Michael Douglas and the Lost Legacy of Romancing the Stone: The Unmade Third Adventure

As Oscar-winner Michael Douglas recently announced his retirement from acting, fans are looking back with nostalgia at his unforgettable career spanning five decades. From playing a New York yuppie embroiled in a dangerous affair in Fatal Attraction to embodying the uptight ex-superhero Hank Pym in the Ant-Man franchise, Douglas’s versatile performances always commanded attention. His farewell to cinema also highlights several projects that never materialized — notably, a third installment in the beloved Romancing the Stone series, reprising his role as jungle adventurer Jack Colton.

The Rise of Romancing the Stone

Upon its 1984 release, Romancing the Stone became a surprise hit that propelled Douglas into superstardom. The film allowed him to step out of the shadow of his legendary father, Kirk Douglas, salvaged director Robert Zemeckis’ fledgling career, and sparked dynamic on-screen chemistry with co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. This exotic action-adventure promised to rival franchises like Indiana Jones at the box office. However, its sequel failed to match that success, stalling further Jack Colton adventures.

Douglas’s Colton was an adventurous bird smuggler hired by romance novelist Joan Wilder (Turner) to navigate the Colombian jungle and rescue her sister from antique smugglers. Unlike the educated and determined Indiana Jones, Colton was portrayed as a relatable opportunist with rough charm and a love for Doobie Brothers music — a character who slowly softens into a loving partner.

The Sequel and Lost Momentum

The follow-up, The Jewel of the Nile (1985), lost director Zemeckis and screenwriter Diane Thomas, who had written the original. Though Douglas, Turner, and DeVito returned, the film, directed by Lewis Teague, suffered from cartoonish action and problematic racial stereotypes. Critics were unimpressed, with Rotten Tomatoes scoring it at 48% compared to the original’s 86%.

The Unmade Third Film and Other Attempts

Despite the sequel’s lukewarm reception, Douglas pursued a third Stone movie titled The Crimson Eagle. Scripts surfaced in 1997, with Douglas set to reprise Colton and produce. The story would have involved Colton and Wilder’s teenage children on a trip to Thailand, forced into a dangerous heist.

Douglas dedicated years to the project, even turning down a role in U-571 (2000) to focus on the Stone trilogy. When The Crimson Eagle stalled, he tried a different story, Racing the Monsoon (2005), set in India and involving a diamond robbery, with Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai eyed as leading lady. This project also failed to move into production. A later effort to adapt Romancing the Stone into an NBC television series in 2011 similarly went nowhere.

Legacy of Jack Colton and Michael Douglas

Though disappointed fans never saw Jack Colton’s proper sendoff, Douglas’s original portrayal remains iconic. Unlike many of his later roles, often featuring suit-and-tie characters wrestling with moral dilemmas, Colton allowed Douglas to loosen up and embrace the charm of a classic matinee idol, akin to Hollywood legends Errol Flynn and Humphrey Bogart. For Douglas, Colton was a character best suited to his vibrant prime rather than his later years as mentor and aging adult.