The fourth "Indiana Jones" film has been shrouded in secrecy up until now.  The script has been held tight. John Hurt won't even say his character's name.

And then came the interviews.  (The story with the biggest spoilers will be shared at the end of this article, to give last-minute cold feet a chance to run.)

George Lucas sat down with TV Guide and chatted up the new movie.  Early rumor has pegged Sean Connery (Henry Jones Sr.) in the flick, though Connery bowed out months ago.  Fans then speculated that the loss of such a major character would have required a complete script change, but Lucas says otherwise.

Lucas said, "[I]n the end, it turned out better. In the beginning, he was just in a little bit of it, and I think with the strength of Sean Connery, people would've wanted him to go all the way through the whole thing, and the story really didn't work that way. And so I think there would've been some disappointment that [Jones Sr.] dropped out partway through the movie. By having somebody else fill that role, you lose him without any regret, so to speak, even though we got a great actor to play the part. And I mean, he's not his father, so it's much easier....  It's just a completely different character, so you're not invested in him in any way. The fact that that character, after the first part of the movie, isn't needed doesn't become a problem. Whereas I think with the scene we had, where [Indy] says goodbye to his dad, everybody was, 'Wait a minute! Isn't he coming back?' So in the end, I think it turned out for the best. Sean just retired and he wants to stay retired, and I understand that. I think he just said, 'Look, I've done it, I've done it.' He was very tempted, you know, and we talked for a long time. But in the end, he just said, 'Eh, I'm playing golf.'" 

But who is this new character going to be?  Well, not only is Jim Broadbent playing Professor Horace Slughorn in the next "Harry Potter" film, he's also doing a turn in "Crystal Skull."

Said Broadbent, "I'm Indiana's academic colleague at Yale. I'm his friend and colleague -- there's a couple of my scenes to go."  Could this be Connery's replacement?

Cate Blanchett has a large role in the new film, and spoke with MTV about it recently  Blanchett, who was twelve when she first saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark," recalled that film fondly, especially the scene where Indy "kiss[es] Karen Allen when they fall asleep. I can remember that was a big part for me.  I thought, 'Ooh, gosh. When I grow up I'd like to marry a man like him, even if he does fall asleep after I kiss him.'"  When asked directly if she got her wish, she said, "[Not] unless they’ve changed the script pages.  I don’t think so."

The biggest news of all comes from a small-town Oklahoma newspaper called the Edmond Sun and comes to us via Aint It Cool News.   Seems that a local guy by the name of Tyler Nelson was interviewed by the paper, wherein he spilled a lot more than his confidentiality agreement allowed (we're guessing).  The newspaper has since pulled the story (possibly after being leaned on by Paramount) but AICN snagged the plot details before it vanished.

Nelson said, "Apparently, the Soviet Army was searching for a [crystal] skull in the jungles of South America and Indiana Jones was searching, as well."  He goes on to blab that the Russians kidnap Jones' former love interest Marion Ravenwood (Allen) and blackmail Jones with her safety. Cate Blanchett plays a Russian interrogator.  Nelson continued, "We took Indiana Jones hostage and managed to find the skull."  Shia LaBeouf indeed does play Indy and Marion's son, and is part of the reason why Indy falls in love with Marion again.

So, fans and mundanes, there's the plot, the hook and the (much-speculated already) twist.  Personally, I can't wait.