Twenty-six years ago, a bunch of kids were so inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark that they set out to — no joke — do a shot-by-shot video remake of the entire film. Now their ambitious undertaking (which sounds amazing), titled Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation, is garnering them a small slice of fame and some job opportunities:

Now grown-ups, the former Mississippi kids— The Adaptation’s director Eric Zala, producer Chris Strompolos, and special-effects wiz Jayson Lamb—have made that dream a reality. After person-to-person dubs of their homemade homage journeyed all six degrees to the desk of Spielberg himself (unbeknownst to the makers), the trio racked up a 2003 theatrical premiere at Austin, Texas’ screenhead shrine, the Alamo Drafthouse, leading to a gushing review by Ain’t It Cool News’ online über-fanboy, Harry Knowles, which in turn paved the way for a breathless, 10-page feature in the March 2004 Vanity Fair. Before long, the three guys found themselves meeting Spielberg, getting brought out to the Lucasfilm ranch for a special screening, scoring a deal with producer Scott Rudin—who’s preparing a Daniel Clowes–scripted film based on their experiences—and taking lunch with development executives to discuss directing their own original blockbuster screenplay, currently titled What the River Takes. Zala, Strompolos, and Lamb may have scored the biggest hit ever for Team Film Geek.

“We’re sort of informally known out here as the ‘ Raiders guys’ or the ‘Raiders boys,’ ” says Zala, phoning in an interview with the Voice from Los Angeles between meetings. “Which we get a kick out of, since we’re in our mid-30s now. I think some people half-expect to see pimply-faced 18-year-olds.”

The piece brings up an interesting question towards the end: is the new-found enthusiasm over The Adaptation warranted, or is it just another sign of my generation’s (that would be “X”) unhealthy nostalgia fixation? I would suggest that the age of the filmmakers, their infectious enthusiasm, and the time they lived in when they made it might give The Adaptation an innocence and endearing charm that’s singular among fan films, but we’ll have to wait and see when this sucker makes it to DVD.

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