the lost Ark of the Covenant, recruiting the help of ex-flame Marion Ravenwood as they battle to find it before the Nazis.
Director Steven Spielberg explained he wanted Marion to be like Irene Dunne, Carole Lombard, and other leading ladies of the ‘20s who could hold their own and exhibit a toughness against their counterpart leading man. Several women were considered, but Spielberg chose Karen Allen who he felt fit the bill after seeing her in the problematic Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
It appears that Karen Allen was the sure winner of the role once considered, but Spielberg and George Lucas had a few other women in mind beforehand. The most rumored casting what-if for Marion is Debra Winger, who had shown her leading-lady talent in Urban Cowboy (1980) opposite John Travolta, who would go on to play Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction. Winger hadn’t yet achieved the fame she would know after An Officer and a Gentleman and of Endearment, but her tough energy left an impact on Spielberg. According to The Independent, Winger turned down the role because she felt it was beneath her.
A few notable actresses auditioned for Marion and went pretty far into the casting process, even performing a few screen tests. Tom Selleck, who was originally cast as Indy until he dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Young would have made an excellent Marion with the chemistry between her and Ford, but it would have been difficult to leave the duo’s baggage of Marion and Indy when coupled as Rachael and Deckard in Blade Runner.
Another rumored possibility for Marion was actress Amy Irving, who was Spielberg’s girlfriend and future wife. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg originally intended for Irving to play Marion but, paired with the two briefly splitting up, she had scheduling conflicts that left her unavailable. Barbara Hershey was also briefly considered for Marion, though may have brought a bit too much hippie energy from her other roles than would be suitable for the character.
George Lucas apparently wanted Marion to return for Temple of Doom but decided to make Indiana Jones a more James Bond-style character with a different love interest in every film. Considering how dedicated Karen Allen was to the Marion role, it’s best that she won it over some of the other big names of the era. She had even tried to convince Spielberg to include a backstory for Marion she had concocted, including a scene discussing Marion’s relationship with Indy when she was 15-16 years old. Considering it was revealed in Crystal Skull that Marion and Indy have a son together, it’s possible Allen will return to banter with Indy in the fifth Indiana Jones film.
