Legendary playwright and scriptwriter Tom Stoppard has died at the age of 88. The writer passed away on November 29, 2025, seemingly of natural causes, according to the BBC and other sources. Stoppard is perhaps most famous for his Shakespearean comedy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, in which side characters from Hamlet wander around and hilariously ponder the meaning of life. He also penned the films Empire of the Sun and Brazil, and was a co-author of Shakespeare in Love, among many, many others.
As a true artist of screenwriting and playwriting, his impact has been massive. But, did you know he also fixed two epic George Lucas movies?
As tributes to Stoppard pour in, some are pointing out that some of Stoppard’s sneakier contributions to pop culture come in the form of two secret-ish collaborations with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Tom Stoppard’s Uncredited Rewrites of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade represented, in some ways, the pinnacle of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s synergy. Famously, the film introduced Sean Connery as Henry Jones Sr., the father of Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones. The pair were only 12 years apart in real life, but because of great performances and the fact that, spiritually, Connery’s James Bond was the pop culture “father” of Indiana Jones, the movie clicked.
Part of the reason Last Crusade works so well is that the script is not just action-packed, but hilarious. And for that, we can thank Tom Stoppard. Writing under the pseudonym “Barry Watson,” Toppard added much of the memorable dialogue to the film. As pointed out by many critics and experts, including Nick de Semlyen at Empire, without Stoppard, we wouldn’t have the great gag of Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot) bumbling around after Indy says, “he’ll blend in, disappear, you’ll never see him again.”
RIP the legendary Tom Stoppard. Among his more famous achievements, he radically rewrote Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (under the pen-name Barry Watson), adding most of the thrilling beats and hilarious gags.
One of my favourites: the cut to Brody, after being hyped up as… pic.twitter.com/bHm927mZkK
— Nick de Semlyen (@NickdeSemlyen) November 29, 2025
The first draft of The Last Crusade was written by Jeffrey Boam, who retained the primary credit. But, as noted by researchers, including Mike Fitzgerald, Stoppard’s rewrites to dialogue meant that “80% of the lines have been substantially changed.”
So, if you love the great Sean Connery joke, “she talks in her sleep,” thank the spirit of Tom Stoppard!
Tom Stoppard’s Uncredited Rewrite of Revenge of the Sith
Though there are indications that Stoppard helped George Lucas with aspects of Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones, he certainly did an uncredited rewrite on the final Star Wars prequel, 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. These contributions aren’t as massive as what Stoppard did for The Last Crusade, but the famous scene in which Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) tells Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) the tale of “Darth Plagueis the wise” does come largely from Stoppard’s pen.
Interestingly, these two pop culture enhancements are hiding in plain sight and are utterly different from each other. With Last Crusade, Stoppard brought humour and heart to the script. With Revenge of the Sith, he added a layer of histronic tragedy to the fall of Anakin and the rise of Darth Vader.
Stoppard should, of course, be remembered and praised for his various plays. But, in terms of massive movies that influenced countless millions, his work will continue to inspire us, tucked away in stories where his name isn’t even mentioned in the credits.
