Harrison Ford Will Be De-Aged in Indiana Jones 5 Scene: 'It's a Little Spooky,' Says Actor

Lucasfilm Ltd/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Indiana Jones 5 will be a blast from the past — literally.

The fifth entry in the iconic trilogy will feature footage of a much younger Harrison Ford generated through new de-aging technology.

In the film's opening sequence, Ford will appear as he did in the original trilogy, according to Empire. The initial scene will be the only one in which the star is digitally de-aged, winding the clock back to 1944 before flashing forward to 1969, when the movie's main action takes place.

RELATED: Harrison Ford Gets Emotional Premiering First Teaser for 'Indiana Jones' '5' : 'I'm Very Proud'

The 80-year-old actor, who hasn't stepped into the iconic archaeologist's boots since the 2008 installment Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, told the magazine that seeing his younger self on the big screen was believable, but eerie.

"This is the first time I've seen it where I believe it," the star said of the youth-restoring tech.

"It's a little spooky," Ford continued. "I don't think I even want to know how it works, but it works."

According to the magazine, several techniques were needed to flash back to the Indy we all know and love, including new VFX software that combed through archived material of a younger Ford and matched it up with the new footage. The jacket Ford wore in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark was also taken from storage and replicated exactly for the scene.

RELATED: 'Indiana Jones' ' Ke Huy Quan Details Reunion with Costar Harrison Ford: 'Is He Gonna Recognize Me?'

Director James Mangold told Empire that, by de-aging Ford the film's opening, he "wanted the chance to dive into this kind of full-on George [Lucas]-and-Steven [Spielberg] old picture and give the audience an adrenaline blast."

"So that the audience doesn't experience the change between the '40s and '60s as an intellectual conceit, but literally experiences the buccaneering spirit of those early days," the director said. "And then the beginning of now."

Producer Kathleen Kennedy told Empire that she hopes audiences are stumped by the scene.

"My hope is that, although it will be talked about in terms of technology, you just watch it and go, 'Oh my God, they just found footage,'" Kennedy said.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

While the de-aging received Ford's stamp of approval, the actor said it didn't make him want to turn back time off-screen.

"Doesn't make me want to be young, though," he said. "I'm glad to have earned my age."

The fifth Indiana Jones installment is set to release on June 30, 2023.