Film companies will register their titles with the Motion Picture Association of America before going public. It's a copyright-type thing, to be sure, but it's also where the information-gatherers collect their treasure. Here are the titles, each with a bit of commentary:

Indiana Jones and the City of Gods: Clearly the favorite among those on the Internet, this title suggested two things that everyone embraced. It suggested an approach involving the Ancient Greeks (something we hadn't seen in an Indy film yet, and should). Second, there are those that believed that this title signaled the return of the Ark of the Covenant, and that Indy & friends would use it to communicate with the heavens. There have been other allusions to the Ark's return, but more on that later.

Indiana Jones and the Destroyer of Worlds: I liked this one because it had that "Indy has to pull this off or the whole world gets sucked into hell" feel to it. It also played into the rumors that John Hurt had joined the cast to play Albert Einstein. Since Oppenheimer allegedly used the "Destroyer of Worlds" quote from Bhagavad Gita, and since the A-bomb fits nicely into the Indy timeline, it would have been cool to have Indy play a role in that somehow. There were also rumors that John Hurt would not be playing Einstein, but Abner Ravenwood--not quite as dead as we were lead to believe. Other casting backs that up, but more on that later.

Indiana Jones and the Fourth Corner of the Earth: This title only goes to prove two things: that some of these titles were meant just to pad the list, and that sometimes the people over at Spielberg's office drink. Heavily. There's no way this was a legit title.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: This title has several problems. First, it suggests voodoo-like content, which was the downfall of Temple of Doom. Second, it screams "He-Man," which is all anyone can think about when they hear it. Third, it's a loooong title, which is never good news. Finally, it sounds like they're reaching, moving away from the typical storylines and trying to reinvent the franchise for what would presumably be its swan-song. Four problems, no upside--so naturally, that's the one they chose.

Indiana Jones and the Lost City of Gold: Featuring the return of Allan Quatermain? Is Richard Chamberlain coming back to the big screen? I know that Spielberg and Lucas created the Indy franchise as an homage to the serial cliffhangers of early film, but come on . . .

Indiana Jones and the Quest for the Covenant: Oooo. "Quest" suggests that we're going on an adventure. Nice. "Covenant" fuels the full-circle rumors that we're gonna dig the Ark out of an Army warehouse and save the world with it. It would be a nice closure tactic, to be sure, and would explain why Karen Allen has joined the cast, reprising her role as Marion Ravenwood (no need to Inviso-text that one--it's everywhere). Marion's return, however, has to do with Shia LeBeouf 's casting as Indiana Jones' son. He's gotta have a mom, right? So that explains away the "Ark" theory--OR DOES IT?

Here's what we know at this point: John Hurt's doing a great job of saying nothing to everyone. He could be Albert Einstein, he could be Abner Ravenwood. The basic storyline is this: in the opening sequence, Indy obtains an object, then loses it. The Russians want it, too (this is 1957, so no more Nazis), and they kidnap Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) to get Indy to help. This Crystal-skull thing is the object. The opening sequence is supposed to exceed everyone's expectations and standards.

Here's what we just learned that's super-cool: They're building, on a Downey soundstage, a set of the Army warehouse where the Ark of the Covenant is stored. We may be going back for the thing after all. And if you take a look at the teaser poster, you'll see further evidence of this.

Even though we're looking at an excellent script, and excellent cast, and three previous blockbusters, I'm still disappointed in the title. The first, or the last, in the above list would have sounded more like and Indiana Jones movie. So while I'm excited to see this film--the first trailer is due out Thanksgiving of 2007--I'm referring to it by a different title when I discuss it with family and friends: