With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull set to debut in cinemas next month, Paramount’s publicity machine has kicked into over drive with the studio releasing a new, detailed synopsis for the Steven Spielberg directed, Harrison Ford starring and George Lucas produced movie.. Here it is..

This newest adventure begins in the desert Southwest in 1957 - the height of the Cold War.. Indy and his sidekick Mac ( Ray Winstone ) have barely escaped a close scrape with nefarious Soviet agents on a remote airfield..

Now, Professor Jones has returned home to Marshall College - only to find things have gone from bad to worse.. His close friend and dean of the college ( Jim Broadbent ) explains that Indy’s recent activities have made him the object of suspicion, and that the government has put pressure on the university to fire him..

On his way out of town, Indiana meets rebellious young Mutt ( Shia LaBeouf ), who carries both a grudge and a proposition for the adventurous archaeologist: If he’ll help Mutt on a mission with deeply personal stakes, Indy could very well make one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in history - the Crystal Skull of Akator, a legendary object of fascination, superstition and fear..

But as Indy and Mutt set out for the most remote corners of Peru - a land of ancient tombs, forgotten explorers and a rumored city of gold - they quickly realize they are not alone in their search.. The Soviet agents are also hot on the trail of the Crystal Skull..

Chief among them is icy cold, devastatingly beautiful Irina Spalko ( Cate Blanchett ), whose elite military unit is scouring the globe for the eerie Crystal Skull, which they believe can help the Soviets dominate the world … if they can unlock its secrets..

Indy and Mutt must find a way to evade the ruthless Soviets, follow an impenetrable trail of mystery, grapple with enemies and friends of questionable motives, and, above all, stop the powerful Crystal Skull from falling into the deadliest of hands..

Other pertinent facts revealed in the notes include that the map with the red line element is definitely back.. Also John Hurt’s character is named Professor Oxley and is inspired by Ben Gunn in the Robert Louis Stevenson classic Treasure Island.. This comes as a surprise as he was previously listed as Abner Ravenwood on the official site awhile back..

Ford mentioned he hadn’t seen the final cut of Crystal Skull’s yet, and affirmed he was not too old to be Indy.. The actor said..

” Just acknowledge the years between the last one and this one.. Without reservation.. Just acknowledge it.. What’s the big deal? The guy’s 18, 20 years older.. So what? I resisted some early efforts, for instance, to think about coloring my hair.. I said, Uh, no..”

Ford also said that he thought Indy was a character interesting enough ” to be able to develop further,” but did not feel the same regarding ” Star Wars,” Han Solo.. At the time, he even urged George Lucas to kill the character..

” I thought that would be his best utility.. To die, and give the story some resonance.. But I couldn’t get George to go along with that..”

The Indiana Jones franchise is being considered one of Hollywood’s surest bets, as the first three pictures amassed $1.2 billion in worldwide ticket sales.. The question is whether the young moviegoers would like to see a 65 - year - old action hero, after such computer - generated effects spectacles as Harry Potter, Spider - Man and Fantastic Four..

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hits theaters on the 22nd May 2008..

Discuss: Are we excited yet?