'Indiana Jones' suit: Hollywood profited from Crystal Skull theft

'Indiana Jones' suit: Hollywood profited from Crystal Skull theft


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

LOS ANGELES — A Belizean archaeologist is suing the makers of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" over the Crystal Skull artifact, which he says too closely resembles a missing Belizean treasure.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Illinois federal court, targets Lucasfilm, the Walt Disney Co. and Paramount Pictures for allegedly using a "likeness" of the original Crystal Skull, which Dr. Jaime Awe, director of the Institute of Archaeology in Belize, says was stolen from the country 88 years ago.

Awe claims the likeness of the skull was used without permission, leading to "illegal profits." The movie grossed $786 worldwide.

According to the lawsuit, Belize is littered with archaeological sites and has long been the target of those hoping to "discover ‘treasures' such as artifacts and remove them from the country in the pursuit of monetary gain." It claims the most well-known treasure hunter was F.A. Mitchell-Hodges, a self-proclaimed "adventurer" who came into the possession of the Crystal Skull in the 1920s. The suit targets the Mitchell-Hodges family for the return of the skull.

A "Crystal Skull" is defined in the suit to be clear or milky quartz carved to resemble a human skull, and Mayan in origin. There are three on display worldwide: at the British Museum in London, the Musee du Quai Branly in Paris and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

Mitchell-Hodges' adopted daughter, Anna Le Guillon Mitchell-Hodges, is said to have discovered the skull buried under a collapsed altar while exploring temple ruins in 1924. Mitchell-Hodges disclosed the information in a 2008 documentary.

Anna Mitchell-Hodges took possession of the Crystal Skull upon her father's death and kept it in her home in Indiana, according to the suit. It remained with her husband upon her death in 2007. The suit claims members of the Mitchell-Hodges family have profited from the display of the skull.

Awe claims that because of the mythology surrounding the skull, it has become popularized in media, with "Indiana Jones" being the most notable example.

"While specifically referring to the ‘Mitchell-Hedges Skull,' the Film utilizes a replica that clearly resembles the skull-shaped block of clear quartz that is the actual artifact," the suit states. "LucasFilm never sought, nor was given permission to utilize the Mitchell-Hedges Skull or its likeness in the Film."

The suit notes that in the film, the skull was discovered of Peru and was of unspecified Native American heritage.

LucasFilms, purchased in 2012 by the Walt Disney Co., and Paramount continue to profit from the use of the skull's likeness due to the continued distribution of the movie, according to the suit. "To date, Belize has not participated in any of the profits derived from the sale of the Film or the rights thereto," it claims.

Awe, suing on behalf of the country Belize, is seeking an unspecified amount of damages, as well as that the United States Marshals be ordered to take possession of the skull, to be returned to Belize.

The skull was likely never in Belize, though, Discovery News notes. Anna Mitchell-Hodges was found to have changed the story of how she found the skull at least twice. Historical record shows her father bought the skull from an antiques collector in 1933.

Related links

Related stories

Most recent Features stories

Related topics

Features
Stephanie Grimes

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast