Frosty from Collider dropped me an email saying that he had just come from an event for Surf’s Up, the latest fucking penguin movie, where Shia LaBeouf denied being in Indiana Jones IV.
“It’s turned into this insane thing, and it’s fun to watch everybody talk about it, but I don’t have a deal or a part or anything set,” he told Steve. “I’ll tell you when I hear it.”
At first it’s surprising to hear this – I mean, the source of these rumors, to be frank, is the guy denying them. He spilled the beans to Kellvin from Latino Review, and I’ve heard from other people that he’s been mentioning it as well. But then I go back and listen to his words, and it’s obvious that this is not a full denial. He doesn’t have a deal. He doesn’t have a part. He doesn’t have anything set. These are all in line with what Variety ran, namely that he’s in talks.
What this all sounds like is a little bit of a game is being played. Someone tells Variety he’s in talks, he’s coy about it in the press – the buzz is being built while Shia gets to be very humble about the whole thing. I’ve heard more than once about an actor who lost a part because he was running around telling everybody he had it before the deal was done.
Whatever is happening here, the full truth should be out soon. But why do I get the sinking suspicion that this will be better than the movie itself?