancel it in the 11th hour.

Also, didn't lego basically go "suck it up" and just keep the set in production until it's standard retirement anyway? What happened to that lego?

 

Jeez, it's an adventure movie from the 80s. Of course it's not politically correct in 2023. This is so aggravating to me that completed sets are being cancelled because lego's afraid of doing anything that could make anyone upset

1 minute ago, The Stud said:

I don’t disagree with a lot of what you say, but the Short Round bit is inaccurate. Ke Huy Quan stopped acting due to lack of opportunities and he himself disagrees with anyone who claims that his character and the film are racist. He’s also very open to playing the character again.

EXACTLY. Short round was not racist. 

Kinda sad he's not in the 5th one at all, though.

3 minutes ago, Retro Brick Reviews said:

Oh, that's a good point. I suppose directly depicting a god could very the point of issue, couldn't it?

Hopefully they can release the set later this year if they nix the statue, it was the worst part of the build anyway

Did not realize Kali was an actual hindu god. That is a bit of an oof, even if the film clearly is not attempting to depict mainline hinduism. 

I'd be ok with the set being made without the statue, but cancelling it entirely would really piss me off.

[Legofan2001]

exabrickslegoman is reporting that TLC plane is also canceled 😡😡😡😡😡

[Kaijumeister]

To be fair, the portrayal of Kali in ToD was always intended to be a corrupted, horrifying twist of the mythological  / religious equivalent. There’s certainly a case to be made for it being insensitive, but as we saw in the leaks the statue from the set doesn’t even resemble what’s in the movie, it looks almost comical.

I’m just laughing at the prospect of Lego’s official reveal of the April wave being two small-medium sets and one 18+ model. Not to mention all the new mini figures that were designed (including a moulded headpiece for Mola-Ram) which will possibly never see the light of day. Just nonsensical all around.

Edit: Oh man, what? I hope this is just Exabricks speculating.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Kaijumeister

[The Stud]

5 minutes ago, Legofan2001 said:

exabrickslegoman is reporting that TLC plane is also canceled 😡😡😡😡😡

I don’t think they’re reporting that, that’s just what they’re guessing will happen.

 

I do hope Lego figures something out for the figures in this set at least. They all seemed really cool, especially the updated Mola Ram and modern versions of Willie and Short Round.

Edited February 21, 2023 by The Stud

[Mandalorianknight]

4 minutes ago, Kaijumeister said:

To be fair, the portrayal of Kali in ToD was always intended to be a corrupted, horrifying twist of the mythological  / religious equivalent. There’s certainly a case to be made for it being insensitive, but as we saw in the leaks the statue from the set doesn’t even resemble what’s in the movie, it looks almost comical.

I’m just laughing at the prospect of Lego’s official reveal of the April wave being two small-medium sets and one 18+ model. Not to mention all the new mini figures that were designed (including a moulded headpiece for Mola-Ram) which will possibly never see the light of day. Just nonsensical all around.

Edit: Oh man, what? I hope this is just Exabricks speculating!?

Yeah, it was always supposed to be some sort of horrifying cult that corrupted the image of Kali. They clearly weren't going "this is what we think hinduism is".

Or if it turns out that the plane is also cancelled, 2 sets. That would be comical. And I 100% wouldn't be buying either. There's no point in an indiana jones theme if you remove all religous or military references. That's like a 20 minute trilogy max.

[strangely]

I mean, I can't say I'm totally surprised. Even without the racism you still have the child abuse/slavery/torture. This probably should have been 18+ set to begin with.

I mean, this movie was part of the reason the PG-13 rating came into existence. It was pretty controversial even then.